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fredfa

08-09-06, 12:36 AM

TV Notebook
CRT TV, RIP;
(or, Why You May Soon Be Too Poor for Television)
By James Poniewozik Time Magazine television critic in Time’s Tuned In blog Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2006

The era of the black monolith will soon be over. The New York Times reports that, with sales of flat-screen televisions taking over the share of all TVs sold much faster than expected, the day is coming when you cannot buy a good old-fashioned, cheap, back-breaking tube television for hernias or money. Some manufacturers have cut their tube-TV offerings to a single set, including Panasonic; many say they will stop making cathode-ray sets within a year or so.

You may be worrying that this is just an excuse for me to write yet another tedious paean to my new plasma set. It's not. (Entourage, by the way, looks amazing in HD. But it's not. Really.) It is, instead, just another milestone in the steady metastatization of the entertainment line within the American household budget.

There was a day when you bought a TV set, which was more or less like your neighbor's. You outfitted it with an antenna, or a coathanger. You bought the occasional LP to play on your hi-fi, which you would keep until the end of time. You went to a movie once in a while. If you were particularly flush, Junior Mints would be involved.

Today, however, we live amid waves of technological change--and every such wave, like real waves grinding a mighty island gradually into a slip of nothingness, erodes your wallet a little bit more, and permanently. You have cable now, or satellite, and if you want to be really cool you have premium channels and a DVR. You went from LPs to CDs to an iPod, every changing giving you not just new equipment to buy and upgrade--that new computer every two years is now part of your entertainment budget--but a chance to repurchase your record collection. Likewise VCR to DVD to, soon, HD-DVD. Likewise radio to satellite radio (another monthly line item!).

Likewise ringtones. We are now a nation of people who pay their freaking phones to ring.

TV used to be the great democratizer, sort of: there was only so much any mortal, however wealthy, could hope to spend on one. But now you're looking at prices starting at around $1000 for an entry-level flatscreen for a modest room and running up to if-you-have-to-ask range. $200 for something to plunk down in your first apartment? Bygone days. Oh, sure, as the article notes, the price of some flatscreens now roughly equals a tube television of the same size. (Presumably, if that tube TV is an HDTV, however.) But an executive with the parent company of RCA notes that a 27-inch LCD is about $800, compared with $240 or $350 for a tube. The price of being a respectable American philistine has just tripled.

Of course, this doesn't mean TV is going to become an elite medium. Far from it. More than likely, we will thoughtlessly suck up the additional expense just as we have every other increment in the entertainment budget: it's just a few more hours of overtime a week, a little more debt on the credit cards, another chunk out of the house through a home-equity line of credit. And that'll be the case all the way down the line: the staggering ratio of TV screen size to household income is a hallmark of many American poor families. But you have to wonder if TV as a medium will get more respect out of the transition--not because it looks better in widescreen but because, if we're spending so much money on it, it must be important, right?

And therefore, so are TV critics, right? I wonder if I can get a raise out of this.

http://time.blogs.com/tuned_in/

fredfa

08-09-06, 01:32 AM

TV Notebook
'Ugly Betty' sitting pretty;
Laffer looks good to ABC in Thursday slot
By Josef Adalian Variety.com August 9, 2006

"Ugly Betty" is getting a high-profile new timeslot.

ABC has opted to shift "Betty" from its previously announced Friday night berth to Thursdays at 8 p.m. Skein will bow Sept. 28.

Move comes after the comic sudser generated hugely positive buzz coming out of last month's TV Critics Assn. press tour, as well as solid advertiser response.

With "Betty" now on Thursdays, ABC has decided to delay the launch of new laffers "Big Day" and "Notes from the Underbelly" until later in the fall. Skeins will air on either Tuesday or Wednesday nights, after "Dancing with the Stars" wraps its season.

"America's Funniest Home Videos" will replace "Betty" in the 8 p.m. Friday slot. Skein will continue to air Sunday nights as well, a pattern that's been in place since March.

"Betty" sked shift means "Big Day" creators Josh Goldsmith and Cathy Yuspa won't have to battle themselves. Fox's "'Til Death," which also comes from Goldsmith/Yuspa, is slated to air Thursdays at 8 in what had been the "Big Day" timeslot.

As for "Betty," move gives the show a better chance of becoming a breakout hit. While competish is weaker on Fridays, it's hard for shows to attract big ratings on the night.

ABC also has to worry about promoting two less shows leading up to the start of the season.

Still, by running "Betty" at 8 p.m. Thursday, ABC is pitting one of its best newcomers opposite CBS' still-strong "Survivor" and NBC's duo of "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office." Fox meanwhile has high hopes for "'Til Death," which stars Brad Garrett.

Alphabet also is making things a bit tougher for "Men in Trees," which no longer has the buzzworthy "Betty" as its Friday lead-in. Still, ABC could always air stunt programming for a few Fridays in order to get "Men" sampled.

Separately, Alphabet has pulled the plug on "One Ocean View" after two weeks. Unscripted sudser failed to draw auds Mondays at 10 p.m. and will be replaced by repeats of "Supernanny."

fredfa

08-09-06, 02:16 AM

Cable Nielsen Notebook
USA Leads Weekly Ratings
Discovery Cracks Top 10
By Anthony Crupi MediaWeek.com

USA Network reclaimed its place as the most-watched cable network last week, delivering an average 2.87 million total viewers and a 2.4 household rating in prime time for the week ending August 6.

Boasting four of the week’s top five programs—including a fifth-place win for the latest installment of its new original series, Psych, which drew 4.72 million viewers Friday night at 10:00 p.m.—USA performed particularly well among the 18-34 and 18-49 demos. Psych scared up 2.07 million viewers in the 18-49 age range, enough for fifth place on the week in the category. The two-hour WWE Raw juggernaut was tops among the 18-49 demo, averaging 2.62 million viewers in the category Monday night between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m.

The WWE also averaged 1.39 million adults 18-34.

Non-ad-supported Disney Channel was the nominal second-place finisher last week, with an average viewership of 2.57 million in prime and a 2.2 household rating. Disney continued its remarkable winning streak among its core demos, notching its 70th consecutive week as the leader of the kids 6-11 pack (1.17 million/5.9 rating), and taking its 66th straight week among tweens 9-14 (0.9 million/4.6 rating).

Among ad-supported nets, TNT was second on the week, averaging 2.49 million total viewers in prime and a 2.0 HH rating. The Turner net continued to draw a huge crowd with The Closer, which was cable’s most-watched show among total viewers (6.93 million) and adults 25-54 (2.83 million), and saw marked improvement with its newest drama, Saved, which landed 3.57 million viewers, up from 2.95 million the previous week.

Rounding off the top five for the week were: TBS (1.92 million/1.6 HH), which also finished tops among 18-34 (0.6 million); Lifetime (1.68 million/1.5) and Nick-at-Nite (1.61 million/1.4).

One grower of note was Discovery Channel, which cracked the top 10 for the first time in recent memory, finishing seventh among ad-suported cable nets with 1.49 million total viewers, thanks to its 19th annual Shark Week programming stunt. Summer traditions aside, Discovery generally has been hot of late, upping its total average prime time viewership by 14 percent to 1.16 million in July, a near duplication of the total increases the network posted in the entire second quarter of 2006.

Perhaps the single most buzzworthy show on cable last week was Bravo’s Project Runway, which on Wednesday night became the highest-rated single telecast in the network’s 26-year history, as 3.44 million total viewers tuned in to watch designer Keith Michael get booted from the show for violating the rules. Runway was third on the week among 18-34 (1.38 million), and also placed third in 18-49 (2.2 million) and finished fifth among the 25-54 demo (1.98 million).

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002952253

fredfa

08-09-06, 10:55 AM

TV Notebook
TV Pilot Testing
By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post TV Critic

Dogs and babies score through the roof with women, while violence and sex rank high with men.

That much you know about TV audience testing.

But how does audience research happen, and what do the television executives learn from the results?

If you immediately picture lab-coat- wearing scientists gluing electrodes to subjects' heads, you've watched too much science fiction. The testing room feels more like a private movie theater than a lab. No brain scans, no heart monitor, no microchip behind the ear.

Just a "no food or drink" policy as 48 voluntary subjects take seats in a small screening room outfitted with a two-way mirrors and video cameras, at a North Hollywood complex owned by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. ASI, the largest testing company, counts all the major broadcast and cable TV networks among its clients. The market-research group has been in business since 1966, advising networks and studios on what works and what doesn't in pilots submitted for testing.

The twin TV sets at the front of the room aren't fancy - ASI favors the sort of old-fashioned screens that most civilians have at home so as not to overly enhance the show.

A peppy guide instructs visitors in the use of a handset at each seat: Turn the dial from a neutral position to a "minus" or "double minus," or a "plus" or "double plus," depending. If the reaction is really, really awful, participants can hit a red button to indicate they'd turn off the show.

Recently, a roomful of TV critics submitted to the process. We were not a typical audience, but then the show being tested wasn't typical, either. One of our colleagues had graciously donated a copy of a busted pilot from 2000, an inept jiggle-cop effort called "I Spike," about the well-proportioned members of a women's volleyball team, "Team Venus," who happen to be undercover agents. "I Spike" made "Charlie's Angels" look like genius.

No amount of puppies, babies, sex, violence or bikini volleyball could save this one.

"This is an interesting example of a dud," pronounced David Castler, chief executive officer of ASI. "There's no margin for tweakability."

Normally, the testing process reveals which aspects of a pilot need adjusting. Clients hope to isolate the problems, to learn which character may need to be recast, which joke isn't working, which plot point needs emphasis or which bit of direction seems confusing. They pay $20,000 per two-hour session to find their show's weak points. ASI tests some 150 pilots each year.

Red buttons all around indicated "I Spike" was beyond tweaking.

The dial-spinning portion of the test is followed by focus groups and questionnaires, specially designed to isolate matters of concern to the client. Participants are recruited by telephone and paid $50-75 to spend an evening at ASI. Only people who enjoy TV are invited; repeat customers are not allowed.

Of course, some shows that test well don't translate to hits once they're on the air. And some shows that tested poorly have gone on to glorious broadcast histories. "All in the Family" was an infamous miscall. Castler says test audiences didn't know there was an underlying loving relationship between the Bunkers; they hated it.

"We can't predict how a show will do on the air," Castler underscores. His job is to offer information about specific aspects of the pilot.

Clients may elect to test certain age or demographic groups, recruit lovers of specific genres (comedy or drama), and can home-test pilots in the heartland, away from

California audiences, for $40,000 per show via special cable channels.

In Las Vegas, CBS has a testing site inside the MGM Grand called Television City. On any given day, 100 to 200 people offer their opinions on shows. The facility also tests shows for MTV, Nickelodeon and other Viacom networks. Participants are compensated for their time with discount coupons for stores or restaurants on the premises. The Vegas facility also uses 75 touch-screen kiosks for individual research sessions. Each terminal is linked to the Internet, so CBS executives in New York and Los Angeles can revise questionnaires and track responses in real time.

David Poltrack, CBS research guru, said "without trying" the Vegas site draws participants from 40 states, mostly the young, upscale, avid TV watchers Madison Avenue seeks.

The process isn't always easy on those whose efforts are being judged.

At ASI, Castler recalled one particularly irate actor-producer who "lost it" during the testing of his latest project. As he watched the focus group bash his program, "he paced, he swore, he drank" and finally

barged in and "took over the

session."

That was Carl Reiner, show business icon, who was appalled to have unknowns off the street disparaging his creative output. (The project wasn't "The Dick Van Dyke Show" or any of his memorable successes.)

In his 34 years in the business, Castler has seen all sorts of hits and bombs pass through the screening room. What he hasn't gotten used to is unscripted television.

"We won't do reality TV," he said. "I hate reality TV."

While virtually every scripted show en route to network TV is put through the drill at ASI, Castler said, that's not the case for unscripted fare.

"If it's 'reality,' they just throw it on television."

http://www.denverpost.com/ostrow

fredfa

08-09-06, 12:15 PM

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

fredfa

08-09-06, 12:18 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Floyd Landis wins again, for Jay Leno
Rerun of NBC copper wins timeslot with a 3.0
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 9, 2006

After twice canceling planned appearances on NBC’s Tonight Show With Jay Leno, Floyd Landis finally dropped by the show last night, touting another excuse for why he exhibited elevated levels of testosterone in his recent Tour de France win: Perhaps it was something he ate.

People were plenty interested in what Landis had to say, too. Tonight scored its best rating in at least four weeks, averaging a 4.8 rating in metered market households.

That was nearly double the 2.5 that a repeat of CBS’s Late Show With David Letterman averaged in the same 11:35 p.m. timeslot.

It was also well ahead of ABC’s Nightline at 2.8 and a 1.2 for a repeat of Jimmy Kimmel Live, which begins at 12:05 a.m.

It marked the 213th time, out of 222 nights, that Leno has finished first in metered markets in late night, though that does include ties.

Landis has floated many theories over the past two weeks as to why both his A and B urine samples, taken shortly after the ride that essentially won the Tour for him, showed a high testosterone ratio.

He�s suggested it could have been caused by dehydration, drinking beer and whiskey the night beforehand, cortisone shots taken to ease the pain in his arthritic hip, or natural overproduction by his body.

Last night he told Leno that perhaps he unknowingly ingested something that caused the tests to be that way. Leno, who has joked in his monologue about Landis absence the two previous times he was supposed to show up, seemed skeptical.

But the ratings suggest that Americans are still interested in Landis and his woes. NBC had pumped the Landis appearance during its primetime schedule and local newscasts.

Meanwhile, in overnight numbers, CBS and NBC shared the lead for the night among adults 18-49, each with a 2.7 rating and 8 share, coming in ahead of Fox at 2.2/7, ABC at 1.6/5, Univision at 1.5/5, WB at 0.8/3 and UPN at 0.5/2.

At 8 p.m., CBS's "Big Brother 7: All-Stars" led at 2.8, ahead of Fox's "House" repeat at 2.3, Univision's "La Fea Mas Bella" at 1.9, NBC's "Fear Factor" at 1.8, ABC's reruns of "According to Jim" at 1.7, WB's "Gilmore Girls" rerun at 0.8 and UPN's "Veronica Mars" repeat at 0.5.

At 9 p.m., NBC was No. 1 at 3.2 for "Last Comic Standing," followed by CBS's "Rock Star: Supernova" at 2.8, Fox's "Bones" repeat at 2.0, ABC's "Jim" repeats at 1.8, Univision's "Barrera de Amor" at 1.6, WB's "Girls" rerun at 0.9, and UPN's "Mars" rerun at 0.6.

At 10 p.m., NBC led again at 3.0 for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit," followed by CBS at 2.3 for "48 Hours Mystery," ABC at 1.3 for a "Boston Legal" repeat, and Univision at 1.1 for "Que Madre Tan Padre" and "Vecinos."

Among households, Fox squeezed into No. 1 for the evening at a 4.7 rating and 8 share, while CBS and NBC each averaged a 4.6/8. ABC was fourth at a 3.2/6, ahead of Univision at 1.9/3, WB at 1.5/3 and UPN at 0.9/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6553.asp

flint350

08-09-06, 01:09 PM

Well, while the appearance may have helped Leno's ratings, it did little, IMO, to help Landis. He seemed to waffle more than a pancake at IHOP. His laundry list of excuses and blame on others was just not credible to me. His awkward laugh about it was disquieting. Why he appeared at all, after the other cancellations, was another oddity. He really added nothing to the debate except to look more guilty. I believe in presumption of innocence, but this bordered on presumption of audience gullibility. Leno, as usual, meekly attempted a "real" interview, but always backed off and even began as a cheerleader for the guy. I realize Leno is no investigative journalist, but if you're going to give a person like this a large audience, you ought to have some sense of integrity about pursuing it beyond just accepting "I didn't do it, but can't really, plausibly explain why". Ratings stunt, nothing more. And Landis was dumb to do it. He certainly didn't further his cause much, if any. Just my IMO.

fredfa

08-09-06, 01:46 PM

I couldn't agree more, Ray.

It is sad, because that incredible performanvce he put on near the end of the Tour was amazing.

CPanther95

08-09-06, 01:57 PM

It is sad, because that incredible performanvce he put on near the end of the Tour was amazing.

Sad for Floyd maybe, but fantastic exposure for the steroid industry. :)

slocko

08-09-06, 04:20 PM

Landis just needs to come clean. What a screw up.

And from what people have told me, it doesn't seem like the testorone is something that would have helped him much.

archiguy

08-09-06, 04:37 PM

Landis just needs to come clean. What a screw up.

Then, he would be a historic first. Nobody comes clean, not even when they're caught red-handed in the lies.

And from what people have told me, it doesn't seem like the testorone is something that would have helped him much.

Actually, it would. He bonked hard on one leg of the race and made a "miraculous" recovery the very next day. Testosterone and HGH help the body recover faster, which is why it's prescribed for legitimate injury and burn victims. Weight lifters like the way it helps the body recover from hard workouts more quickly so that they can get in another hard workout faster. In this case, he probably used a testosterone patch on his, um, scrotum, which helped him recover enough to be fresh as a daisy the next day for his amazing comeback ride. It also wouldn't be spotted there. ;)

He might as well admit it now, since he's going to lose on appeal and his rep/career is shot anyway, but like I said above, they never do.

fredfa

08-09-06, 04:57 PM

TV Notebook
TV-show series may be hitting close to home

By Phil Rosenthal Chicago Tribune Media Columnist August 9, 2006

When you're a fourth-place network, the television industry must seem awful. That's the impression you get from NBC, anyway.

The network, whose prime-time woes of late were recently cited by corporate parent General Electric as a drag on the company, is not only introducing a pair of shows on its fall schedule set in motion by a jaundiced view of the biz. It's also commissioned a third series based on the wholly believable premise that today's TV sitcoms reek and amateurs couldn't do worse than the pros.

Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" set the tone with an on-air rant from a burned-out producer on a "Saturday Night Live"-like series ripping his own network's shows in which contestants are vying to be Donald Trump and "eating worms for money."

Sound like anything on NBC?

"We're all being lobotomized by this country's most influential industry," says the man played by Judd Hirsch. "It's just thrown in the towel on any endeavor on anything that doesn't include the courting of 12-year-old boys--and not even the smart 12-year-olds, the stupid ones, the idiots, of which there are plenty, thanks in no small measure to this network."

Hirsch calls the TV business a "greed-filled" brothel and tells viewers "that remote in your hand is a crack pipe." This, presumably, is something "West Wing" creator Sorkin knows.

"I do think that television is a terribly influential part of this country and that when things that are very mean-spirited and voyeuristic go on TV, I think it's bad crack in the schoolyard," Sorkin told critics at their recent confab, immediately regretting the "crack" reference and later offering to pay everyone $100 not to mention it.

"Aaron has a lot of freedom, and that was the understanding going in," NBC Entertainment boss Kevin Reilly told critics at their recent confab. "He does not have complete freedom. ... He knows the parameters. I think he knows the business he's in."

Reilly said the network acknowledges "there's validity to" Sorkin's critique, but "we don't take it personally."

"SNL" alum Tina Fey's comedy, "30 Rock," has gotten attention for also being set in a live sketch show at NBC. And it too makes the network out to be a corporate bureaucracy gone wild.

Alec Baldwin plays an exec with "NBC GE Universal Kmart"--GE doesn't own Kmart, the guy admits, but asks why an underling dresses like it does--who touts the value of market research and how "sometimes you have to change things that are perfectly good just to make them your own."

This guy's greatest triumph is the GE Trivection Oven, which can cook a turkey in 22 minutes, so naturally he's been named vice president of East Coast television and microwave programming. When it's pointed out that sounds like he's in charge of microwave programming, he doesn't smile.

Who better to oversee a TV comedy?

Fey said she doesn't intend to rip "SNL," comparing that to "taking shots at my own family, basically," but she will make fun of NBC and GE if it's amusing. "We were saying at some point maybe Alec will want my character to ... go through the NBC executive training process or something, but only if it's funny," she said.

That's a chief complaint behind "Scrubs" creator Bill Lawrence's "Nobody's Watching." The show is about two young men who love TV and come to Hollywood to save it by producing a genuinely funny sitcom while starring in a fictional reality show about their adventure. The WB bought the pilot but didn't greenlight the series.

The pilot wound up on YouTube.com, found an audience, and NBC is developing it for both the Web and air.

"Win, lose or draw, these are the things we've got to try," Reilly said.

If only to see how the 12-year-old boys and the gang in microwave market research feel about it.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-0608090174aug09,0,3436828,print.column

fredfa

08-09-06, 05:02 PM

TV Notebook
TV Land Journeys to The Final Frontier
Celebrates The 40th Anniversary of Star Trek on Friday, September 8

(TV Land News Release)

NEW YORK, Aug. 9 -- TV Land celebrates Star Trek -- the legendary, science-fiction series which continues to "live long and prosper" - - with a 40th Anniversary primetime salute on Friday, September 8, 2006 -- the very date on which the series first premiered in 1966. TV Land will showcase four of the most talked about and best remembered episodes from the series, including the show's premiere and the historic episode featuring TV's first interracial kiss from 8 p.m. to 12 a.m. ET/PT before the show joins the TV Land roster beginning November 17, 2006. Also in November, TVLand.com's new broadband media player will stream full-length episodes of Star Trek which have previously not been available for free on the Web.

"Star Trek forever changed the landscape of television and science fiction, and to this day, remains a cornerstone of pop culture," states Larry W. Jones, President, TV Land and Nick at Nite. "It continues to attract passionate fans, and we are thrilled to mark this monumental anniversary on TV Land."

"I'm thrilled that TV Land is celebrating this special anniversary of a show that means so much to me," adds William Shatner. "I am so proud of its creativity and ability to see humanity in the future. It is still amazing to see how Star Trek continues to impact generations of fans around the globe."

This futuristic series, which aired from 1966 to 1969, is set in the 23rd century and follows the adventures of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Their mission is to travel across the galaxy to explore new worlds and seek new life forms and civilizations. Commanded by James T. Kirk (William Shatner), accompanied by his first officer and best friend Mr. Spock (Leonard Nimoy), a half-breed Vulcan with a green complexion and pointed ears. The Enterprise encountered confrontations with alien races the Klingons and Romulans, as well as other strange forms of life. Other characters in the series include Dr. Leonard McCoy (DeForest Kelley), a surgeon and diagnostician; Sulu (George Takei), the chief navigator; Uhura (Nichelle Nichols), the communications officer; Scotty (James Doohan), the chief engineer and Nurse Christine Chapel (Majel Barrett). The series aired from 1966 to 1969 on NBC and spawned a billion dollar franchise and a loyal legion of fans, otherwise known as "Trekkies."

The schedule airs as follows (all times ET/PT):

Friday, September 8

8 p.m.

#1 The Man Trap - In this very first episode ever aired of Star Trek, Captain Kirk and his crew are at deadly risk from an alien creature that feeds on the salt in a human body and can take on any form.

9 p.m.

#28 - City On The Edge Of Forever - Kirk and Spock must travel into the past in order to correct a change that will alter history in one of the series' best-remembered episodes.

10 p.m.

#44 The Trouble With Tribbles - One of the most famous episodes from this series for its humor and bizarre plot. Stanley Adams plays Cyrano Jones, a space trader who gives a tribble (a ball of fluff) to Uhura who brings it on The Enterprise. What no one knows is that tribbles are born pregnant, so the more they eat, the more they multiply, and soon the Enterprise is filled with tribbles as they produce at amazing speed, leaving Kirk and his crew to figure out how to get rid of these creatures.

11 p.m.

#65 - Plato's Stepchildren - This episode is famous because it was the first time ever on television that an interracial kiss was featured, between Captain Kirk and Uhura. Also in this episode, Kirk and his crew find themselves at the mercy of individuals who possess mind-over-matter powers...and plan to use the Enterprise crew for their twisted entertainment

fredfa

08-09-06, 05:28 PM

fredfa

08-09-06, 06:01 PM

Cable TV Notebook
'Bounty' picks up viewers for A&E
By Andrew Wallenstein The Hollywood Reporter

"Dog the Bounty Hunter" had its day on A&E Tuesday, with a two-part special reaching record ratings for the channel.

The unscripted series averaged 4 million total viewers from 9-11 p.m., culminating with a 10 p.m. episode that nearly dented A&E's current record holder, original movie "Flight 93."

The 10 p.m. episode was second-ranked to "Flight" in the 18-49 demo (2.7 million) and 25-54 (2.6 million), while managing to nail the channel record in 18-34, with 1.2 million. "Dog" also powered A&E to the highest rated cable network of the night in primetime.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002984663

keenan

08-09-06, 06:27 PM

dad1153

08-09-06, 07:00 PM

Cable TV Notebook
'Bounty' picks up viewers for A&E
By Andrew Wallenstein The Hollywood Reporter

"Dog the Bounty Hunter" had its day on A&E Tuesday, with a two-part special reaching record ratings for the channel.

I can honestly say that I haven't watched more than five hours of A&E programming since 1999, when repeats of 'Law & Order' moved to TNT. News stories like the one above reinforce my belief that I haven't missed anything worth watching since my departure. A&E belongs to a growing number of cable channels whose programming in no way, shape or form reflect their mission statement. What the heck do reality shows like 'Dog The Bounty Hunter,' 'Growing Up Gotti' or that show about airports/airlines have to do with either art or (loosely defined) entertainment? Why does American Movie Classics show all its movies with commercials, edited for content and in pan-and-scan (instead of their original aspect ratio)? Has anyone seen a music video airing at a time when anybody's watching on either MTV or MTV2? Even low-tier stuff like G4 (a videogame channel) is showing repeats of 'Star Trek: TNG' and 'The Man Show' in primetime. Why are repeats of 'L&O: Criminal Intent' flooding Bravo's schedule on weekends? And don't get me started on what passes as a guest worth interviewing on the once-interesting 'Inside the Actor's Studio.' I mean, come on! Martin freaking Laurence? :eek: :mad:

I could go on forever but seeing the ratings for A&E climb with trash like 'Dog' makes me realize I'm a dinosaur of a TV viewer (the quality-seeking discriminating type) at age 33! :(

CPanther95

08-09-06, 08:15 PM

Don't give up on A&E, you may have missed the tattoo shows and you won't want to miss the upcoming Gene Simmons reality show. :)

dad1153

08-09-06, 08:18 PM

Tattoo show? Gene Simmons reality show? Wow, A&E is back... NOT! :mad:

PJO1966

08-09-06, 08:21 PM

Agreed... A&E is not what it used to be. I also think you forgot to mention wrestling on th Sci-Fi Channel...

CPanther95

08-09-06, 08:28 PM

The reality is that they broke off all the popular programs to launch other networks. 8 channels pay more than 1. There's just nothing left, of any real substance, to put on.

fredfa

08-09-06, 11:24 PM

The Business of TV
Downgrade, Murdoch Sink Dish Stock
By Mike Farrell Multichannel News 8/9/2006

EchoStar Communications stock plunged more than 10% ($3.60 per share) to $31.48 each in trading Wednesday on a downgrade from an influential analyst and comments from News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch that the two companies were not in merger discussions.

The company’s stock had been climbing in recent weeks on speculation that News Corp., which controls No. 1 direct-broadcast satellite service DirecTV Group, would attempt a merger with the No. 2 DBS provider. Comments from DirecTV CEO Chase Carey Tuesday afternoon that the regulatory environment was softening to such a merger only helped to fuel that speculation.

But Tuesday night, Murdoch, on a conference call to discuss fiscal-fourth-quarter results, told analysts he was not currently in discussions with EchoStar, quashing hopes that a deal was at least in the works.

“We’ve had no negotiations at all,” Murdoch said regarding a merger with EchoStar. “We’ve had a few friendly conversations, but there is nothing to report.”

That, coupled with Sanford C. Bernstein cable and satellite analyst Craig Moffett’s decision to downgrade both DirecTV and EchoStar from “market perform” to “underperform,” sent the stock into a tailspin.

In his report, Moffett wrote that merger speculation has “driven the stock price to new heights, leaving valuations stretched even as huge questions remain as to whether a merger is even possible from a regulatory perspective.” Moffett also noted that Murdoch’s comments did little to help the merger speculation.

Increasing the pressure on the two DBS stocks was DirecTV’s disappointing second-quarter subscriber growth -- 125,000 net new subscribers in the quarter, versus 225,000 last year -- and the robust basic growth of cable companies like Cablevision Systems, which said Tuesday that it had added 35,000 basic customers in the period, outpacing analysts’ expectations.

Moffett wrote that the contrasting subscriber numbers “paint a picture of competitive advantage swinging decisively toward cable.”

DirecTV shares were down 56 cents each (3%) Wednesday to $16.52 per share.

EchoStar is scheduled to report its second-quarter results Thursday at noon (EST).

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6361286.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

08-09-06, 11:27 PM

TV Notebook
Family trouble on 'Brothers & Sisters'
In yet another blow to Calista Flockhart's new show, executive producer Marti Noxon is said to have quit
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in the Channel Island TV Industry blog August 9, 2006

Former "Ally McBeal" star Calista Flockhart's return to TV is looking not-so-triumphant.

Flockhart, 41, stars in "Brothers & Sisters," ABC's ensemble drama about several generations of a contemporary Los Angeles family. Network executives must have had positive feelings toward the show at some point, because they selected it for the plum 10 p.m. Sunday slot, right after "Desperate Housewives." That's the same time period that helped make "Grey's Anatomy" a huge hit (this season, "Grey's" is moving to Thursdays).

But "Brothers" has already run into big trouble. Executive producer Marti Noxon, the showrunner charged with managing creative matters on a day-to-day basis, abruptly exited the series Monday after a dispute over its artistic direction, two people familiar with the situation said. Noxon did not return a call Tuesday.

Studio executives are hopeful Noxon can be persuaded to return. "It's not final," said Charissa Gilmore, a spokeswoman for Touchstone Television, which makes the show. "Until then, she's on the show."

But Noxon is said to have butted heads with creator Jon Robin Baitz, a well-known playwright who's also written for "Alias" and "The West Wing." Just last month, Noxon and Baitz appeared side-by-side with Flockhart and the rest of the principal cast at a Pasadena press junket promoting "Brothers."

Noxon's departure is just the latest blow to the series. The studio earlier recast some of the actors, replacing Betty Buckley with Sally Field. As a result, substantial portions of the pilot had to be reshot, and according to the studio, no footage for any episode has been sent to the editing room yet. The premiere is set for Sept. 24.

Meanwhile, Flockhart's PR efforts may leave something to be desired. She became a star playing a conflicted young lawyer during "Ally McBeal's" 1997-2002 run. But her glum demeanor at the Pasadena junket had journalists buzzing (EW.com said she looked "utterly miserable"). But Gilmore said the actress has a full slate of promotional activities planned for the new show.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-channel9aug09,0,5547548,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

08-10-06, 01:48 AM

(Maureen Ryan is back from vacation. Hooray!)
TV Notebook
A 'Battlestar Galactica' refresher course
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 09, 2006

It’s less than two months until Season 3 of "Battlestar Galactica" begins Oct. 6, and the drumbeat of hype is beginning.

Sci Fi Channel has cooked up a special designed to help fans and newbies catch up on the stellar drama. “Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far” is a synergy-minded executive’s dream: It’ll air all across NBC Universal’s many cable, broadcast and online platforms.

From Sci Fi’s release: “Told through the voice of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the Secretary of Education-turned President-turned resistance leader on now Cylon-occupied New Caprica, ‘Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far’ will chronicle humanity’s costly struggle to survive against its deadliest enemy.”

If you’re lucky enough to live on the West Coast, you can catch “The Story So Far” at 10 p.m. West Coast time Sunday, after the football game.

Here are the other airings of the special, from Sci Fi’s press release (Note that all times below are Eastern time):

• Monday, August 28: Free on demand via Sci Fi’s cable affiliates
• Friday, September 15 at 12 a.m.: USA
• Sunday, September 17 at 7 p.m.: Universal HD
• Monday, September 18 at 9 a.m.: USA
• Friday, September 22 at 8 p.m.: Universal HD
• Friday, September 22 at 6 p.m.: Sleuth
• Friday, September 29 at 7 p.m: Bravo
• Saturday, September 30 at 11 a.m.: Bravo
• Saturday, September 30 at 4 p.m.: Universal HD
• September [date to be determined]: scifi.com’s Pulse
• Friday, October 6 at 7 p.m.: Sci Fi

There will be other Sci Fi airings in September and October, and the special will also be available for download on iTunes and XBox Live.

As for those upcoming “Battlestar Galactica” Webisodes, there’s no date yet on when they’ll debut.

By the way, there has been a rumor floating around that when “Battlestar” returns in October, Sci Fi will pair it with Season 2 of the newest incarnation of “Doctor Who.” I have reason to believe that may be true, though Sci Fi says it won’t make any official announcements until Thursday.

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

fredfa

08-10-06, 01:53 AM

(Maureen Ryan is back from vacation. One more Hooray!)
TV Notebook
Men, women and a pretty spot for 'Ugly Betty'
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher”

Well, this is excellent news.

I’m working on my fall preview story (which will appear in print on Aug. 27), and in it, I chided ABC for dumping “Ugly Betty” on Fridays. But now the network has seen the light, and just announced that “Ugly Betty” will air 7 p.m. Thursdays.

Do I think “Ugly Betty” is the best pilot of the fall season? No, but the fall crop is an especially good one. And "Betty" is well-acted, has a lot of potential and it may just be the most intriguing pilot of the new season. At the recent critic’s convention in Pasadena, opinions on the show were all over the map, and led to many interesting discussions, which is itself a good sign.

Why all the chatter? Well, for starters, “Ugly Betty” is certainly no “CSI” clone. Thank goodness.

“Betty” is an adaptation of a popular Colombian telenovela, and it concerns a not-very-attractive young woman who gets a job a glossy fashion magazine. It’s the kind of place where the trendily dressed assistant at the next desk will stick the proverbial knife in your back even as she smiles and brings you a decaf soy mocchachino.

As played by America Ferrera, Betty is a compelling mixture of aspiration, innocence and dogged determination. Her family doesn’t understand why she wants to aim so high, and she eventually finds out she was hired to be the magazine publisher’s assistant only because the bosses knew the randy fellow wouldn’t try to bed Betty.

I think the reason a lot of critics don’t get “Betty,” or are mystified by it, is because they’re male. Not to make blanket generalizations -- some male critics do like “Betty” -- but Brian Ford Sullivan, who runs the essential TV site The Futon Critic and whose opinion I greatly respect, wrote this on his site: “You know how every year there’s one show that makes you wonder ‘How the hell did this get made?’ Well, this is that show.”

I think conflict between women may be difficult for some guys to understand. It’s not quite out in the open, for the most part. There’s a whole raft of books these days about female bullying -- bullying that’s done via rumors, text messages, Web sites and cliquish exclusion.

I’m not trying to say that men and boys are never the victims or the perpetrators of these kinds of hurtful behaviors, but for women, conflict often plays out differently than it does for men. It’s about going for the emotional weak spot, it’s not about a physical or even a verbal attack.

Watch any cable show about guys (and most cable shows are about mostly guys), and eventually the characters will start punching each other. They’ll kick someone’s ribs in, or cut off an ear. Or there will be shouting, pushing, swearing, endless taunting. For the most part, conflict on shows featuring mainly men is out in the open, or at least it usually ends up that way.

What’s refreshing about “Betty” is that it depicts those small workplace moments that resonate -- the withering glances, the snotty exchanges, the small acts of meanness. The stuff that never actually rises to the level of a full-on conflict but that drives you nuts. That’s the stuff you e-mail your friends about and tell your husband or wife or boyfriend or girlfriend about. That’s the stuff that stings.

“Betty” shows what happens when a whole gang of fashionable people try to hurt someone’s feelings, in a million small ways, and she’s determined that they won’t succeed. Everyone -- male and female -- has probably been there.

I’m quite intrigued to see whether more people are befuddled by “Betty” than get it. I hope there are a good number of folks willing to give it a chance, because I do think that kind of workplace struggle and personal insecurity are eminently relatable, for both men and women. But who knows, maybe people would rather sit back and watch law-enforcement types kick butt on a carbon copy of “NCIS.”

In any case, good for ABC for giving a more high-profile spot to this promising comedy-drama – and there are some funny moments, many of them courtesy of Vanessa Williams, who plays a diva editor. And thank goodness ABC is banishing the tepid comedies that were supposed to air on Thursdays; maybe they’ll air mid-season, maybe never (wouldn’t that be tragic?).

I don’t know if “Betty” is going to succeed over the long haul. But at least she has a fighting chance to get noticed now.

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

keenan

08-10-06, 02:38 AM

(Maureen Ryan is back from vacation. Hooray!)
TV Notebook
A 'Battlestar Galactica' refresher course
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 09, 2006

If you’re lucky enough to live on the West Coast, you can catch “The Story So Far” at 10 p.m. West Coast time Sunday, after the football game.

I take this to mean she's talking about it being on NBC? Plus, there's no date, which football game, or which Sunday?

fredfa

08-10-06, 02:51 AM

Hey, cut Maureen some slack. She is just back from vacation. And yes, it is on NBC (I believe).

fredfa

08-10-06, 02:55 AM

Jim: It will be on NBC for those of us lucky enough to be on the correct coast. Here is the press release.
TV Notebook
VIEWERS PREPARE: THE RETURN OF 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'
One-Hour Recap Special Preps Viewers for the Season 3 Premiere
Sweeping Distribution to Include Online, In-Store, And On-Air Across Every NBC Universal Property

(NBC Universal Press Release) Published: August 9, 2006
NEW YORK -– August 9, 2006 –- After a long, hot summer, SCI FI Channel offers some sweet relief to 'Battlestar Galactica' devotees and new viewers alike – a one-hour recap special to whet their appetites for the series' season 3 premiere in October. Incorporating footage from the original SCI FI miniseries and the show's previous two seasons of the Peabody Award-winning series, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will serve as a refresher for current fans and as a primer for anyone new to the world of Galactica.

Told through the voice of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the Secretary of Education-turned President–turned resistance leader on now Cylon-occupied New Caprica, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will chronicle humanity's costly struggle to survive against its deadliest enemy.

In a broad synergistic move, 'Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far' will air across all NBC Universal platforms – NBC, USA Network, Bravo, Sleuth, Universal HD, and online on SCIFI.COM's own broadband channel, 'Pulse.'

The special will be broadcast as follows:

Sunday, August 13 at 10PM NBC West Coast (following Football)
Monday, August 28 Free On Demand via SCI FI's cable affiliates
Friday, September 15 at 12AM USA
Sunday, September 17 at 7PM Universal HD
Monday, September 18 at 9AM USA
Friday, September 22 at 8PM Universal HD
Friday, September 22 at 6PM Sleuth
Friday, September 29 at 7PM BRAVO
Saturday, September 30 at 11AM BRAVO
Saturday, September 30 at 4PM Universal HD
September SCIFI.COM's Pulse
Friday, October 6 at 7PM SCI FI

*Other SCI FI airings TBD in Sept/Oct*

SCI FI's comprehensive promotional outreach will extend far beyond just the broadcasts. Throughout September and leading up to the season 3 premiere, 'The Story So Far' will also be made available for download via iTunes and XBox Live – the first longform program ever to be offered via XBox – and will be distributed at Best Buy as a bonus dvd with the 'Battlestar Galactica' season 2.5 dvd set, as well as other genre titles, from Universal Home Video. The dvd will also be distributed to visitors to the Universal Studios theme parks, and snippets of the special will be available on YouTube, Google Video and other video portal sites.

'Battlestar Galactica' is the gripping saga of humanity's last remnants and their struggle to find a new home while fleeing from their deadly Cylon enemies. Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, 'Galactica's intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it numerous awards, including the prestigious George Foster Peabody Award.

keenan

08-10-06, 03:13 AM

Hey, cut Maureen some slack. She is just back from vacation. And yes, it is on NBC (I believe).
Hey, vacation's over, back to work, work, work, no slacking allowed. :p

Thanks for the update. :)

pwrmetal

08-10-06, 08:33 AM

By the way, there has been a rumor floating around that when “Battlestar” returns in October, Sci Fi will pair it with Season 2 of the newest incarnation of “Doctor Who.” I have reason to believe that may be true, though Sci Fi says it won’t make any official announcements until Thursday.

It's definitely true. I have seen a sci-fi "highlights of September" document which lists Dr Who season 2 premiering the week before BSG. It's definitely going to be on before the new BSGs on Friday nights.

Unfortunately, the rumor is that Sci-Fi is going to delay airing the 2005 Xmas Special (which bridges season 1 and 2) until Xmas, which should confuse the hell out of many viewers. I really hope Sci-Fi rethinks this (if true).

CPanther95

08-10-06, 09:20 AM

I guess there's been no movement on the new Caprica series beyond approving the idea of the show? I was really hoping they'd crank that series out in short order to air between the BSG half-seasons.

jim tressler

08-10-06, 09:26 AM

so.. those of us on the east coast will get screwed.. how crappy is that.. torrent search here i come!!!

Jim: It will be on NBC for those of us lucky enough to be on the correct coast. Here is the press release.
TV Notebook
VIEWERS PREPARE: THE RETURN OF 'BATTLESTAR GALACTICA'
One-Hour Recap Special Preps Viewers for the Season 3 Premiere
Sweeping Distribution to Include Online, In-Store, And On-Air Across Every NBC Universal Property

(NBC Universal Press Release) Published: August 9, 2006
NEW YORK -– August 9, 2006 –- After a long, hot summer, ...

The special will be broadcast as follows:

Sunday, August 13 at 10PM NBC West Coast (following Football)

fredfa

08-10-06, 11:01 AM

TV Notebook
How the new TV season is shaping up

By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 10, 2006, 01:10

It’s six weeks until the new TV season officially begins and only 11 days before Fox premieres the season’s first new show, “Vanished.”

This is the time when networks scramble with last-minute pilot tweaks and schedule switches, including a slight shakeup on Thursday nights made by ABC earlier this week. But as the new season moves closer, there’s a sense among media people that, for the second straight year, there won’t be a big breakout hit.

Two years after “Desperate Housewives” and “Lost” sent ABC soaring, no upcoming program has the potential to either revive ailing NBC or give ABC or CBS a significant boost.

That means that Fox, which has won two straight seasons among adults 18-49, remains the favorite this year.
Karen McCallum, media director at Esparza Advertising in Albuquerque, and Peter Koeppel, founder and president of Koeppel Direct in Dallas, talk to Media Life about this season’s most promising shows, the least promising shows, and what the most competitive night will be.

Last year there was no one big new hit. Are there any shows that you think could be a real breakout a la “Housewives” or “Lost?”

PK: I think the biggest show this year will be “Grey's Anatomy” moving to Thursday at 9 p.m. I feel this could be the biggest show on TV, even though it is going up against “CSI.” It really gained momentum at the end of last season, and the reruns of the first season are doing well right now.

KM: I didn’t think “Desperate Housewives” would do what it did in its first season but ABC had nothing to lose. Arguably, the network with the least to lose this season would be NBC. However, I’m not seeing the level of risk with any of their shows that we saw with “Housewives” or “Lost.” This season is more likely to follow last year with no real network standouts.

Which three new shows look most promising this fall?

PK: I couldn't narrow it down to three yet. Here are seven that look promising: “Six Degrees” on ABC on Thursday at 10 p.m. looks good. I think it will do well. “Shark,” which is the James Woods court show on CBS, also shows promise. “Smith,” the Ray Liotta CBS show that is “Ocean's Twelve”-ish, looks like it will do well also. NBC's “Twenty Good Years” and “Heroes” also look good. NBC’s “Friday Night Lights” looks promising for picking up the “OC” crowd. CBS’s “The Unit” finished strong in the spring and also looks promising.

KM: “Shark” on CBS Thursdays at 10. James Woods’ character is fun to watch, Spike Lee directed the pilot, it follows “CSI,” and “ER” is eroding.
“The Class” on CBS Mondays. CBS’s Monday night comedy block has performed solidly. ABC has a hard road in the absence of “Monday Night Football.” Many of the other new comedies are overly formulaic and reliant on laugh tracks. Every viewer can remember themselves as that freckled red-headed kid [and thus relate to the show].
“’Til Death” on Fox Thursday at 8. Brad Garrett and Joely Fisher’s contrast with the starry-eyed newlyweds next door is well-written and well-cast.

Which three look least promising?

PK: ABC's “Brothers and Sisters.” CBS’s “Jericho” seems too depressing. Given the state of world affairs today people want an escape when watching TV, so I don't think this show will have much appeal. The sitcom “Big Day” on ABC.

KM: “Jericho.” It’s dark and confusing. Up against “Dancing with the Stars” and NBC’s big-name new comedies, it’s a long shot.
“Big Day” on ABC at midseason. “24” works in real time because of Jack Bauer. Who wants to watch someone plan a wedding in real time?
“Kidnapped” on NBC Wednesdays at 10. “CSI NY” is still big time and ABC’s “The Nine” has good buzz and a better lead-in with “Lost.” This is not a great fit out of “The Biggest Loser.”

There's been a lot of talk about NBC having two new shows with the same concept/theme, “30 Rock” and “Studio 60.” Do you think viewers will be confused by this? Will they be willing to watch two shows with such similar setups?

PK: NBC is marketing “30 Rock” primarily as a comedy and “Studio 60” as a drama. Both shows have strong casts, but “Studio 60” has a stronger pedigree with Aaron Sorkin and Tommy Schlamme as producers. NBC is promoting both heavily but I suspect “Studio 60” will be the stronger program.

KM: True, they are both about people who work in TV shows but there are so many differences. “30 Rock” is funny. Tina Fey is a good writer and can speak to a slightly younger demographic. “Studio 60” is Aaron Sorkin drama, “West Wing” aficionados, huge internet buzz already. The audience for the two shows really isn’t that similar.

What do you think the prospects are for MyNetworkTV? Will it draw an audience?

PK: I don't think it will draw an audience, because people like to become engaged with characters on TV shows and there's not enough time to do that with MyNetworkTV's shorter show format.

KM: Prospects are mixed for MyNetworkTV. They were smart to differentiate themselves from CW. The telenovela model has proven very successful in Spanish language TV. Looking at success of game shows, which were shown on multiple nights during the week on English TV, the model has the potential to translate to a broader audience. Their costs are very low and they have some big-name stars, so they have the potential to be profitable. It will be difficult for them to draw a large audience, though.

ABC moved "Ugly Betty" from Fridays to Thursday yesterday, crowding the night even more. Do you think it can draw an audience there?

PK: I'm not familiar with this show.

KM: That’s a disappointing move. I understand how competitive Thursday night is and that “Notes From the Underbelly” and “Big Day” didn’t have great chances. I applaud ABC for adopting an extremely successful telenovela for the broader American audience. But “Betty” might have found a niche a la “Joan of Arcadia” on a less competitive night.

What will the most competitive night of the week be?

PK: Thursday with “Grey's Anatomy,” “Six Degrees,” “CSI,” “Deal or No Deal” and “ER.”

KM: That’s a really hard call between Thursday and Sunday. Let’s give the edge to Thursday for a couple of reasons. “CSI,” the perennial favorite, will go head-to-head with “Grey’s Anatomy,” the new watercooler hit and critical darling. Throw in “Deal or No Deal,” and NBC’s “Earl”/”Office,” which has gained a lot of momentum, and TiVos will be whirring across the land.

Who is the favorite to finish No. 1 in 2006-07?

PK: Fox is going to be tough to beat with "Idol," but I think ABC has a shot with “Desperate Housewives,” “Grey's Anatomy” and the new shows. On the syndication side there is a big buzz about Rachael Ray and her new show this year.

KM: CBS will win in total viewers. We’ll see what impact [the loss of]“MNF” and NBC’s “NFL Sunday Night” has on the demos.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6558.asp

fredfa

08-10-06, 11:05 AM

TV Notebook
Wary of FCC rules, CBS sets updated '9/11'

By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 10, 2006

NEW YORK -- CBS will air an updated version of the "9/11" documentary about the terrorist attacks at the World Trade Center and the firefighters who responded that September day five years ago.

The Emmy- and Peabody-winning documentary, produced by brothers Gedeon and Jules Naudet and retired firefighter James Hanlon, will air Sept. 10.

Airing the documentary represents something of an act of courage by CBS, given the gritty language that "9/11" contained in its two previous airings and the chill that is going through the airwaves over federal efforts to curb broadcast indecency. CBS has made no cuts to the language for this telecast. CBS sources said the documentary, which is the true-life portrait of what happened that day, is bound to generate controversy in some quarters.

"It's important to take note of the event as it happened," CBS executive producer Susan Zirinsky said. "And (the filmmakers) have done an amazing job in staying with these guys over five years and evolving with them. You will feel at the end that we've taken a journey again."

The French filmmakers had planned to make a documentary about a year in the life of a rookie firefighter. It became a gripping record of one of the most important days in U.S. history as Jules Naudet went out on a call with the firefighters on Sept. 11, 2001, and filmed American Airlines Flight 11 slamming into the North Tower. What transpired was a transfixing portrait of the firefighters dealing with the crisis that became more dire by the minute. The updated version, which has been in the works for a year, will include interviews with 20 of the firefighters from the downtown Manhattan firehouse where the Naudets had been filming for months. Robert De Niro, who narrated the film, will tape new portions next week. More than 39 million people watched the documentary during its first airing in March 2002.

The stakes are higher for CBS this time around. With potential indecency fines increasing from $32,500 per utterance per outlet to $325,000 each, the multitude of expletives heard in "9/11" could quickly run CBS and its affiliates into serious money. CBS has been the most aggressive of the networks in this regard and has paid the price with fines ranging from the 2004 Super Bowl halftime show to a "Without a Trace" repeat last year. But the network isn't standing on such principles now: Sources said the network briefly discussed potential FCC issues before deciding that "9/11" wasn't indecent and also that it was too important to "sanitize" by toning down the language.

But CBS is taking steps to make sure that no one is caught by surprise, including informing affiliates of its plans to air the broadcast and, like the previous two telecasts, including strong warnings in the promos before the broadcast and at various points during the two-hour telecast.

"It's so important to the story to let the reality exist," Zirinsky said. "We did that for the previous times it has aired -- we put an advisory out, and we have De Niro responding to it. But it's important to take in the reality in what is the most horrific terrorist attack in our country's history. ... The men had never been tested like that. It was important to allow this to be what it was, for all its sensibilities."

There have been and are no graphic images in the film, save for firefighters carrying out the body of FDNY chaplain Mychal Judge. Jules Naudet said he censored himself on the spot, not filming the horrible images he had seen from the moment he walked into the lobby of the North Tower.

"I was just protecting myself, in a way," he said. "I remember the first time I was confronted with that -- there were three people burning alive, I got a glimpse of it, and unfortunately these images are seared into your brain. I was thinking (then) that nobody should see that."

The update keeps much of the core of the original documentary, particularly the harrowing journey with the firefighters as they battle to save lives and fight the fires high above them and then fight to save their own. Three hundred forty-three firefighters, including several the film, were among the 2,700 people who were killed in the Manhattan attacks.

"We've been in constant contact with the men (of the firehouse) after making this documentary," Hanlon said. "We were really a part of that family; we've stayed in touch with everyone. And a year ago, we realized that a lot of the guys had never spoken about it after that day and would really only talk about it in a closed circle of firefighters."

The filmmakers also have seen the firefighters at several department functions annually throughout the years, Jules Naudet said. He was married at the firehouse about a year after the attacks.

Several of the firefighters have transferred, and others have retired. At least two, though, are still on the job: Joseph Pfeiffer, the battalion chief who lost his brother, Kevin, at the World Trade Center, is now FDNY's chief of counterterrorism and preparedness. Rookie firefighter Tony Benetatos is now on the haz-mat squad.

While some of the interviews were done at the Engine 7/Ladder 1 firehouse, others were done at the Naudets parents' house on 73rd Street in Manhattan. Hanlon said that many were initially apprehensive about talking, and they always had a lunch first without cameras, then caught up with many moments of silence before the interviews begin. At the core, the filmmakers say, it's a story not just about heroes but ordinary men who went through extraordinary times.

Gedeon Naudet worked on an international version of the update, which will run in 112 countries as a separate half-hour show after the original "9/11" documentary runs. The Naudets have other projects they're working on, as does Hanlon. And "9/11" hasn't run its course either. Evoking Michael Apted's landmark documentary series that began in 1964 with "7 Up," Hanlon and the Naudets plan to keep checking in with the firefighters. Some of the ones who declined to talk to them this time around have promised to sit down in front of the camera at the 10-year anniversary.

"We've bonded with those men, and we will be forever," Hanlon said. "To revisit them every five years is something that we have discussed. I think the American people want to know what happened to these men."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002984894

fredfa

08-10-06, 11:07 AM

TV Notebook
Wallace out of retirement for interview with Iran's president

By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 10, 2006

NEW YORK -- "60 Minutes" veteran correspondent Mike Wallace may have retired last March but that didn't stop him from scoring an exclusive interview Tuesday with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

And that fact wasn't lost on the controversial Iranian president, who halfway through the interview asked Wallace: "I thought you had retired."

Wallace's interview will appear on the "CBS Evening News" on Thursday night and on Sunday's "60 Minutes."

The 88-year-old Wallace, who has interviewed almost every notable person in his nearly 40 years on "60 Minutes," said Wednesday that he wasn't going to let a little matter such as retirement stop him from doing a story about one of the biggest gets these days. After getting word two weeks ago from CBS's liason in Tehran, Sia Zand, that Ahmadinejad would be willing to talk, Wallace hopped a plane to Paris and then Tehran with producer Bob Anderson and associate producer Casey Morgan.

But when they got there they were told that the Iranian president was very busy and may not get to talk to them. The CBS crew cooled their heels, so to speak, in Tehran's 100-degree heat in a hotel without air conditioning.

"We waited, and they said, 'he's still busy, he doesn't know, he hasn't decided,'" Wallace said. "We were scheduled to return. If he hadn't talked to us by late Tuesday we were going to get on the plane. All of the sudden word came through he was going to talk."

The 3:30 p.m. interview didn't come off until 5 p.m., but Wallace said their talk stretched for an hour and a half. "We went on and on," Wallace said. "We were told we were going to get 30 minutes."

Wallace has spent a lot of time in Iran over the past four decades, interviewing the Shah, former President Hashemi Rafsanjani and, most famously, the 1979 sitdown with the Ayatollah Khomeini who asked the Iranian leader what he thought of Anwar Sadat's desciption of him as a lunatic.

There wasn't any of that this time. Wallace dismissed the common perceptions of Ahmadinejad.

"He's actually, in a strange way, he's a rather attractive man, very smart, savvy, self-assured, good looking in a strange way," Wallace said. "He's very, very short but he's comfortable in his own skin."

Despite problems with translation -- there was only one translator for a time during the interview -- Wallace said Ahmadinejad was patient.

"He couldn't have been more accomodating. He had a good time doing the interview," Wallace said. And he believes that it was Ahmadinejad's idea to do the interview. He acknowledged that he had become a much-desired interview subject but told the veteran CBS journalist that he remembered a discussion the two had over a year ago when Ahmadinejad was in New York.

"I don't know if you remember this or not but you and I had a talk over breakfast at the United Nations," Ahmadinejad told Wallace. "Do you remember that you asked me at the time if I would sit down with you ... and I said by all means, let's do it." Wallace said he was surprised that Ahmadinejad had remembered.

As for retiring, Wallace said that he isn't having a happy retirement because he likes the job. He does acknowledge, particularly in this last voyage, that the airplane travel is "interminable" and the major reason why he wanted to retire in the first place. But he said there were other stories that he wanted to do.

"When you love what you do, it's not work," Wallace said.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002984735

fredfa

08-10-06, 11:19 AM

The Business of TV
Dish Revenues Sink
Preparing to drop DNS subs

Dish Network today said it had a net income far below last year’s second quarter result and added just 195,000 net subscribers in the quarter.

Wall Street analysts attributed the grim news to increased cable competition.

And the news may not be getting better any time soon for the Englewood CO company. Andy Pasztor in the Wall Street Journal reports that:

“In a development that may portend further difficulties for EchoStar, the Englewood, Colo., company also disclosed in a federal filing that because of the anticipated resolution of a long-running legal dispute, it is likely to soon begin shutting off certain local network channels that are purchased by subscribers who live in other areas. EchoStar has about 12.5 million total subscribers in the U.S.; less than a million of them purchase local channels from out-of-town markets.

EchoStar said eliminating those channels "could have a material impact" on third-quarter results because it is bound to reduce monthly fees, while prompting some subscribers to drop EchoStar's Dish Network altogether.“

fredfa

08-10-06, 11:45 AM

The Business of TV
Dish Statement Regarding DNS Litigation
(From the Dish Quarterly Fiancial Statement filed with the SEC August 9, 2006)

Distant Network Litigation

Until July 1998, we obtained feeds of distant broadcast network channels (ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX) for distribution to our customers through PrimeTime 24. In December 1998, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida in Miami entered a nationwide permanent injunction requiring PrimeTime 24 to shut off distant network channels to many of its customers, and henceforth to sell those channels to consumers in accordance with the injunction.

In October 1998, we filed a declaratory judgment action against ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX in the United States District Court for the District of Colorado. We asked the Court to find that our method of providing distant network programming did not violate the Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act (“SHVIA”) and hence did not infringe the networks’ copyrights. In November 1998, the networks and their affiliate association groups filed a complaint against us in Miami Federal Court alleging, among other things, copyright infringement. The Court combined the case that we filed in Colorado with the case in Miami and transferred it to the Miami Federal Court.

In 1999, the networks filed a Motion for Injunction and Contempt against DirecTV, Inc. related to the delivery of distant network channels to DirecTV customers by satellite. DirecTV settled that lawsuit with the networks. Under the terms of the settlement between DirecTV and the networks, some DirecTV customers were scheduled to lose access to their satellite-provided distant network channels during 1999. We do not know if they adhered to this schedule.

During 2002, we reached private settlement agreements with ABC and NBC. During 2004, we reached a private settlement with CBS, another of the plaintiffs in the litigation. Over the eight year history of the litigation we have also reached settlements with many independent stations and station groups. We were unable to reach a settlement with five of the original plaintiffs — FOX and the independent affiliate groups associated with each of the four networks.

Following an April 2003 trial, the Federal Court found that with one exception the distant network qualification procedures we utilized comply with the law. We promptly revised our procedures to comply with the District Court’s Order and have continued to use those procedures since that time. Although the broadcasters asked the District Court to enter an injunction precluding us from selling any local or distant network programming, the District Court refused.

The District Court did issue an injunction which would require us, among other things, to use a computer model to re-qualify all of our subscribers who receive ABC, NBC, CBS or FOX programming from a market other than the city in which the subscriber lives, and who are not subject to a prior settlement agreement. We do not believe compliance with that injunction would have a material impact on our business. The District Court’s decision was appealed. The Court of Appeals stayed our compliance with the injunction during the appeal process.

In May 2006, the Court of Appeals granted the broadcasters’ appeal, overruling the District Court and concluding the statute requires a much broader injunction prohibiting us from providing distant network channels to any consumers. While we plan to request that the Supreme Court review and overturn the Court of Appeals’ decision, the likelihood we will be successful is very small.

The broadcasters did not claim monetary damages and none were awarded. The broadcasters were awarded approximately $4.8 million in attorneys’ fees in 2004. The amount of attorney fees for which we may be liable may be increased to include amounts expended by the plaintiffs subsequent to the trial, but would not be material to our business. However, the broadcasters are currently demanding that we pay them hundreds of millions of dollars as a condition to settlement of the litigation. The broadcasters are also demanding settlement conditions which would require the shut off of distant network channels to hundreds of thousands of consumers legally entitled to receive those services (absent the Court of Appeals decision), and which would likely cause widespread consumer anger. It is not possible to make an assessment of the probable outcome of any settlement negotiations.

In the event the Court of Appeals’ decision is upheld, and if we are unable to settle with the remaining plaintiffs, we will attempt to assist subscribers in arranging alternative means to receive network channels, including migration to local channels by satellite where available, and free off air antenna offers in other markets. While the broadcasters have agreed to delay issuance of the injunction until September 11, 2006, we are likely to commence (but not complete) shut offs of distant network channels during the third quarter of 2006.

Those shut offs could have a material impact on our results for the quarter. However, we cannot predict with any degree of certainty how many of our distant network subscribers would cancel their primary DISH Network programming as a result of termination of their distant network channels. Our revenue from distant network channels is less than $5 per distant network subscriber per month. While less than one million of our subscribers purchase distant network channels from us, termination of distant network programming to those subscribers would result, among other things, in a reduction in average monthly revenue per subscriber and free cash flow, and a temporary increase in subscriber churn. We would also be at a competitive disadvantage in the future, since the injunction would prohibit us from offering distant network channels that will be available to certain consumers through our competitors.

• • • • • • • • • • •

The complete Dish SEC Filing can be read here:

fredfa

08-10-06, 11:55 AM

(Note: This is posted as a news item only. For your information. So please, please, let’s keep all the political commentary out of it. We have already heard the pro and anti-Dan arguments time and again. Thanks.)
TV Notebook
Survey: Rather Yes, Rosie No
Dan Rather, still an American favorite
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 10, 2006

He was forced from his anchor chair and ridiculed by critics after he famously botched a “60 Minutes II” report two years ago, and earlier this year CBS shoved him out the door for good with barely a thanks after more than three decades with the network.

Dan Rather did not go gently. Former colleagues like Mike Wallace and Walter Cronkite ripped him up during Memogate, and the sniping continued long after.

Yet Rather remains a favorite among the American public. A new poll from Gallup Panel finds that the new HDNet anchor ranks No. 2 among all news personalities in likeability, behind only ABC’s affable Diane Sawyer.

Seventy percent of respondents said they had a favorable impression of Rather, compared with 80 percent for Sawyer.

That was much higher than the current lot of nightly news anchors, all of whom received favorable ratings of 55 percent or under: ABC’s Charles Gibson, 55 percent; CBS’s Bob Schieffer, 50 percent; and NBC’s Brian Williams, 47 percent.

Rather’s favorable rating was even higher than incoming CBS news anchor Katie Couric, the popular former “Today” co-host who takes over in September. She rated 60 percent.

Why is the public still enamored with Rather after his image took such a public beating? Some may feel sorry for the 74-year-old, who endured an unusually harsh public dismissal just weeks ago when CBS refused to negotiate a new contract.

Others may still have a fondness for him dating back to the Nixon White House years, when Rather annoyed the embattled president with his often hostile questions about the growing Watergate scandal.

For sure, much of Rather’s support was divided on party lines. Eighty-six percent of Democrats surveyed gave Rather favorable marks, compared with 48 percent of Republicans.

Plus, a favorable impression doesn't mean that respondents are actual fans. Rather's miniscule ratings when he left the anchor seat prove that he was never hugely popular, and while his successor, Schieffer, has a lower favorable rating, he has higher Nielsen ratings, as do the other anchors.

Plus, while Rather's favorables were quite high, so were his unfavorables. Twenty-six percent said they had an unfavorable impression of him, compared with just 7 percent for Williams, 8 percent for Gibson and 9 percent for Schieffer. (Respondents could also say they were unfamiliar with the person.)

Rather was hardly the only personality to inspire passionate responses on both sides. While Barbara Walters was third with a 66 percent favorable rating, she also received 28 percent unfavorable, more than Rather. Couric’s unfavorable rating was 23 percent.

At least people know who Couric is. A surprising 38 percent said they’d never heard of Williams, who anchors the top-rated newscast on broadcast television. And 27 percent were unaware of Gibson, while 29 percent don’t know Schieffer.

Perhaps that’s better, though, than being passionately disliked, which is the case for one former and one soon-to-be “View” co-host. Booted yakker Star Reynolds Jones’ had one of the highest unfavorable ratings, 45 percent, and the lowest favorable rating, just 19 percent.

Her nemesis, Rosie O’Donnell, who joins “The View” next month, had the very worst unfavorable rating at 60 percent. She had a 32 percent favorable rating. But she was one of the best-known names in the survey: Only 1 percent hadn’t heard of her, compared with 24 percent for Reynolds.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6555.asp

fredfa

08-10-06, 12:05 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
A yukless finale for NBC's 'Last Comic'
Reality series off 22 pecent from season average
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 10, 2006

You usually expect a show’s last episode to produce a season high. No joke: The finale of “Last Comic Standing” last night hit a season low.

“Comic” averaged a 2.8 adults 18-49 overnight rating for a special 90-minute episode in which Josh Blue was named the series’ fourth winner. He receives an NBC talent contract and his own Bravo special.

“Comic’s” rating was down 22 percent from its season-long 3.6 average, and it dipped 36 percent from the 2004 edition’s finale, the last time the show aired in the summer, which averaged a 4.4 overnight.

Certainly “Comic” has been faltering for weeks, failing to show a week-to-week increase for nine straight weeks. But the finale was also hurt by two other things.

First, NBC scheduled it on Wednesday night; “Comic” usually airs on Tuesdays, and despite frequent reminders during the penultimate episode, viewers may have forgotten about the time switch.

Second, the show’s final half hour aired against Fox hit “So You Think You Can Dance” at 9 p.m. During that half hour, “Dance” averaged a 3.5 to “Comic’s” 3.4. Had “Comic” been airing against the usual Tuesday night fare, where the highest-rated timeslot competitor is reruns of Fox’s “House,” it may have performed better.

Meanwhile, Fox led for the night among 18-49s at a 3.1 rating and 9 share, edging NBC at 3.0/9, CBS at 2.3/7, ABC at 1.9/6, Univision at 1.7/5, and WB and UPN each at 0.7/2.

At 8 p.m., NBC was No. 1 at a 2.5 for the finale of "Comic," followed by CBS and Fox, each at 2.4 for "Rock Star: Supernova" and a "House" rerun. Univision averaged a 1.7 for "La Fea Mas Bella," ahead of ABC at 1.3 for two "George Lopez" repeats, and a 0.8 each for WB's "Blue Collar TV" reruns and UPN's "America's Next Top Model" repeat.

At 9 p.m., Fox took the lead at a 3.8 for "So You Think You Can Dance," ahead of NBC at 3.2 for the last half-hour of "Comic" and the start of "America's Got Talent," CBS at 2.0 for a "Criminal Minds" rerun, ABC at 1.9 for "Primetime: Medical Mysteries," Univision at 1.7 for "Barrera de Amor," UPN at 0.6 for reruns of "All of Us" and "Half & Half," and WB at 0.5 for a "One Tree Hill" repeat.

At 10 p.m., NBC regain No. 1 with a 3.3 for "Talent," followed by ABC at 2.4 for "Mysteries," CBS at 2.3 for "CSI: NY" and Univision at 1.6 for "Don Francisco Presenta."

Among households, NBC led for the night at a 5.4 rating and 9 share, followed by Fox at 5.3/9, CBS at 5.0/9, ABC at 4.1/7, Univision at 2.0/3, WB at 1.2/2 and UPN at 1.0/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6581.asp

fredfa

08-10-06, 12:13 PM

The Digital Revolution
No Big Demand for Small Screen
Tech-savvy young people aren't as eager to watch TV on their cellphones and iPods as networks might think

By Matea Gold Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 10, 2006

Before Kaitlyn Brown headed to church camp this summer, her mother outfitted the 13-year-old with a sleek new Sprint phone that boasts one of the newest features on the market: mobile television.

"Me and my mom thought it would be a cool thing," said the soon-to-be seventh-grader, who lives in Spring Branch, Texas. But after watching a couple of jerky transmissions of comedy clips on the phone's display panel, Brown quickly became disenchanted.

"It kept stopping midstream and stuff," she said. "I didn't really like it, so I took it off. It was extra money, and I didn't think it was worth it."

She's not alone.

Entertainment purveyors may be scrambling to package their content into mobisodes, video downloads and podcasts, but a new Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll found that teens and young adults — the generation most likely to be the early adopters of this new technology — have yet to fully embrace it.

About half of young adults and 4 in 10 teenagers said they were uninterested in watching television shows or movies on computers, cellphones or hand-held devices such as video iPods, the poll found.

While more than 2 out of 5 teens and young adults indicated they were open to viewing this kind of content online, only 14% of teenagers said they wanted to watch television on a cellphone, and 17% said they would view programs on an iPod.

The findings suggest that networks are rushing to package content for these new platforms before even tech-savvy young consumers are hankering for the "third screen" experience.

The survey, which asked a wide range of questions about entertainment consumption, highlighted the pervasive influence of television particularly on tween girls, a majority of whom reported that TV shows affected their dress, speech, music preferences or social activities. In addition, it found that a surprisingly high number of teenagers and young adults gleaned news from traditional media sources such as local television and network newscasts — for many through a sort of information osmosis as they absorbed news from programs their parents were watching.

Perhaps most intriguing, however, was the indication of a widespread indifference toward small-screen viewing among teenagers and young adults. While many in the industry expect the demand for such content to rise dramatically in the coming years, the poll offered clues to a consumer reluctance that first must be overcome.

In follow-up interviews with those surveyed, many young people said they were intrigued by the notion of getting their entertainment on devices such as cellphones and iPods. But two major obstacles have so far dampened their enthusiasm: the cost and the uneven quality of the experience.

"It just seems like a needless expense to me," said Mark Lopez, a 23-year-old political science major at Cal State Fullerton. "And I would think it would be grainy and not as clear of a picture. My choice would be to watch something first on TV, or TiVo it."

Steven Jagodzinski, a 21-year-old computer science student in Baltimore, is a fan of cartoons such as "South Park," which would seem a natural fit for mobile viewing. But he said the idea seemed "pointless."

"Why would I want to look at a video clip on my cellphone?" he said. "I'd rather make phone calls on it."

Young people aren't alone in their slow embrace of the small screen. Recent studies by several independent research firms indicate that only about 1% to 3% of mobile phone subscribers currently watch videos on their phones.

But media executives are confident that the appetite will increase once the technology improves and the price for hand-held devices drops. They note that while young people may be reluctant to watch full-length feature films or even 22-minute television shows on small screens, they may be more interested in viewing short clips, a kind of "snack TV."

That's why the major entertainment companies are developing a slew of original content for the third screen.

"If you look across the media companies, digital generally represents about 5% of their revenue and 50% of the questions on their quarterly earnings calls," said George Kliavkoff, who last week was appointed NBC Universal's first chief digital officer. "The reason is the future of connecting with customers is going to be figuring out the ways to give them what they want, on the devices they want, when they want it."

Interestingly, 12- to 14-year-old girls showed the greatest eagerness about small-screen viewing, with 20% of those surveyed open to watching television shows on cellphones and nearly a quarter interested in checking out programs on iPods.

"I think it's really cool and I would love to have it," said 14-year-old Katie Stears of Jamestown, Ky., who has pleaded with her parents for a video iPod. "You don't have to always be at home to watch TV."

Television clearly has a strong hold on teenagers, who spend a substantial amount of time glued to the screen. About two-thirds report that they watch two hours of television or more on an average weekday, with nearly a quarter watching for more than four hours.

Teen girls ages 12 to 14 appear to be the most affected by what they're seeing. Almost two-thirds reported that television has influenced their behavior in some way, whether it's how they talk, what they wear or what they buy. For many — especially teen girls 12 to 14 — the popular shows such as MTV's "The Hills" provide a universal lingo.

Brittany Thornton, a 14-year-old in Screven, Ga., said that she and her friends buy the kind of logo shirts they see teenagers wearing on shows such as MTV's "Laguna Beach" and sprinkle their conversation with phrases like "freakin' idiot" made popular by fictional Idaho high school student Napoleon Dynamite.

Kids who aren't familiar with the lexicon of the shows are "not on top of the pyramid" at school, she added.

So what would happen if she could no longer watch television?

Thornton sounded anguished just contemplating that prospect: "I would be devastated."

For their part, a large share of young adults appear to be turning to broadcast television for their news. According to the poll, 38% said they got their best information about current events from local newscasts and 19% said it came from broadcast network news.

Despite the widespread belief that a sizable number of young people get their news from satirical programs such as Jon Stewart's "The Daily Show," just 3% of teenagers and 6% of young adults surveyed said that's how they found out about current events.

In follow-up interviews, many indicated that their news viewing habits flowed out of their entertainment choices.

Laurel Miller, a 23-year-old medical student at USC, said she usually ended up watching the 10 p.m. newscast on Fox affiliate KTTV Channel 11 because it came on after she'd watched shows such as "24."

"I like staying current about what's going on around me," said Miller, who lives in Alhambra. "My mom reads the newspaper every morning, so I learned from her."

Anchorage resident Rhen David Belz, 18, said he tuned into the local news every night, right before he caught a rerun of "Seinfeld."

"I've watched the news ever since I was a little kid," said Belz, who runs the machines at a plant that manufactures Styrofoam blocks. "I would feel a little disconnected if I didn't."

But Belz said that he thought he was "somewhat unusual."

"A lot of my friends don't follow the news at all," he said. "They have no idea what's going on, and they like it that way."

Indeed, young adults still make up a small fraction of the local television news audience in many markets. In Los Angeles, just about 4% of the 2 million people who tuned into local evening and late night news in May were 18 to 24, according to Nielsen Media Research. In Chicago, the share of young adults was just 2%. But local newscasts preceded by programs that appeal to young viewers definitely reap the benefits. Almost 10% of KTTV's audience and 8.5% of the viewership of Fox affiliate WFLD in Chicago were ages 18 to 24 in May, when young viewers flocked to the finales of popular shows such as "American Idol."

Jose Rios, KTTV's vice president of news, said the newscast works to hold on to those viewers.

"In part because we have programming that brings us that audience, sometimes the focus of our story is on their perspective," Rios said. "If fees go up at the University of California, we'll do, 'Hey, what this means to you.' "

Even many teenagers appear to pick up on news through traditional newscasts. Almost 30% of the 12- to 17-year-olds said that local television news was their best source of information about current events, with an additional 16% choosing network news.

In interviews, though, more than half a dozen teens said they didn't actively seek out the newscasts — they're simply exposed to them because their parents or other relatives have the programs on at home. Still, even if they aren't actively engaged in watching the broadcasts, many seem to absorb the news through a sort of information osmosis.

"Some of the reports can be interesting," said 12-year-old Megan Casper of Idaho Falls, Idaho, who said her mother usually turned on the news in the evening. "It's kind of cool to be able to figure out, like, some of the things going on in different countries."

That's not to say that many teens are turning into news junkies.

"I think our generation thinks watching the news is dorky and not a lot of fun," said 14-year-old Casey Hankins of Lakewood, Colo., who said he only catches news programs every few weeks when he's visiting his grandfather, a regular viewer.

But Hankins admitted he probably would grow more interested as he got older.

"I think I'll want to know more stuff then," he said.

Small screens don't rule: Younger eyes prefer larger screens.

Q: On which of the following devices would you want to watch a movie? (Multiple answers allowed.)

Ages 12-17

Computer: 47%
Cellphone: 11%
Video iPod or similar device: 18%
I would not want to watch a movie on any of the above screens: 38%

Ages 18-24

Computer: 45%
Cellphone: 6%
Video iPod or similar device: 9%
I would not want to watch a movie on any of the above screens: 48%

Q: On which of the following devices would you want to watch a TV show? (Multiple answers allowed.)

Ages 12-17

Computer: 42%
Cellphone: 14%
Video iPod or similar device: 17%
I would not want to watch a movie on any of the above screens: 43%

Ages 18-24

Computer: 40%
Cellphone: 9%
Video iPod or similar device: 7%
I would not want to watch a movie on any of the above screens: 51%

How the poll was conducted

The Los Angeles Times/Bloomberg poll was conducted from June 23 to July 3 using the Knowledge Networks' Web-enabled panel, which provides a representative nationwide sample of U.S. households. Of the 4,466 minors and young adults invited to participate in the survey, 1,904 (43%) responded to the survey, with 1,650 qualifying. The 1,650 qualified respondents included 839 minors (ages 12 to 17) and 811 young adults (ages 18 to 24). The margin of sampling error for both groups is plus or minus 3 percentage points. In order to provide as representative a sample as possible, the survey results were weighted to U.S. census figures for 12- to 24-year-olds in the United States in terms of age, race or ethnicity, gender and region, and for urban or rural residence and Internet access.

Source: Times/Bloomberg poll

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-polltv10aug10,0,2270724,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

Marcus Carr

08-10-06, 12:16 PM

The Business of TV
Dish Revenues Sink
Preparing to drop DNS subs

Looks like "VOOM" is in trouble again.

fredfa

08-10-06, 12:21 PM

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

fredfa

08-10-06, 12:50 PM

The Digital Revolution
Survey: Americans Watch TV, Not PC
By Karen Brown Multichannel News 8/10/2006

Despite hype about the rise of the Internet as a TV-viewing alternative, a majority of Americans apparently aren’t turning away from their living-room TV sets, according to a new consumer survey released by RBC Capital Markets.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. households found that almost 60% have three or more TV sets in their homes, and they appear to be using them. About 53% of respondents said they are watching the same amount of television as in the past, even thought 42% said they are increasing their time surfing the Internet.

But it appears while they are spending more time accessing entertainment on the Web, that doesn’t include watching Internet TV -- 90% of respondents said they don’t watch television programs on their PC or laptop, and 75% said they don’t see that changing.

And the bad news for cable-TV providers is that about 40% of those RBC surveyed would be interested in buying TV services from their telephone company. That percentage appears to rise among consumers buying into higher-end flat-screen TV sets -- of the 73% of respondents who said they owned or wanted to buy a flat-screen TV, 48% said they would consider a telco TV service and 52% of TiVo digital-video-recorder users said they might do so.

Other interesting results included the fact six out of 10 Americans are communicating more via e-mail than telephone and 56% e-mail or instant-message friends and family more now than one year ago.

"We are spending more time at work on a computer, and then going home to our TVs and home computers at night," said Marc Harris, director of U.S. Equity Research at RBC. "Technology is dramatically changing the way we work, our choices during personal time and the way we communicate with others."

The survey also found that three in five U.S. consumers are interested in Internet-protocol TV, saying that price and choice of programming are the top two drivers influencing their TV-service decisions.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6361405

fredfa

08-10-06, 12:55 PM

The 2006-2007 Season
'Lost,' Season 3: All about the Others
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Thu, Aug. 10, 2006

If you’d planned on spending the dog days of August working on your "Lost" theory - the one that explains everything from the polar bear to those parka-clad guys in last season's finale - maybe it's time you abandoned the quest and hit the beach instead.

Because there is no one explanation for what's gone on in the first two seasons of ABC's "Lost."

At least not according to executive producer Carlton Cuse.

"We hate to debunk" anyone's theory, Cuse said - though he and fellow show-runner Damon Lindelof have dismissed a few, including the one that posits that the characters on "Lost" are in some kind of purgatory.

And no, it's not that writers are keeping their options open, hoping to skim off viewers' best ideas when the time comes for the big reveal.

"I wish it was that easy. That would be great if we could actually do it," Cuse said at an ABC party in Pasadena, Calif., last month.

"I think that the mistake that most of the people who theorize about the show make is trying to come up with a very simple, you know, unifying theory," he said.

So while the writers have explanations for everything that's gone on in "Lost" so far - and script coordinator Gregg Nations keeps track of the documentation - "it doesn't reduce down to a single, simple sentence," Cuse said.

But if there's more than one theory at work on the island, doesn't that mean coincidence - that shaky crutch too often employed in TV drama - is a factor?

Not necessarily, insisted Cuse.

"There are theories in physics... that govern small particles, and there are Newtonian theories that govern gravitational fields for larger objects. Those two co-exist. They aren't unified into a single theory, but the connection between them is not coincidental," he said.

(Useful tip: Talking about Isaac Newton is the No. 1 way to shut up a reporter who only passed high school physics by writing a paper about the relationship between science and government.)

Fortunately, Cuse had less complicated things to say about "Lost" and about Season 3, which launches Oct. 4.

"The show's going to be about our characters' interaction with the Others. It's going to be more of an action-adventure year, more romance. We'd hoped to get romance last year, but the story didn't really get us there. We didn't get as far as we wanted in that regard," he said.

"It's going to be more character-oriented, less mythologically oriented. You know, last year was sort of dark and intense and underground and in the hatch," he said.

"Obviously, the other element that we introduced at the end of the season was that after 49 hours, we went off the island for the first time. And that was not a casual or coincidental or random choice," he said. "The introduction of the outside world as an element into the world of 'Lost' is also something new for Season 3."

And because the strongest link to that world so far is Desmond (Henry Ian Cusick), you can expect to see Desmond again, too, and not just in flashbacks.

"It would be very stupid of us to kill Desmond," Cuse said.

We'll also - eventually - see Michael (Harold Perrineau) and Walt (Malcolm David Kelley) again, he said.

"We were interested in exploring what price you would pay to get your son back. The price that Michael paid was so extreme, it didn't seem possible that he could remain a part of this society after what he had done," Cuse said, noting that banishment goes back to the Greeks.

"He's been banished from the island, and that to us represented sort of the necessary consequence of his action. It doesn't mean his story is over," he said.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15239329.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

08-10-06, 12:57 PM

The 2006-2007 Season
New Who
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog August 10, 2006

I'm an old-school ''Doctor Who'' fan (as should have been obvious when I brought up its TV longevity recently) but I liked the recent BBC revival -- and so was pleased by the following announcement. The official return date, by the way, is Sept. 29, with the show airing on Fridays in tandem with ''Battlestar Galactica'' once that returns in October.

SCI FI Channel and BBC Worldwide Americas today announced a major licensing agreement for the second season of Doctor Who. The series will return to SCI FI in September 2006, kicking off with a two-hour premiere that will include the "Christmas Invasion" special in which David Tennant (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire) was introduced as the tenth Time Lord.

Billie Piper returns as the Doctor's feisty young companion, Rose Tyler, and together they will travel through time and space battling new and returning aliens and monsters.

Chris Regina, Vice President of Programming, SCI FI Channel, said "Our audience has clearly embraced 'Doctor Who' and it has delivered a significant increase in viewers in the time period. We are looking forward to keeping the momentum going with David Tennant as the new Doctor."

Executive Producer and Lead Writer Russell T Davies says, "We were delighted by the first season's success in the US, and can promise new thrills, new laughs, new heartbreak, and some terrifying new aliens in Season Two."

The deal, brokered by Lisa Hofer, Director Co-Production & Sales, BBC Worldwide Americas, with the SCI FI Channel, grants SCI FI the exclusive first-run rights for Season Two. The first season of the new Doctor Who proved a huge success for SCI FI Channel, delivering an average of 1.5 million viewers each week.

Candace Carlisle, Senior Vice President, BBC Worldwide Americas, commented, "We're pleased to be able to build on the great relationship we have with the SCI FI Channel. The SCI FI Channel is the perfect broadcast partner to introduce audiences to the new Doctor, David Tennant, and the second season of 'Doctor Who.'"

BBC Video and SCI FI Channel will continue to work together on joint marketing promotions to support the Doctor Who brand in the US, building on the highly successful Season One marketing campaign.

Burton Cromer, Senior Vice President, Consumer Products, BBC Worldwide Americas said: "'Doctor Who: The Complete First Series' has become our best-selling 'Doctor Who' title ever, thanks to Russell T Davies for his brilliant reinvention of 'Doctor Who' for the 21st century and to the SCI FI Channel for the incredible on and off-air support they gave the season one DVD release. We look forward to working with them again on Season Two."

Of course, I'll probably wait for the DVD to watch...

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

fredfa

08-10-06, 01:01 PM

Critic’s Notebook
TV Tonite: "The Office''
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News in his blog Thursday, August 10, 2006

If you're not yet a fan of "The Office'' and want a sense of how it got a fistful of Emmy nominations including one for best comedy, look no further than tonight's repeat episode (8:30, NBC).

The spotlight is on the wonderfully funny Rainn Wilson as Dwight Schrute, the assistant regional manager whose self-delusion is one of the show's true delights. In this half hour, our Dwight has to give a speech, which sends him into a panic. And who does he turn to for help? Steve Carell's boss-from-hell Michael Scott, of course.

It's funny stuff and shows why "The Office'' was one of the few Emmy nominees the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences got right this year.

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/charlie_mccollum/index.html

HDTVChallenged

08-10-06, 01:04 PM

ROTFL ... at the mere mention of that "Office" episode ...

Great news about "Who" too ... I figured we'd be waiting much longer for "fresh" episodes.

JWhip

08-10-06, 01:59 PM

Interesting post about TV vs. computers Fredfa. I must say, it would nice if we all had a little more social intereaction in person rather than through cyberspace and telphone lines!

pwrmetal

08-10-06, 02:00 PM

Glad to see the rumors about them delaying the xmas invasion were not true. Sorry I helped propgate it this morning! :rolleyes:

fredfa

08-10-06, 02:01 PM

Interesting post about TV vs. computers Fredfa. I must say, it would nice if we all had a little more social intereaction in person rather than through cyberspace and telphone lines!

agreed! :)

fredfa

08-10-06, 02:05 PM

The Digital Revolution
FiOS TV Rolls a Seven on Long Island
Multichannel News 8/10/2006

The Village of Mineola, N.Y., became the seventh Long Island community and the 11th in the state to grant Verizon Communications a cable franchise.

The Village Board of Trustees voted Wednesday night to grant the regional Bell operating company a franchise for its Verizon FiOS TV service.

On Long Island, Verizon already has franchises from the communities of Massapequa Park, Cedarhurst, Laurel Hollow and Lynbrook, as well as the Town of Hempstead and the Town of Oyster Bay. The Rockland County villages of Grandview-on-Hudson, Nyack, South Nyack and Upper Nyack complete the telco’s New York state roster.

Overall, Verizon now has video franchises covering approximately 3 million households in nine states and more than 100 franchise areas.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6361428

fredfa

08-10-06, 02:08 PM

Sports On TV
NBC's NHL Telecasts Set to Skate Jan. 13, '07
John Consoli Media Week AUGUST 10, 2006 -

NBC will begin telecasts of its second season of the National Hockey League on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007, with regional coverage of three games, but the remainder of the network's NHL weekend coverage will move to Sundays next season.

The network is also adding three weeks of coverage. Each Sunday the network will televise three regional games. NBC Sports will expand its NHL regular season coverage to nine weeks up from six weeks last season.

OLN, which will change its name to Versus in September, will begin its NHL coverage on Wednesday, Oct. 4, with a league-opening night doubleheader telecast at 7 and 10 p.m. The network will air the remainder of its schedule on Monday and Tuesday nights, televising 54 regular season games.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002984985

123HDTV

08-10-06, 02:23 PM

TV Notebook
DBS Merger? Forget It.

No need to concern ourselves with all that Wall Street talk. Why? Our old buddy Phillip Swann tells us so:

“I predict that DIRECTV and rival EchoStar will not merge despite rumors to the contrary.”

So there you have it.

If you care to read more it is here:

http://www.tvpredictions.com/mergerprediction080806.htm

Swann is really a worthless read in my opininon.

I used to get his daily blog email but recently unsubbed when in the course of one week he said there would be a merge then wouldn't then would then wouldn't again. Talk about wishy washy. Pick a position and stick with it if you're going to blog. If you want to play the field don't plant your flag until more info is in.

fredfa

08-10-06, 03:16 PM

(Sorry I missed this yesterday….)
TV Notebook
HBO Brings Back “Curb Your Enthusiasm”
A Sixth Go-Round For America's Wealthiest Misanthrope
By Ray Richmond The Hollywood Reporter in his blog “Past Deadline”

Just as we told you on July 14 (I so love being right sometimes), HBO is indeed bringing back "Curb Your Enthusiasm" for a sixth season of socially inept hilarity centered by producer/star Larry David.

HBO confirmed it Tuesday, as reported by the Hollywood Reporter's own Andrew "Scoop" Wallenstein (he hates it when I call him Scoop). It's going back into production as early as next month for an early 2007 airdate.

It's unclear whether this will finally be it for the show or if a seventh season is possible.

David seems to kind of decide things on his own schedule. He'll seem like he's left "Curb" behind, then a possible storyline will get him excited, and boom -- season six, here we are.

As a major fan of the show, I'm jazzed. May it never die. OK, maybe not never. But not for a while.

http://www.pastdeadline.com/

foxeng

08-10-06, 04:03 PM

August 10, 2006

MyNetwork Readies HD Launch
First All-HD Net Banks on Prime-Time Telenovelas

The unusual emergence of Twentieth Television's MyNetworkTV—a channel abruptly birthed by News Corp. to compete with The CW—has obscured one of the more intriguing facts about the project: When it launches Sept. 5, MyTV will be the first broadcast network presenting its programming entirely in high definition.

In terms of quantity, that may be less impressive than it sounds. The channel will run two telenovela-style dramas, under the names of "Desire" and "Secret Obsessions," that will air in a two-hour prime-time block Monday through Friday for 13 weeks before being replaced with a pair of new novelas.

In terms of production hours, the commitment is significant: about 600 original hours of HD content per year, up to nine production units shooting simultaneously and thousands of actors working on the shows.

MyNetworkTV's HD plan is especially interesting because drama is not the most popular HD format. HD adoption is driven by theatrical movies and sports, with nature programming and popular dramas drawing fewer viewers. Reality, daytime shows, kids programming, animation and others lag farther behind.

HD enthusiasts have clamored for all sorts of popular programming to receive HD upgrades, but telenovelas haven't been in high demand. Then again, the entire genre is a big, bold experiment for U.S. audiences.

Fox Television Stations CEO Jack Abernethy said going HD was part of the MyNetworkTV plan from the channel's conception.

"We thought it was important to do these shows with the highest production values that we could, and the only way to be state of the art these days is HD," Mr. Abernethy said.

The HD format will lend the serial dramas a more cinematic look, said Paul Buccieri, head of programming for Twentieth Television.

"We chose the format because the picture is gorgeous and lends itself to a cinematic look because of the aspect ratio," he said. "It gave us the opportunity to show off the beauty of our sets and the beauty of our locale."

The series are shot in 1080i resolution and will air in 720p, which is Fox's HD broadcast standard. The standard-definition broadcasts will be shown in letterbox format, with black bars across the top and bottom of the screen.

The decision to letterbox is an interesting choice because it can alienate some viewers who want to see their screen filled with images. Just a few weeks ago, ESPN made plans to show college games in letterbox on its SD channel, then changed its mind.

In the meantime, some ahead-of-the-curve future MyNetworkTV affiliates have decided to upgrade to HD in time for launch. Exact numbers were not available.

As for programming ambitions beyond telenovelas, MyNetworkTV is remaining quiet.

"We continue to talk to somebody about expansion, but we're really going to focus on doing third, fourth, fifth, sixth version of these," Mr. Abernethy said. "We're going to stick with the format."
But if and when the channel expands its lineup, Abernethy said, future programming will also be in HD, regardless of the genre.

"When you're a new network, you have to do things to distinguish yourself," he said. "I can't imagine we wouldn't do something in the HD format."

This article is part of TVWeek.com's High Definition newsletter, a weekly source of breaking HD news, articles and interviews written by Senior Reporter James Hibberd.

fredfa

08-10-06, 04:13 PM

TV Notebook
A Conversation With David Bott, co-Founder of AVS Forum
TV Week HDTV Newsletter

AVS Forum is the place to get the answer to any question about high-definition gear, services and programming. Granted, sometimes there are 10, 20 or 100 answers, all slightly different, but that's part of the fun.

The site, www.avsforum.com, was created by David Bott, who partnered with Alan Gouger. Mr. Grouger owns an upstate New York home-theater design company called AV Science and Mr. Bott was working in networking and Web design.

Since launching in 1999, the AVS Forum message boards have become the premier online community for audio-visual enthusiasts. The site's 50-plus forums range from "Plasma and LCD Flat Panel Displays" to "Subwoofers, Bass and Transducers" and are visited by 150,000 users per day. The site even sponsors an annual cruise.

In 2001, the forum added its first HD message board, which has since expanded into 11. New visitors to the site are well advised to first try the search function before wading into the often highly technical discussions (if you're new to the world of HD and have a question, the question has almost certainly been discussed a hundred times).

On the phone from his home, Mr. Bott answered TelevisionWeek Senior Reporter James Hibberd's questions about the forums and hot-button HD topics.

TelevisionWeek: There are many other HD and AV message boards on the net, what makes yours successful?

David Bott: I have to believe it's how we operate the site. We run on the idea that we treat people the way we want to be treated. … One of my favorite sayings is, "It's one thing to debate; it's another thing to attack." It's fine for people to debate; we do not like it when people attack. … We're also industry-neutral. We're not going to trash somebody's technology. … That's why we don't do reviews.

TVWeek: Is it correct to assume the more technologically complex a subject, the better it's served by a message board format?

Mr. Bott: Yes, forums in general are usually a better resource, as long as you have a user base that's informed enough to support it.

TVWeek: How has the attitude toward HD shifted on the boards in the past few years?

Mr. Bott: Well, it's shifted to the positive. Anything you can bring that's higher resolution—video or audio—is always a positive thing. When HD came out at 720p, that was great, but they wanted more. They always want the highest resolution they can get. Now they want 1080p.

TVWeek: There's an issue there, though, because a person can't actually tell the difference between HD and 1080p [Reporter's note: HD is 720p or 1080i, while 1080p is a newer format resolution that's even more detailed, yet rarely used].

Mr. Bott: Don't get me wrong. The normal consumer wouldn't be able to tell the difference … at 40 inches, 50 inches, you can't tell. But as screen sizes get bigger, you need to do something with the pixel count. If you're talking a 10-foot projection screen, it matters. … But we're not going to have 1080p broadcasts. At least not in the short term. I can't see it—it isn't cost-effective.

TVWeek: What are some of biggest HD-related debates that have been on the boards?

Mr. Bott: Oh, of course, the [Sony Blu Ray versus Toshiba HD DVD] war. It goes back and forth on a daily basis. It's become the number one issue on AVS Forum. It's become a war. … Which way do we swing? We want one format. We don't care which way it goes. But this is nuts.

TVWeek: Any key debates before that?

Mr. Bott: When HD started coming out, it was all about the displays, but then it became the content providers. The key debates are terrestrial broadcasters versus satellite companies versus cable—which is the best way to get the HD signal. The biggest issue there is to compare satellite companies.

TVWeek: I've seen some of the images that people upload comparing DirecTV and EchoStar, accusing Direct TV of being "HD lite." I didn't see a difference. Is there something to it?

Mr. Bott: Yeah. Compression is compression. If you're sending down a higher compression, you're going to have loss.

TVWeek: What about [Original Aspect Ratio—the debate over whether movies should be aired in their original ratios or cropped to fit a widescreen TV's 16:9 ratio]?

Mr. Bott: OAR is the way it should be. I understand why they don't do it, but we firmly support OAR.

TVWeek: Enhanced definition TVs versus high-definition TVs?

Mr. Bott: ED is a poor man's HDTV. I hate to say it that way, but it's not HD. Can you tell it's not HD? Yes, you can. If you want HD, buy HD.

TVWeek: Reading the boards, one gets the impression that some enthusiasts put an enormous amount of time into the discussions. You'll have somebody who's an engineer in their 40s, fully employed, has a family and they debate for hours whether content should be in OAR or not.

Mr. Bott: But that's what drives the site—the level of passion. We want to have those passionate people get involved. We've had people ask if we'll temporarily suspend their account because it's affecting their work.

TVWeek: Do you do it?

Mr. Bott: Yeah, we'll respect that. People spend hours on our day on our site—it's addictive. It sounds weird, but it's true.

TVWeek: As adoption of HD grows, will interest in HD as a topic of discussion fade?

Mr. Bott: Sure it will. We'll be on to something else at that point.

This article is part of TVWeek.com's High Definition newsletter, a weekly source of breaking HD news, articles and interviews written by Senior Reporter James Hibberd.

[Edited to add TVWeek Notice]

fredfa

08-10-06, 04:13 PM

TV Notebook
INHD2 Will Be 'Scaled Back'
Content Shifting to Larger Sister INHD
TV Week HDTV Newsletter

With cable operators adding newer channels such as ESPN2 HD, MHD and Food Network HD, one high-definition network is being booted to make room for the new offerings: INHD2.

An iN Demand Networks spokesperson confirmed the channel is being "scaled back," but will still be available on some systems.

Some Comcast customers in areas including Colorado, Washington and Illinois have been told the network's fate is more dire, however. They've received messages from the cable company saying the channel is slated to "go dark" or that its content is being combined with INHD.

On a programming level, iN Demand is indeed seemingly shifting INHD2 content over to the main channel. According the iN Demand Web site, INHD is supposed to have primarily a sports focus, including Major League Baseball, tennis and golf. INHD2 is promoted for its entertainment programming such as concerts, IMAX movies and "Twilight Zone" reruns. But INHD now offers concerts and IMAX movies, making the additional channel less relevant.

What makes the subscriber drain particularly unusual is that the networks are owned by cable operators. In Demand Networks is owned by Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and Advance/Newhouse, so the growth and success of the networks are directly beneficial to the companies.

INHD declined to comment further on its programming strategy or distribution challenges.

Marcus Carr

08-10-06, 04:42 PM

ABC Rebranding Sports Under ESPN

By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/10/2006 11:53:00 AM

Reflecting what has been going on behind the scenes for years, ESPN and ABC Sports announced today that all sports programming on the ABC television network will now be branded under the ESPN umbrella beginning Sept. 2.

The move is solely an on-air change, as ABC and ESPN merged their sales staffs five years ago and all production, programming and marketing was merged under ESPN last year.ESPN content chief John Skipper oversees both ESPN and ABC Sports, while ESPN’s senior vice president of marketing Katie Lacey heads up marketing for both.

All promos for sports programming on ABC will continue to direct viewers to the ABC network, but once there people will see all ESPN graphics and sets. The ABC watermark, however, will remain in the lower right-hand corner of the screen.

When sports programming is airing on ABC, updates will often be branded under ESPN’s signature SportsCenter brand.

Under the moniker “ESPN on ABC,” the new look will kick off Saturday, Sept. 2 with ABC’s college football telecasts in the afternoon, followed by Saturday Night Football, the first primetime college football series on broadcast television.

George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports, said the move has been under consideration for some time, and is simply an evolution in the relationship between ESPN and ABC.He maintained the move had nothing to do with any devaluation in the brand equity of ABC Sports, but rather was a testament to that of ESPN.

http://broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6361492.html?display=Breaking+News

archiguy

08-10-06, 05:08 PM

[Mr. Bott: Yeah, we'll respect that. People spend hours on our day on our site—it's addictive. It sounds weird, but it's true.

Yeah, don't I know it. :( ;)

fredfa

08-10-06, 05:20 PM

Hard to imagine people spending hours a day here, isn't it?

fredfa

08-10-06, 05:23 PM

The Business of TV
No Charlie Chat on Dish Call
By Mike Farrell Multichannel News 8/10/2006

EchoStar Communications chairman and CEO Charlie Ergen was conspicuously absent from the company’s second-quarter conference call Thursday, just as speculation that the No. 2 direct-broadcast satellite service provider was an acquisition target of DirecTV Group was starting to wane.

Ergen -- whose folksy self-deprecating humor and extreme candor is usually the highlight of EchoStar’s earnings calls -- had a prior family commitment that prevented him from participating, vice chairman Carl Vogel said.

“Charlie had a long-standing [commitment to] a family vacation,” Vogel said on the call. “Like all of us, he’s getting older, so his kids have to return to school a little earlier than they might otherwise have had to when they were younger. I wouldn’t read much into it.”

Vogel added that Ergen has said in the past that he would probably pull back on his participation in the quarterly earnings calls. However, that shouldn’t be interpreted as a lack of interest in the business.

“I’ve seen engaged and I’ve seen disengaged,” Vogel said. “This guy is totally engaged.”

Ergen’s absence comes merely days after News Corp. chairman Rupert Murdoch said he has had no discussions regarding a potential merger between EchoStar and News Corp.’s DirecTV. That, and a downgrade by Sanford C. Bernstein cable and satellite analyst Craig Moffett, sent EchoStar stock into a tailspin Wednesday, when its shares dipped more than 10% ($3.60 each) to $31.48 per share.

But while net new subscriber additions were weak, EchoStar reported strong second-quarter financial results, which boosted its stock to $32.77 per share, up $1.29 each, in Thursday-afternoon trading.

Gross subscriber additions were 824,000 in the period versus 799,000 in the same period last year. But net new subscriber additions were down -- 195,000 in the quarter, compared with 225,000 last year. Revenue rose 17% to $2.5 billion and cash flow increased 10% to $613 million.

EchoStar said on the call that it was in negotiations with some broadcasters regarding its ability to offer out-of market broadcast signals to some subscribers. In May, the DBS provider was ordered by a district court to stop offering out-of-market signals.

EchoStar said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission that fewer than 1 million of its customers receive out-of-market broadcast stations, but if it were prohibited from offering the signals, some customers may defect.

On the conference call, general counsel David Moskowitz said negotiations with broadcasters are ongoing and, hopefully, a settlement can be reached soon.

He added that EchoStar has reached settlement agreements with hundreds of broadcasters in the past eight years -- when the litigation began.

“We’re anxious to try to reach a settlement with the remaining broadcasters, and we’re very focused on trying to do that. Of course, a big piece of that is outside of our control,” Moskowitz said. “There’s been a lot of history that has developed over the years, and whether the broadcasters can get over that history remains to be seen. We hope so.”

Moskowitz added that EchoStar already offers local-into-local broadcast stations in several of the markets in question, and that the process of transitioning some of those customers over to the local-into-local service would likely begin in the third quarter.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6361502

dad1153

08-10-06, 05:37 PM

ABC Rebranding Sports Under ESPN

By Ben Grossman -- Broadcasting & Cable, 8/10/2006 11:53:00 AM

Reflecting what has been going on behind the scenes for years, ESPN and ABC Sports announced today that all sports programming on the ABC television network will now be branded under the ESPN umbrella beginning Sept. 2.

George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN and ABC Sports, said the move has been under consideration for some time, and is simply an evolution in the relationship between ESPN and ABC. He maintained the move had nothing to do with any devaluation in the brand equity of ABC Sports, but rather was a testament to that of ESPN.

My ass the ABC Sports brand hasn't lost panache over the years. Except for a few prestige golfing events (The British Open), NBA Finals (nowhere near as big as it once was), some car racing (Indianapolis 500) and the odd Super Bowl every four years ABC Sports doesn't have s***. Let's face it, 'Monday Night Football' WAS ABC Sports. 'Wide World of Sports'? The Olympics? Sorry but Roone Arledge would be spinning in his grave if he saw the sorry state of ABC Sports these days. It's worse than NBC Sports' after it lost the NFL in the 1990's, but at least they had the Olympics to fall back on every two years.

fredfa

08-10-06, 05:41 PM

And the events you mentioned for ABC Sports, dad, are still in SD.

Clearly the HD mantle was passed to ESPN some time ago.

fredfa

08-10-06, 05:48 PM

The Digital Revolution
A Head Start on the Future of High-Def
By David Pogue The New York Times August 10, 2006

High-tech projects often take longer to complete than anticipated; just ask Microsoft’s Windows team.

But it seems as if we’ve been hearing about high-definition video since the Eisenhower administration. The Federal Communications Commission’s mandatory cutoff of old-fashioned analog TV broadcasts, now scheduled for 2009, has been delayed, what, 500 times?

Part of the holdup is the extent and expense of the switch to the new, better-looking format. To achieve HDTV nirvana, you have to replace every element of your video setup: the TV set, cable box, DVD player, DVD movie collection — and even your camcorder.

Next month, Canon will release the world’s smallest and least expensive high-definition tape camcorder, a one-handable beauty called the HV10. Its list price is $1,300. As any gadget freak can tell you, however, that’s an inflated, fanciful figure provided for — well, for no good reason. The online price, once the camcorder is on store shelves, will be lower.

The HV10 is not the first high-def consumer camcorder by any means; Sony began blazing this path at the beginning of 2005. In fact, Sony’s third HD camcorder, not counting pro models, has been available for months: the HC3 ($1,500 list price; under $1,200 online), the previous price and size champ.

As Canon rolls out its HV10, Sony’s HC3 seems to be squarely in its cross hairs. Both camcorders produce video in the 1080i format, which you can edit in Apple’s iMovie or many Windows programs (Premiere, Vegas, PowerDirector and so on). Both have built-in, automatic lens caps but lack headphone and microphone jacks.

Both are HDV camcorders, which means that they record onto standard, easy-to-find, inexpensive MiniDV cassettes. The eyepiece viewfinder is immobile and nonextendable on both. And both cameras are so compact, the other parents at the baseball game will have absolutely no clue that you’re filming in high definition.

OF course, they’ll also have no idea that you paid more than $1,000 for your camcorder, compared with as little as $300 for a standard-def model — at least until they see the result on a high-definition TV.

That’s when they’ll see what all the fuss is about. The clarity, color fidelity and detail of good high-def video is absolutely astonishing, and its wide-screen shape makes even home movies look like Hollywood movies. With four times the resolution of a standard TV picture, high-def movies look like the view out a window.

This image-quality business, as it turns out, is the new Canon’s specialty. Talk about being blown away the first time you play back your recordings — let’s hope you have a sturdy couch.

Several advances are responsible for the brilliant picture quality. First, Canon has paid extra attention to two of the most important aspects of HD recording: focus and stability. Because the high-def picture is so sharp and so wide, moments of blurriness or hand-held jitters are far more noticeable and disturbing than in regular video.

So the front of the HV10 bears a special external sensor that, when you change your aim, handles the bulk of the refocusing extremely rapidly. A standard through-the-lens focusing system does the fine tuning after that. Together, these two mechanisms nearly eliminate the awkward moment of blurry focus-hunting that mars other camcorders’ output. (Take care to avoid covering the focus sensor with your fingers as they wrap around this vertically oriented, chunky camera.)

The HV10 also aims to iron out camera shake with a true optical stabilizer. A gyroscope inside the lens mechanism sends real-time feedback to the sensor itself, resulting, Canon says, in a more stable picture than you’d get from electronic stabilizers like the one in Sony’s HC3.

In practice, the Canon’s stabilizer works fantastically when you’re zoomed out; if you use two hands, the picture is indistinguishable from a tripod shot. As you zoom in, however, camera shake becomes more noticeable; at the 10X maximum, keeping the video rock-solid requires either a tripod or nerves of steel.

Now, depending on where the Canon’s street price winds up, Sony’s HC3 may be slightly more expensive. But it offers some goodies that the Canon lacks: a minutes-remaining readout for the battery; a “nightshot” mode for filming in total blackness, infrared-style; and an accessory shoe for video lights and microphones (proprietary Sony accessories only).

The Sony model also has an HDMI jack. HDMI is a single cable that carries high-definition video and audio — a common, extremely convenient connector on high-def equipment. Connecting the Canon to a high-def TV, on the other hand, requires plugging in five connections: left and right audio, and three component-video jacks.

But the Canon offers some perks of its own. In addition to its superior stabilizer and focusing system, it does better in low light, with fewer of the dancing, grainy pixels that mar the HC3’s dim-setting work. It also has a built-in video light that’s a real help — at least within interview range — at nighttime parties, postconcert wrap-ups and “Blair Witch”-style memos to posterity.

Neither camera takes very good still photos. But for what it’s worth, the Canon’s photo-shutter button works even while you’re filming. When you consider how often you might want both stills and video in life — the wedding kiss, the baseball swing, the diploma handshake — this is a great feature.

The Canon even counts to 10 every time you begin filming — a small “1 sec, 2 sec” counter appears on the very bright, very sharp flip-out screen. It’s an ingenious idea because it alerts you, even more effectively than the red REC dot, to when you are, and are not, recording.

Finally, the HV10 can convert all your old analog video, like VHS and 8-millimeter tapes, into digital form (not high definition), for ease in computer editing and reassurance in longevity.

The HV10’s only serious drawback, in fact, is one that it shares with recent Sony models (including the HC3): a really pathetic wide-angle view. Even at the most zoomed-out setting, these camcorders are zoomed in, if that makes any sense; in camera terms, its zoom range is 43 to 436 millimeters. Fitting a whole six-foot person into the frame involves backing up 15 feet, which often puts you into the street, the sea or the restroom.

Now, you could argue that it’s too soon to be buying any high-def camcorder. How, for example, will you show off your finished high-definition masterpieces? High-def DVD recorders are still on the drawing boards, and high-def VCR’s are an expensive oddity. At the moment, the only way to play back your high-def work is to connect the camcorder to your TV.

But the world’s eventual switch to high definition is inevitable. Meanwhile, time is passing. If anything is worth filming, isn’t it worth filming in the best possible quality starting right now? (My infant son, for example, had the good sense to take his very first steps while I was rolling with a high-def camcorder. I’ll always be grateful for that piece of video.)

True, a high-def camcorder is still much more expensive than a standard-def one. But if that’s not an obstacle, remember that you’re actually buying two camcorders in one; you can film in either standard or high-definition video on the same tape. And you can play back either kind of video on either kind of TV set, too (standard or HDTV), which makes these camcorders exceptionally versatile.

In the meantime, by entering the high-def camcorder market a year and a half after its rivals, Canon has played the same conservative waiting game it once used with digital cameras and camcorders. Its goal, of course, is to watch and learn as the pioneers get all the arrows in their backs.

If the HV10 is any indication, the company is off to a very good start.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/10/technology/10pogue.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=technology&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-10-06, 06:57 PM

TV Notebook
'CSI: NY' goes the up-close-and-personal route
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 10, 2006

"CSI" fans were divided about the fact that the show's season finale revealed that Gil Grissom and Sara Sidle were involved in an intimate relationship (there's lots more on that here -- check out the comments on each item). Suffice to say, some fans were thrilled about the development, some hated it and others just want to see how it plays out when "CSI" returns next month.

Well, regardless of how Gil and Sara fare, "CSI: NY" is joining the stampede to the bedroom. CBS announced that Claire Forlani is joining the cast of that show "in a recurring role as the CSI team's new medical examiner, who also happens to be in a relationship with Det. Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise). She makes her first appearance in the series' third season premiere, titled 'People with Money,' to be broadcast Wednesday, Sept. 20."

There's been a fair amount of personal stuff on "CSI: Miami," so we can't exactly say this is a new thing. Still, though the creators of the original "CSI" deny it vehemently, one can't help but see the addition of romantic elements on the main show and the New York edition as a response to soapier dramas such as "Grey's Anatomy."

CBS executives are not stupid, and it would make sense for them to ask the writers of the various "CSIs" to amp up the love lives of the shows' characters. Still, I don't see it as a reason to panic. One of my beefs with "CSI" and "CSI: NY" is that the shows often don't give their fine lead actors more of an emotional range to play. Gary Sinise and William Petersen are great actors, and deserve chances to play different sides of their crime-obsessed characters.

So don't fret, "CSI" fans. There's almost no chance that either show will become a sex-obsessed soap opera. These shows are successful as they are, and no doubt the executives at CBS don't want to tinker with their formulas too much. "CSI" and "CSI: NY" not focusing mainly on case files would be like David Caruso ditching the Sunglasses of Justice. And we know that'll never happen, right?

Here's a bit more on Forlani's character, from the CBS press release:

"Forlani plays Dr. Peyton Driscoll, the team's beautiful and sharp new coroner who is from London and completed her education in America. She began her career in the New York Crime Lab as a medical examiner where she worked alongside Dr. Hawkes (Hill Harper) for two years, during which time she also worked frequently with Det. Mac Taylor.

"Although they never dated then, there was definite chemistry between them and, after a chance encounter a year ago, the two began dating. Dr. Driscoll detoured into the private sector to teach anatomy at a prominent university and, after finding academia too safe, decided to return to the medical examiner's office. As she and Det. Taylor begin working together again, Mac quickly realizes that dating someone he works with may be a unique challenge as he tries to figure out the professional and personal connotations of his private and public lives intersecting."

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/08/csi_ny_goes_the.html#more

archiguy

08-10-06, 06:59 PM

Hard to imagine people spending hours a day here, isn't it?

It's partly your fault with this thread, you know. You, sir, are an enabler. ;)

keenan

08-10-06, 09:03 PM

TV Notebook
'CSI: NY' goes the up-close-and-personal route
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 10, 2006

CBS announced that Claire Forlani is joining the cast of that show "in a recurring role as the CSI team's new medical examiner, who also happens to be in a relationship with Det. Mac Taylor (Gary Sinise). She makes her first appearance in the series' third season premiere, titled 'People
Very cool, she is one of my dream girls. :)

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/girl_claire_forlani022.jpg

Xesdeeni

08-10-06, 09:23 PM

The Digital Revolution
A Head Start on the Future of High-Def
By David Pogue The New York Times August 10, 2006

...
Now, you could argue that it’s too soon to be buying any high-def camcorder. How, for example, will you show off your finished high-definition masterpieces? High-def DVD recorders are still on the drawing boards, and high-def VCR’s are an expensive oddity. At the moment, the only way to play back your high-def work is to connect the camcorder to your TV.
...Wrong again! I'm feeling like a broken record every time I bring this up:

The HDV streams can be burned onto a standard DVD±R/W disc and played back by a number of Sigma-Designs based HD DVD players (http://www.videohelp.com/dvdplayers?DVDname=&Submit=Search&Search=Search&dvdportable=&dvdchanger=&dvdtv=&dvdmpeg2hd=1&chipset=&orderby=Name&hits=25) that have been available for well over a year. About 20 minutes of HDV video fits on a single-layer disc. Further, these devices are networkable (some wirelessly), so you can view your work-in-progress directly from your PC while you are editing. Finally, for longer than 20 minutes, these players can play DiVX HD, WMV HD, and MPEG-4 HD (some models). With these formats, you can fit hours of your HD masterpiece on a DVD±R/W. Prices range from $250-$400. All models have component out, and most have DVI or HDMI.

I would forward this info to the author of this article, but I don't have an account on NYTimes.com (and their signup requires more personal info that I want to provide--feel free to forward the above info and link).

Xesdeeni

fredfa

08-10-06, 09:24 PM

Claire Forlani is a hottie all right, Jim.

But I am still miffed that season one ended with Mac going out (or was he going out?) to dinner with the lovely Penelope Ann Miller.

All summer I wondered (well not ALL summer) if Mac and PAM would hook up.

But this year? Nada. No mention at all. Cheap writing trick.

fredfa

08-10-06, 09:27 PM

It has been forwarded to David Pogue, xesdeeni.

By the way, since you were one of the first dozen or so posters on this thread a couple of years ago, it is always good to see you drop by.

Xesdeeni

08-10-06, 10:19 PM

I'm always here, lurking. I post a "hot sports opinion" now and then ;-) It's sometimes tough to handle the (seemingly) hundreds of posts in a day. And given the fact that AVS forum can't seem to track the individual threads, I have to read all of any threads with new posts if I read a single one. I've been known to groan when I want to check another thread quickly, but "Hot Off The Press!..." has new posts, too. But I'm always happy that I "had to" catch up :-)

Xesdeeni

fredfa

08-10-06, 10:33 PM

TV Reviews
Two Documentaries Relive the 9/11 Attacks
A straight documentary proves stronger than one with re-creations.

By Paul Brownfield Los Angeles Times TV critic August 11, 2006

Firefighters — exhausted, overcome, their faces kabuki masks of ash and grit — became the symbol of the American resolve, post-9/11. They were the event's immediate statue of Iwo Jima soldiers, the burning towers the figurative hill.

In an entertainment culture, such stories have a way of being refashioned as national kitsch, trapping you emotionally. For what they promise, if not insist upon, is closure in the form of uplift. Oliver Stone's "World Trade Center" is this kind of mass entertainment, a true story leavened by big, uncomplicated-seeming themes — bravery, the indomitable human spirit, the enduring power of family.

On the big screen, it all plays as Hollywood convention made gripping and inarguable by Stone's filmmaking art; watching it, you feel both manipulated by the message and awed by the power of the imagery.

On TV, by contrast, re-creation presents filmmakers with the greater challenge of weighing words against image. Reenactment is a convention of the History Channel, and both its illuminating and trivializing effects are on display in two 9/11 documentaries, "Countdown to Ground Zero," which airs Sunday, and "The Miracle of Stairway B," airing Monday.

"The single most incredible survival story of the 9/11 tragedy," says the news release for "Stairway B," which tells of the 14 people — 12 firefighters, a Port Authority policeman and an office worker — who survived the collapse of the World Trade Center's North Tower.

They were buried not far — and not quite as hellishly, such as you can parse these things — from Stone's two Port Authority officers. While Stone's movie is a triumph of what can be achieved on a cinematic grand scale, "Stairway B" is compelling for its blend of actual footage and personal narrative.

To that end, the relatable miracle of "Stairway B" is not so much that the firefighters survived, which defies comprehension, as that they attempted to walk up 90 flights of stairs, in full gear (resting every few floors), in the simmering North Tower to rescue stranded office workers.

It took some an hour to get to the 31st floor. At 9:59, the South Tower collapsed, and Capt. Jay Jonas, on the 21st floor with his men from Ladder 6, decided to turn everyone back. Taking Stairway B, they got down to the lower floors before the North Tower caved, their descent slowed when they picked up an injured office worker, Josephine Harris, who had been hiking down from the 76th floor.

"You could actually hear the floors hitting one another—boom, boom, boom, boom, and I remember thinking to myself, I said, 'Oh ... this is it, we didn't make it,' " says firefighter Sal D'Agostino of the tower's collapse.

The narrative is no less compelling when placed alongside the footage assembled from that day. "Countdown to Ground Zero" is a more sweeping and effortful docudrama, and suffers greatly for this. It's a tick-tock of the night before and day of, and it mixes its metaphors throughout: Testimonials are conjoined with stagy scenes of actors playing various roles, which are in turn supplemented by news footage.

Rick Rescorla, corporate security head for Morgan Stanley Dean Witter & Co., died evacuating company workers. Grappling with how to depict this, the producers of "Countdown" kind of don't choose at all — blending re-enactments of Rescorla's actions with interviews with his wife and scenes in which an actress, playing his wife, watches in horror as the TV shows the South Tower collapsing.

Similarly, an interview with the manager of the flight simulation training center in Florida that unwittingly trained hijacker Mohamed Atta is run alongside a scene that depicts Atta getting such training. Another scene depicts John O'Neill, the former FBI counter-terrorism expert on Al Qaeda who had quit in frustration to become head of security at the World Trade Center, dining with friends at Elaine's on the night of Sept. 10. This scene is accompanied by an interview with one of his actual companions from that evening, who recalled O'Neill voicing his fears about the likelihood of a terrorist attack.

Such re-enactment can illuminate, but more often it feels like harsh juxtaposition and worse, trivializes what actually happened, offering fabrication as clarity.

"Countdown" is upsetting, but sometimes in the wrong way; you feel like a voyeur. Stone, to his credit, is somewhat restrained this way. He doesn't touch the horrific imagery of the planes hitting the buildings, in large part because the men whose stories he was telling didn't see this, either.

On some level you have to relate this — how on that day, truth be told, it all must have been a blur.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-attacks11aug11,0,1439480,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:03 AM

TV Notebook
TV Week’s HDTV Newsletter

I have posted several articles by James Hibberd in the past four weeks which were published in The HDTV Newsletter from TV Week. It has just celebrated its fourth (week!) anniversary and is already eagerly anticipated.

But you can get it, too. Directly - and it is free!

To subscribe to TVWeek’s HD Newsletter, published each Thursday , just send an email to nworrell@tvweek.com with the subject line "HD Newsletter subscribe." Add your name, company (if relevant) and email address.

Then wait as patiently as possible by your computer on Thursdays for some good reading.

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:27 AM

The Digital Revolution
Panasonic Highlights 103W-Inch Plasma At Grand Central Station
Company discusses HD DVD and Plasma futures
By Steve Smith -- TWICE, 8/10/2006

New York – Panasonic showed off its 103W-inch plasma TV, Plasma Concierge program, Blu-ray deck and other digital products in Vanderbilt Hall of the famed Grand Central Terminal, here, today for the thousands of consumers who use the facility every day.

Gene Kelsey, brand strategy group VP, said the strategy behind the display here is “to show the 103-inch plasma and highlight the Panasonic Plasma Concierge program, as well as Blu-ray and our other products to consumers who might not have heard about this.” Based on traffic through the area today, Panasonic will keep the display area open until Friday.

Yoshi Yamada, chairman/CEO, said the idea behind the Panasonic Plasma Concierge program, which is an expanded customer support plan for current and new Panasonic plasma TV owners, “is to show that this is a well-supported product. Some other manufacturers say their products are well supported, but we are showing that it is.” Hotlines with experts to answer Panasonic plasma TV questions are available seven days a week during typical business hours.

Looking at the display area, which was filled with vignettes giving consumers a close look as to how Panasonic’s products can operate and look at home, Martin Kono, president/COO, was asked if this showroom-type display might be the harbinger of a Panasonic retail store. He commented, “I believe we are a manufacturer. We work well with our channel partners. While we do sell and refer consumers to our retailers on our Web site, there is a difference. We can display all of our products on the site and we can explain them and educate consumers about them, and refer consumers to our retail partners.”

Kono and Yamada also discussed the coming fall and Holiday seasons for HDTV and how plasma and LCD will fare in the marketplace.

Kono said that since Panasonic now has a new plasma TV production line in operation as of late July, “We believe that overall there will be enough plasma TV supply especially in 37-, 42- and 50-inch sizes. But it could be tight in the new 58 inch.”

In terms of pricing, Kono said that during last year’s holiday season, “Pricing went down dramatically. We don’t expect that this year. For 42-, 50- and 58-inch products there should be a good sales to profit ratio.”

In addition, he said plasma has a competitive advantage in manufacturing costs versus LCD. “Our new production line in Japan during July we are getting a better yield” and production costs are going down. He also said that the size of components inside each set will be getting smaller.

Separately Yamada was asked about the price competition between plasma and LCD. He noted, “Some LCD makers are having a tough time, in other words they are losing money. Plasma TV makers are making money. There is a different cost structure since manufacturing plasma TVs is more cost-effective than LCD.” And he added, “While it is easier to start an LCD plant, it is more difficult to manufacture bigger screens. Yields are lower than plasma.”

In terms of technology, Kono put it this way, “For smaller screen sizes LCD has an advantage. But for 42-inches and larger [plasma] beats LCD. When the products are displayed side by side and the programming shown of the same quality, plasma beats LCD. The problem is when comparisons are made at retail and the quality of the programming is in question, it is tougher to show the difference. We have talked to our channel partners about that.”

As for filling the gap between its 65W-inch and 103W-inch plasma sets, Kono said, “We have no plans for that. We saw that 70-inch projection TVs never really sold. As for a 90-inch plasma, it doesn’t make sense to me. For our manufacturing levels our bread and butter sets are below 60-inches.”

When asked about how many 103W-inch wide plasma TVs Panasonic to manufacturer and sell in the next 12 months, Yamada said, “Around 5,000 units worldwide. But most of them would be sold in the U.S.” In touting Panasonic’s manufacturing prowess in this area, Yamada added, “Other plasma and LCD makers could manufacture a few 103-inch sets, but we can do it in volume.”

Kono was asked about HD DVD beating Blu-ray to the U.S. market and what that might entail for the format battle going forward. He noted, “Pricing for HD DVD, at $499, and Blu-ray are relatively expensive. This is still a ‘DVD world’ and will probably continue to be through 2007 and into 2008, with the market for high definition discs being small.”

http://www.twice.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6361525

fredfa

08-11-06, 01:50 AM

The Business of Television
Turner's Kent faces challenges, opportunities

By Cynthia Littleton The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 11, 2006

As chairman and CEO of Turner Broadcasting System, Phil Kent oversees a portfolio of channels ranging from CNN to Cartoon Network to TNT. As TNT prepares to expand into the broadband arena next week, Kent spoke with The Hollywood Reporter editor Cynthia Littleton about the challenges and opportunities that lie ahead for TBS' crown jewels.

The Hollywood Reporter: Of the channels in the Turner Broadcasting portfolio, TNT has been on a roll of late with "The Closer" and other series. It used to be known primarily for big-event movies. Can you talk about the transition to original series programming and what that has meant to TNT?

Phil Kent: TNT is the largest single-earnings contributor to Turner Broadcasting. ... TNT has always been a collection of sports and entertainment. We've always had a lot of series programming, but it has been mostly acquired series. Original series give us a stronger identity of this drama brand with advertisers. It makes us more distinctive with viewers. It really shores up the brand positioning. The economics of an original series are far worse than the economics of an acquired series simply because of the cost and the risk of not knowing how well it's going to do. But it's just a very important part of the mix, and it will become an increasingly important part of the mix. And in terms of a strategy of where we're taking all of (the TBS) networks, we have laid out a whole company strategy of starting to transition from just being known as linear networks to branded media environments.

THR: You just announced plans to expand TNT into the broadband arena with the launch of Dramavision on Tuesday. What do you think that will do for TNT?

Kent: It creates new capacity for both viewership and revenue. We're limited by the number of primetime hours we can program. This gives us a whole new primetime that we can populate with long- and shortform programming that people want to see. As our capacity increases, it allows us to sell advertisers viewership from both the Web and the linear service.

THR: You're planning to put a wealth of contemporary and vintage TNT programs on Dramavision. How did you decide on the programming menu?

Kent: The lead program is "Into the West." We've literally received thousands of requests to air this show since ("West's") 16 Emmy nominations were announced. Finding 12 hours of primetime real estate was impossible, so by making it our launch vehicle for Dramavision, we are able to let viewers watch "Into the West" when and how they want. ... There will be a combination of original programming, extensions of original programming as well as library and acquired product.

THR: Do you have a number in mind in terms of the amount of original series you program on TNT and TBS?

Kent: There's not a strict number. We work within a large operating budget, and there's all kinds of trade-offs between how much we must spend on sports and how we much spend on original programming and acquisitions. If we make a great pilot, the chances are overwhelming that we'll greenlight it to series. We greenlit last year "The Closer" and "Wanted" because we felt great about two pilots. This year, we felt great about renewing "The Closer" based on its success the first season, and when we watched the pilot of "Saved" and the lights went up, and "We're doing this." It's so hard to get a great script and a great pilot that when you have it, I think you do whatever you can to figure out how to afford it. But it's not a set financial model that we'll do a certain number of original series.

THR: Let's talk about CNN. There's a perception that as a business it is a bottom-line problem area for Time Warner. Is that true?

Kent: No, it's not the case at all. CNN is, the last few years, probably the most consistent business we've had. It's been one of the fastest-growing parts of Turner. And unfortunately, what most of the media press write about is their one weakness that we probably look the worst on in competitive positioning, which is total household ratings. Whereas where we earn the bulk of our revenue is on advertising targeted to (viewers) 25-54. We've made substantial progress in closing the gap with our primary competitor (Fox News) and in just improving on ourselves. And not only that, CNN is the farthest ahead of all of the Turner businesses in terms of becoming a multiplatform business with its digital strategies. And aside from its financial performance and improving its competitive positioning, I think its reporting is terrific, particularly as evidenced the (world events of recent) weeks.

THR: Does the quality of the journalism translate to ratings and revenue?

Kent: It translates into the strength of the brand, and the brand is the single most important asset of CNN. And what people expect from CNN is what we're giving them, which is immediacy and accuracy and taking them to where the news is and showing them all the angles and doing it a number of different ways. As I like to say, we're delivering more news to more people in more ways and in more places than anyone else. ... I think the real strength of CNN -- and not only from our business mission to be successful for Turner and Time Warner but for our journalistic mission, too -- is that we do a terrific job at explaining all of the dimensions of a story like (the Israel-Hezbollah conflict) to the public. From having a strong reporter like John King sitting in Jerusalem for a number of weeks and really giving, you know, this story of what's going on with the diplomatic efforts. And having an experienced guy like John Roberts out in the field for weeks at a time, and obviously you know that our chief international correspondent, Christiane Amanpour -- we're bringing dimension to this that I don't think our competitors are.

THR: Are the online and multiplatform extensions of CNN significant business for you yet?

Kent: I believe they will be. We have one of the most successful Web sites with CNN.com, which averages about 25 million unique users a month. We have a new subscription broadband product called CNN Pipeline, which is still in its early days. I haven't seen anything as good as this, which has, at any given time, four streams of live video, including 12 hours a day of CNN International, plus a very, very dynamic video search function. ... We are experimenting with them in different ways. I don't know that the retail subscription for video news is going to be a huge business. I think most people believe they're entitled to get enormous amounts of news for free, and they can find enormous amounts of news for free. But we attach advertising to a podcast, and we sell that. We can put video advertising on the site. We intend to make money one way or the other with all of these.

THR: Does AOL play a big role in any of your multiplatform planning? Are there advantages for the Turner Broadcasting channels of being part of such a broader conglomerate as Time Warner or is synergy overrated, as some have recently suggested?

Kent: I believe that we have a collection of very strong and very pragmatic business leaders running these businesses. And I think that we are stronger together than we are apart. We have our expectations in check in terms of what these words "collaboration," "synergy" and "adjacencies" mean, but we are very mindful of them. And what it means is having a seat at the table and then developing a collective intuition on how all of these businesses work together. ... We call it the media value chain, from content creation to content aggregation to content distribution. We have a very powerful seat in every one of these chairs at this collective table, and there is an advantage to being able to sit around and have conversations with each other that is very hard to have with an external supplier or an external distributor. We can have conversations about where the business is going and what kind of products we should be thinking about with (Time Warner Cable's) Glenn Britt and Fred Dressler that are very different than we would have with any other distributor. The same thing with Warner Bros. We can sit down with (Warners') Barry Meyer and Bruce Rosenblum and talk about where we see the business going and what we're looking for with an informality and an openness that we simply could not do with other studios. Now it doesn't mean that we only buy and sell to each other because that would not be in either's best business interest. But there is in my mind no question an advantage to being together versus being apart.

THR: How important is the international marketplace in the grand scheme of TBS? CNN and Cartoon Network seem to have big footprints around the world.

Kent: It's nowhere near the scale of the domestic businesses we have, but it's growing and we're doing some pretty interesting things. Cartoon Network Korea is one of our latest launches....What we're doing more and more is just getting all of the executives to talk more with each other and to learn what's going on in all these regions. I have told the people working on the wireless business in the United States to get themselves over to Hong Kong every now and then and see some of the things that our folks over there are doing in markets like Korea....So even though the scale of the business isn't as large, it's an amazing learning laboratory and the growth rates are very high. I think the fact that I had a couple of years running (CNN International) has really helped. I've been back in the U.S. for half a decade, but I never really lost that globalist mindset.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002985377

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:08 PM

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

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:11 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Penultimate picker-up for 'Got Talent'
Sagging NBC talent show rises by 17 percent
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 11, 2006

“America’s Got Talent” has been losing steam on Thursday nights against Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance.” But take “Dance” off the schedule for the night, and “Talent” regained a bit of its bounce.

The NBC reality show averaged a 2.7 adults 18-49 overnight rating last night, 17 percent above the 2.3 it pulled in last week’s outing opposite “Dance.” Fox’s dancers got the night off as the network aired NFL preaseason football instead from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. last night.

“Talent” was also up 13 percent over its 2.4 Thursday average this season. The 2.7 was its best Thursday performance yet, and it also hit a high in total viewers with 8.6 million.

Last night marked the second-to-last Thursday episode for “Talent,” which airs its finale next Thursday. It still has one more Wednesday performance episode left before one of the nine finalists is crowned on the live season-ender the next night.

NBC has already renewed “Talent,” promising to bring it back at midseason, but it might be wise to hold off. The show has fallen off quite a bit since a strong debut and has especially struggled on Thursday nights.

In fact, last night “Talent” didn’t even win its 9 p.m. timeslot, finishing 0.2 behind a repeat of CBS’s “CSI” and just 0.2 ahead of a “Grey’s Anatomy” repeat on ABC.

It seems that people lost interest once many of the oddball acts introduced in the first two episodes were eliminated.

CBS was No. 1 for the night at a 2.7 rating and 8 share among adults 18-49, while ABC was second at 2.4/8. NBC followed at 2.2/7, ahead of Fox at 2.1/7, Univision at 1.5/5, WB at 0.8/3 and UPN at 0.7/2.

At 8 p.m., CBS was No. 1 at 2.7 for "Big Brother 7: All-Stars," followed by Fox at 2.1 for the NFL exhibition game, NBC at 2.0 for reruns of "My Name is Earl" and "The Office," ABC at 1.9 for a "Grey's Anatomy" repeat, Univision at 1.8 for "La Fea Mas Bella," WB at 0.9 for a "Smallville" rerun and UPN at 0.8 for repeats of "Everybody Hates Chris" and "Love, Inc."

At 9 p.m., CBS led again at 2.9 for a "CSI" repeat, ahead of NBC at 2.7 for "Talent’s" results show, ABC at 2.5 for another "Grey's" rerun, Fox at 2.0 for the NFL game, Univision at 1.5 for "Barrera de Amor," WB at 0.7 for a "Supernatural" repeat and UPN at 0.6 for reruns of "Eve" and "Cuts."

At 10 p.m., ABC took the lead for "Primetime" at 2.8, followed by CBS's "Without a Trace" rerun at 2.5, Fox's NFL game at 2.2, NBC's "Windfall" at 1.9 and Univision's "Aqui y Ahora" at 1.2.

Among households, CBS led for the night with a 5.8 rating and 10 share, ahead of ABC at 5.4/9, NBC at 4.2/7, Fox at 3.9/7, Univision at 2.0/4, and the WB and UPN each at 1.2/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6610.asp

CPanther95

08-11-06, 12:14 PM

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:20 PM

Sports On TV
In Reality, 'Contender' Has Become a Winner
By Larry Stewart Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Aug 11, 2006

Boxing is in a slump. There is a heavyweight title fight on HBO pay-per-view Saturday night featuring Hasim Rahman against someone named Oleg Maskaev. But one cable industry expert doubted the fight would get 200,000 buys. By comparison, the Mike Tyson-Evander Holyfield title match in June 1997 drew 2 million buys.

There is one boxing format, however, that is suddenly showing signs of success — "The Contender." The reality series has been revamped from its first season on NBC and is now on ESPN Tuesday nights at 7 PM (PT).

Through four weeks, it is averaging a 1.2 rating and each show is reaching an average of 1.1 million homes. That represents a 33% increase for the same time slot last year.

One reason for the solid ratings might be that the show has gone from a heavy emphasis on reality entertainment to more emphasis on quality sports competition.

"ESPN is the perfect home for the show," said Jeffrey Katzenberg, co-founder of DreamWorks and one of the creators of "The Contender."

The lead producer is Mark Burnett, creator of the "Survivor" series. Last year Sylvester Stallone and Sugar Ray Leonard were co-hosts, but Stallone is now busy filming another "Rocky" movie, leaving Leonard as the lone host.

The show is a slick, high-budget production, but it took criticism last year when word got out that the producers wanted to do some excessive creative editing with the fights, even possibly changing the chronological order of the rounds to make them more dramatic.

That never happened, according to executive producer Lisa Hennessy.

It is clear from watching the show that the fights are edited, but not to that extreme.

The series started four weeks ago with 16 fighters and is now down to 12. Each show provides an inside look at the fighters and their families and friends and concludes with a five-round fight. The losers go home until only two are left. The live finale will take place Sept. 26 at Staples Center, with the winner getting $500,000.

All the other fights were taped in January and February in a converted warehouse near the Sixth Street Bridge in downtown Los Angeles. The fighters lived around the corner in a renovated loft, which included an ultra-modern kitchen where special chefs prepared elaborate training table meals.

The boxers, culled from a nationwide search, are all professionals with winning records, and all in the 148-pound weight class.

Of the series, boxing promoter Bob Arum said, "It's great for boxing, although the talent level leaves a little to be desired."

But, he added, the fights are entertaining.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-sp-tvcol11aug11,0,4557530,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:41 PM

TV Notebook
PBS Stations: Over the Pledge?
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 8/11/2006

The indecency crackdown is here to stay, but noncommercial stations' mandatory tin-cup timeout during pledge drives could become a thing of the analog past.

That's according to Association of Public Television Stations President John Lawson in an interview for C-SPAN's The Communicators series.

Lawson told C-SPAN's Susan Swain that noncoms have recently been discussing a way to bypass pledge breaks in the digital age.

"One model that a lot of us have talked about, " he said, "is that if you are a passive viewer of public TV, you are going to receive everything anyone else receives, including the pledge drive. But with digital you could actually put a code in the receiver where if you've already contributed to the stations, you don't have to endure the pledge drive. You get the programming that someone else might have to wait a bit to see."

As for the FCC's heightened scrutiny of language, Lawson said it is here to stay. He also said his group shares the FCC's concern about the airwaves, and suggested that the problem was that the commission was not distinguishing between ratings-driven content on commercial airwaves and noncommercial fare.

"We hope the FCC will make a distinction between content that is designed to sensationalize, or titillate or drive ratings," he told Swain, "and content that's about the way real people live and express themselves, particularly in a war. We're arguing for some reasonableness and some definition about what's permissible and what's not."

Specifically, he was talking about Ken Burns' latest documentary, which Lawson advertises as the definitive history of World War II. "It's hard to tell that story accurately without the expressions that those soldiers used in combat situations. How do we be true to that story and not expose our stations to these fines that, literally, could put some of the smaller ones out of business."

Calling indecency a major concern, Lawson said noncoms were "trying to figure out why it is OK for the FCC to approve the use of certain words in a big, Hollywood production like Saving Private Ryan when its scripted actors [whose profanity the FCC said was not indecent in context], whereas we do a reality documentary about the blues and one of our stations carries an episode with some language and they fined them for it. This is a station that has no children’s programming, and there was only one complaint."

Lawson had no complaint about new Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board Chairman Patricia Harrison, however. She replaced the controversial Ken Tomlinson who ruffled feathers by adding conservative programming in an effort to balance what he saw as PBS and NPR's liberal bent. "We're encouraged. Pat Harrison has turned out to be an excellent CEO and her board has instituted some real reforms," Says Lawson, but adds "Our motto with CPB is 'eternal vigilance is the price of freedom.' We will continue to watch them carefully.

"Tomlinson did some real damage to us," he said, "but we're not going away."

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6361731

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:46 PM

TV Sports
ABC Sports Is Dead at 45; Stand by for ESPN
By Richard Sandomir The New York Times August 11, 2006

ABC Sports, which once defined sports television and was the home of Roone Arledge, Jim McKay, “Wide World of Sports,” Howard Cosell, 10 Olympics and Mexican cliff diving, died yesterday after one final big gulp by ESPN.

The sports division that was nurtured to prominence through Arledge’s production vision and deal-making savvy had been in fading health and recently lost the rights to “Monday Night Football.”

ABC Sports was only 45.

“My heart just weeps for Roone’s legacy,” said Dick Ebersol, chairman of NBC Universal Sports, whose career started as an Olympic researcher at ABC Sports before he became Arledge’s executive assistant.

Still, for those who observed the changes at ABC Sports over the years, its demise is not a stunning development, nor is the title, “ESPN on ABC,” that will accompany all sports programming on ABC starting Sept. 2, along with “SportsCenter” updates and ESPN graphics.

Soon, except for the transparent ABC logo on the screen, ABC Sports will be a distant memory.

• Nearly every sport shown by ABC for quite a few years was acquired by ESPN’s leaders, not those of ABC Sports, and nearly all the announcers calling events on ABC are borrowed from the ESPN empire.

One of the last of the pure ABC voices, Keith Jackson, said yesterday by telephone, “It was inevitable.” He retired earlier this year after spurning ESPN’s offer to stay. “When ABC was sold to Capital Cities, and then to Disney, the handwriting was on the wall,” Jackson said.

He added: “A lot of people worked to make ABC what it was, and they deserve more than to have their legacy callously tossed aside.”

Frank Gifford, an ABC star for 27 years, mostly on “Monday Night Football,” said by telephone that the advent of “ESPN on ABC” did not surprise him or upset him. That ESPN was a minor cable entity that evolved into a steroidal version of ABC Sports is not lost on him.

“The tail took over the dog,” he said, with a bit of a laugh. “The tail outgrew the dog. The world has changed.”

The engulfing of ABC Sports is viewed at ESPN as an evolutionary step, and it is yet another, seemingly daily, symbol of the Bristol empire’s brand-building avariciousness. Perhaps it was naïve to believe that after the mother ship spun off so many offspring (ESPN2, ESPN The Magazine, etc.), it wouldn’t need to dump a renowned brand like ABC Sports in favor of one that embeds ESPN, for the first time, as the name in front of a broadcast network’s division.

“The opportunity to marry the ESPN brand to the ABC television network to better serve fans is what this is all about,” said George Bodenheimer, the president of ESPN. He is the second ESPN president who was also the president of ABC Sports, a title that now seems superfluous.

The path to the end of ABC Sports might have started with losses from the Calgary Games in 1988. Or it might have been Capital Cities’ refusal to fully back bids by Dennis Swanson, Arledge’s successor, to acquire the TV rights to the 1992 and 1996 Summer Olympics, which were signature purchases for NBC.

“They didn’t just short Dennis,” Jackson said. “They cut him off.”

Or perhaps it was ESPN adopting “Monday Night’s” graphics and music for “Sunday Night Football.” Dan Dierdorf, then on “Monday Night,” told Sports Illustrated, “We felt it was our fields that were being burned and our villages that were being plundered.” And maybe it was Gifford’s move from the “Monday Night” booth to an ESPN Zone to introduce features.

Certainly, ESPN could have swallowed up ABC Sports 11 years ago when the Walt Disney Company acquired Capital Cities, a deal that came with the ABC network and an 80 percent stake in ESPN. But first the sales departments of ESPN and ABC Sports merged several years ago, followed a year ago by the consolidation of their marketing and production departments. All the while, ESPN voices like Chris Berman, Mike Tirico, Brad Nessler and Dan Patrick leaped over to ABC.

A recent survey of 1,000 viewers by ESPN seemed to cinch the death of ABC Sports. The survey showed that ESPN was by far the preferred brand for sports viewing, far beyond ABC Sports and the sports divisions of CBS, Fox or NBC.

But ESPN’s 24/7 ubiquity made this a self-fulfilling prophecy over networks that carry sports largely on weekends.

• ESPN officials insisted that recasting ABC Sports, may it rest in peace, in its image is good for advertisers and fans, although I would question the latter as an unprovable premise. At the same time, they said the fan survey found that ABC Sports was viewed as better than its rivals at CBS, NBC and Fox.

Then why change? “Because ESPN is that much stronger,” said Bodenheimer, who hoped that sports ratings on ABC might rise because of its association with ESPN, a premise that will bear watching.

He added, “Just because we’re focusing on ESPN doesn’t mean a lack of respect for what ABC built.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/sports/othersports/11sandomir.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=sports&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:53 PM

TV Sports
All Big 12, all the time?
If Big Ten Channel proves a success, then why not this region?
By Keith Whitmire The Dallas Morning News

As Big 12 football teams gear up for the coming season, there's an even bigger game plan being formulated in the league's headquarters.

Contract negotiations with ABC and ESPN will begin next spring. Much has changed in the TV game since the current contract was signed.

Last month, the Big Ten announced a new TV deal with ABC and ESPN. But the big news was a deal with Fox called the Big Ten Channel.

Starting in August 2007, anyone with DirecTV will be able to get 24 hours a day of Big Ten programming on mini-satellite dish. There will also be a big push to get the Big Ten Channel on most cable systems.

The only football and basketball games shown on the Big Ten Channel will be the matchups passed over by the big networks. The rest of the time, it will show nonrevenue sports and probably a lot of filler.

Still, the plans are to show at least 35 football and 105 men's basketball games a year on the Big Ten Channel. That's enough to get thousands of Big Ten sports fanatics salivating – and calling their cable companies begging for the channel.

The Big Ten's coaching staffs must be drooling, as well. Coaches can pitch to recruits that the Big Ten has its own channel. Get Grandma a satellite dish, and she can watch your games back home in Florida.

It's not just the Big Ten getting into the satellite-cable business. The Mountain West Conference will unveil its own regional sports network this fall.

If those conferences can do it, why not the Big 12?

Imagine 24/7, 365 days a year of nothing but Big 12 programming. Forget the Today Show – rise and shine with the Red Raiders. Get your Longhorns fix at lunchtime, your Aggies in the afternoon and the Bears at bedtime.

New fathers would more willing to handle those 3 a.m. feedings if they can hold the bottle while watching a replay of Saturday's Iowa State-Kansas game.

Even better: No more pay-per-view. If a game isn't picked up by the networks, it will be on the Big 12 Channel.

The Big Ten is a natural for its own channel, because it encompasses so many large markets and its fans are unceasingly devoted. The Big 12 doesn't have the population base of the Big Ten, but it does have substantial satellite penetration because of so many rural areas.

"We do have a region that can support something like that," Big 12 commissioner Kevin Weiberg said. "We have passionate fans, and we do have a lot of the attributes to support that structure."

It remains to be seen whether the Big Ten Channel will be a success. It's a matter of costs versus exposure. But at the same time, the Big 12 doesn't want to be left without a channel if that's the trend.

There's another option for the Big 12 to increase its exposure. Fox is now the network of the BCS, but it doesn't have regular season college football.

Could the Big 12 become Fox's showcase conference, the way the Southeastern Conference is on CBS? (The Big 12 already has a cable deal with Fox Sports Net that runs through 2011-12.)

With a network all to itself, there would be no more split national football telecasts as there are with ABC. Every national game would truly be national. That's one of the things the Big Ten just negotiated with ABC – any split national Big Ten games would be shown on ESPN or ESPN2 in markets that aren't carrying its games over the air.

The risk of going with Fox means losing ties with ABC and ESPN, networks college sports fans have been conditioned to turn to. It also might mean losing Big Monday basketball games on ESPN. Would the increased exposure of football on Fox be worth losing Big Monday for the Big 12?

Weiberg said Fox has expressed an interest, but there haven't been any talks, because ABC and ESPN have an exclusive negotiating window. However, a good game-planner always anticipates adjustments.

"We'll do our due diligence in terms of what our options will be," Weiberg said.

Those options keep changing as fast as technology does. It's not just television anymore that can maximize revenue and exposure. There's the Internet, satellite radio, iPods. The day is coming when you can watch games on your cellphone.

Traditional TV is still the biggest piece of the pie. Last year, the Big 12 made $50 million from television, or about half its total revenue.

"We would never envision a day when we would not have national broadcast exposure for our major sports," Weiberg said. "It is a changing environment. It requires you to think about it differently."

With television negotiations looming, the Big 12 has a lot to think about.

http://www.dallasnews.com/cgi-bin/bi/gold_print.cgi

fredfa

08-11-06, 12:58 PM

TV Sports
Kornheiser in spotlight in debut of MNF on ESPN
By Jim Sarni Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinal August 11, 2006

It's still Monday Night Football, only now it's on ESPN with Mike Tirico, Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser in the booth.

The first game is the Raiders-Vikings exhibition Monday at 8 PM ET, and all eyes and ears will be on Kornheiser, the Washington Post sports writer and PTI host.

"I'm not a broadcaster, I'm a newspaper writer," Kornheiser said. "Regardless of being on radio and being in television and all that, in my heart I'm still a newspaper writer. ... I took the job, and I'd love to do well at it. I may not feel it in the same way that a professional broadcaster does, but nobody turns this down. Indira Gandhi, she's probably the only one who'd ever turn it down, and so I'd love to do well at it."

Kornheiser has been getting plenty of advice on his new gig. Mainly: be yourself.

Comedian Dennis Miller, the last experiment on Monday Night Football, called the new guy recently with some wisdom.

"He said he believed that he might have been too scripted in the first year, because as a comedian you have an act and you go on Leno and you go on Letterman and you have a format for five or six minutes," Kornheiser said. "He believed he would have been better served being more natural and off-the-cuff, and he said do that. ... I'll try."

"I swear to God, he is going to hit it out of the park," said Jay Rothman, senior coordinating producer of remote production, who will oversee the production of MNF. "He will be the reason it's different than 15 other telecasts in the NFL. It's not even close. I'm so excited about how he's going to make us all better and bring a different perspective to the game."

Good start for NBC

NBC earned good ratings and solid reviews for its Sunday Night Football debut.

The Raiders-Eagles Hall of Fame telecast did a 6.8/12 final Nielsen rating last Sunday, up 10 percent from a 6.2/11 from last year's Bears-Dolphins HOF game, which aired on ABC on a Monday night. NBC's first NFL game broadcast since 1998 was the top-rated program for the week of July 31-Aug. 6 among adults 18-49 (3.9/11). It was second in adults 25-54 (4.2/11) behind a repeat of CSI: Miami.

NBC gave viewers a taste of what they'll see during the regular season when Bob Costas and Cris Collinsworth joined Al Michaels and John Madden to discuss the NFL storylines, including how Terrell Owens will fit in with Bill Parcells and the Dallas Cowboys.

"This just feels like a team, an all-star team," said Madden of his NBC colleagues. "I know it's early, but this feels like home already."

Pregame analysts Jerome Bettis and Sterling Sharpe will make their NBC debuts during halftime of Sunday night's Redskins-Bengals telecast.

Streams of PGA golf

The PGA Championship moves into the new media age next week with TNT and PGA.com combining for a multiplatform simulcast.

In a first for a U.S. golf event, the duo will partner for 11 hours of coverage featuring TNT and CBS's on-air announcers, camera coverage and editorial content as they call the PGA Championship from Medinah Country Club in Illinois.

The coverage tees off next Thursday and Friday, with PGA.com simulcasting six hours of TNT's on-air content with coverage from 2-5 PM ET for both the first and second rounds. Also, PGA.com will webcast five additional hours of bonus coverage from the first two rounds of the championship.

As an added feature, PGA.com will provide fans the ability to pick and choose the video stream they would like to watch through a mosaic of four video streams using CNN Pipeline technology. Video stream No. 1, "Greenside Live," will show the same vantage points that will air on TNT's telecast. Video stream No. 2, "Player Cam," will allow viewers to follow the designated group of the day. Video stream No. 3, "Inside the Ropes," will cover press conferences as well as exclusive course flyovers, player profiles and historical PGA Championship moments. A fourth video stream will spotlight "The PGA Learning Center."

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/sfl-sarni11aug11,0,7012498,print.column?coll=sfla-sports-front

fredfa

08-11-06, 03:27 PM

Obituary
Talk Show Pioneer Mike Douglas Dies
By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com August 11, 2006

Former daytime talk show host Mike Douglas died Friday on his 81st birthday in Palm Springs, Calif.

Mr. Douglas hosted a daytime talk show for 21 years from 1961 to 1982, personifying the genial, friendly talk style also practiced by his contemporaries Merv Griffin and Dinah Shore.

Born Michael Dowd in Chicago in 1925, Mr. Douglas was a singer and World War II veteran who got his start in television on NBC's "Kay Keyer's Kollege of Musical Knowledge" in the 1940s. He dubbed the voice of Prince Charming in the 1950 animated feature "Cinderella," according to the Web site IMDB.com.

"The Mike Douglas Show" incorporated Mr. Douglas' musical skills with his ability to interview a variety of guests, from comedians and singers to politicians and novelty acts. A pre-school aged Tiger Woods appeared on the show in the 1970s alongside Bob Hope.

Mr. Douglas's show won an Emmy in 1973 for outstanding program achievement in daytime.

In 1982 the show's syndicator Group W replaced Mr. Douglas with singer John Davidson, who only lasted on the air a few years.

Mr. Douglas' style seemed out of step with the shock talk of the late 1980s and early 1990s, but when Rosie O'Donnell launched her syndicated talk show for Warner Bros. in 1996, she pointed to Mr. Douglas as a role model. He was also a frequent guest on Ms. O'Donnell's show.

He is survived by his wife Genevieve and his three daughters.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=10528

123HDTV

08-11-06, 05:04 PM

fredfa

08-11-06, 05:05 PM

Obituary
Talk-Show Host Douglas Dies at 81

By Robert Edelstein Broadcasting & Cable 8/11/2006

Talk show host Mike Douglas died Friday August 11 in Florida, at a Palm Beach Gardens hospital, on his 81st birthday. At press time, cause of death had not yet been determined.

The daytime talk show began in Cleveland at what was then KYW, a Westinghouse station that moved to Philadelphia in 1965. Douglas did his show from there until 1978, when the program moved to Los Angeles until its end in 1982.

He was a fixture in the world of syndicated television, famous for his affable style. About 30,000 guests came on the show, including musicians, comedians, sports figures and political personalities, including seven former, sitting or future presidents.At his peak his show was seen in about 230 cities.

"Mike Douglas was one of the great television performers of the 20th century whose versatility is unmatched in today's entertainment world,” said Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO for Fox News and chairman of Fox Television Stations who once served as executive producer of the show. “Everyone who came into contact with Mike learned something from his immense talent. He loved show business and the audience loved him.”

"People still believe The Mike Douglas Show was a talk show, and I never correct them, but I don't think so," Douglas wrote in his 1999 memoir, I'll Be Right Back: Memories of TV's Greatest Talk Show. “It was really a music show, with a whole lot of talk and laughter in between numbers.”

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6361947

fredfa

08-11-06, 05:11 PM

Mike Douglas is a memory for me. I remember coming home from school to watch his show
at 4p.m. He was quite the interviewer. He wasn't too full of himself and always was able to make the show enjoyable.

RIP

Mike, like Johnny Carson and far too few others, realized he would be on the show the next day. And so he let his guests shine their best while they were with him.

He was certainly something far different than what we see today.

And in addition to Ailes, his show's producers included Chet Collier, who went on to head Westinghouse Broadcasting along with running the old America's Talking and he also is the man responsible for the phenomenal success of the Westminster Kennel Club dog show.

Also a Douglas alumnus is Jack Reilly, who later ran Entertainment Tonight and Good Morning America -- back in the days when it beat the Today Show.

Mike was clearly unafraid to have strong people working with him.

And I second your emotion : RIP.

fredfa

08-11-06, 07:09 PM

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask (TV Critic) Matt (Roush) column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush TVGuide.com TV Critic

Question: I saw a promo on HBO last night, and it looks like they're planning to move their movie night to Sunday. Any idea why? What about those great original shows? What will happen to them? — Te-je

Matt Roush: There are couple of reasons for this temporary shift — which HBO says will only continue through the end of the year, when movie premieres will return to Saturdays, and multiple series, including Rome, will begin on Sundays starting Jan. 7. First off, though HBO would never admit it, the pay giant has lost the Sunday-night watercooler battle to ABC. (We’ll have to see if Desperate Housewives can truly rebound in the fall, and Brothers & Sisters is still a sight-unseen question mark.) Plus, NBC is going all out with prime-time Sunday-night NFL games.

Second, HBO’s marquee drama on Sundays this fall is the ratings-challenged, but powerfully good, The Wire, and HBO figures that the best way to make some noise during the fall will be to turn the night over to high-profile first-run theatricals (including Fantastic Four and Wedding Crashers for The Wire’s first two weeks). Anything to help The Wire’s chances in this pivotal fourth season (still no word on a fifth yet) is OK in my book. As you may have noticed, HBO’s inventory of original series is a bit thin, and this helps get the network into the new year, when there will be new seasons of Rome, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Extras, leftover Entourage episodes and the final Sopranos episodes to choose from.

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Question: This past weekend I watched the pilot of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip because I saw it on Netflix and thought it would be cool to get a jump on the fall season. I loved it! Is this a new marketing strategy? Don't you think the ratings for the premiere will suffer if a lot of folks have already seen it on DVD? Thanks, love your column. — Bradley B.

Matt Roush: Be on the lookout for more aggressive moves to get new series sampled this fall: on the Internet, through DVDs and elsewhere (such as the Heroes pilot screening at Comic-Con). NBC is using Netflix to get Studio 60 and the serialized thriller Kidnapped in viewers' hands, and as far as the network is concerned, getting the buzz started early is worth any small downside in premiere-week ratings. Cutting through the clutter of the new fall season (Studio 60 goes up against the CSI: Miami premiere) is the biggest challenge many of these series face, and technology is now giving them the tools to try new methods.

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Question: Regarding the recent Hell's Kitchen rant: I admit that I could never get into Hell's Kitchen because of Gordon Ramsay's attitude, although I now suspect Fox and the producers are more at fault than the star. Not sure if you've seen Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares on BBC America, but it shows a totally different side to the jerk and is a much better show. It sends the chef to a different failing restaurant each week and shows him trying to turn things around, mostly by helping the chefs regain their passion for cooking. He still curses like a sailor and can be biting, but mostly you realize that he actually wants to help these places become popular. He can be very kind, like in a recent episode when he helped a chef with an alcohol problem. After watching some of Kitchen Nightmares I find myself a Gordon Ramsay fan, although I still can't bring myself to sit through an episode of Hell's Kitchen. If Fox would let Ramsay bring to Hell's Kitchen some of the Tim Gunn-esque mentoring that he shows on Kitchen Nightmares, then maybe we'd actually enjoy it more. — Missy

Matt Roush: Something tells me that the Fox reality gurus, an especially shameless lot, would resist letting Ramsay get kinder and gentler, given the show's decent ratings. But I agree with you: Kitchen Nightmares is a much better show, and Ramsay at least comes off like a professional in this setting. (Consider this my weekly plug for BBC America.)

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Question: I agree 101 percent with your Dispatch that The Closer is fantastic. I would go further and say it is better than many of the top dramas on the regular networks. The writing is super, and the cast is perfect. I cannot imagine how they could have gotten it any better. I really am happy for Kyra Sedgwick. She is a great actress who, in the past, has not received the attention she deserves, because of her famous hubby. — Amy

Matt Roush: And now Kevin Bacon is going to direct an episode (officially the second-season "finale," airing in December, outside of the regular season). Sedgwick is my pick to win the Emmy this season, though I'll be surprised if she actually scores (given the maddening weirdness of the Emmy voters, who I'm expecting will find a way to give one more trophy to Allison Janney). You're right about the cast. The bench on The Closer is almost embarrassingly full of strong actors, all of whom give Brenda Leigh Johnson terrific support each week.

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Question: I admit to watching Last Comic Standing and the very cheesy Who Wants to Be a Superhero?, and I caught Design Star last night, but overall, I wouldn't miss reality shows if they weren't on. When will this trend die? I know they are cheap to produce and apparently have an audience, but I feel like my eyes will fall out from just watching the ads for Big Brother. It's all so horrible. I would rather they program reruns, second-run movies or documentary-type fare than this junk. — Andee

Matt Roush: I'm guessing you're responding to my summer-reality-roundup Dispatch, written after spending an entire week catching up with many (though certainly not all) of the summer's reality shows. Believe me, I won't make that mistake again, at least not until next summer's glut. The point I was trying to make in that column was that, as always, there is good and bad in every form of TV, and that includes reality. I'm actually looking forward to new episodes each week of Project Runway, So You Think You Can Dance and Sci Fi's campy but charming Superhero. I've just gotten hooked on Design Star, and I'm very curious to see how Monday's finale of Treasure Hunters will play out. Even so, I can't deny that after pigging out on the genre, I don't exactly feel it was time well spent. But to address your larger question: Reality isn't going to die, on the networks and especially not on cable, where it has consumed networks like Bravo (sometimes for good) and A&E (almost always for bad). As with any other form of TV, the goal is to find and celebrate what works and ignore what doesn't.

________________________________________
Question: How much do you think networks value summer ratings? If they are regularly monitored, then shouldn't ABC be a bit concerned that CSI is topping Grey's Anatomy reruns on a routine basis Thursday nights? — M.J.

Matt Roush: I wouldn't lose sleep over this one. Yes, the networks monitor summer ratings, but what the numbers tend to reinforce is that nonserialized procedural crime dramas like CSI generally repeat better in the off-season than soapy dramas like Grey's (and especially Lost and Desperate Housewives). I'll tell you for a fact that I don't pay much attention to summer ratings or repeat schedules, which is why I rarely address questions about how networks are inconsistently repeating certain shows. As for the CSI-Grey's face-off in September: While CBS postured at press tour that they considered their megahit franchise an "underdog," I don't think anyone truly expects Grey's to beat CSI in total ratings numbers. (It may challenge CSI in certain young-adult and female demographics.) The bottom line is that ABC will improve its standings on Thursday by moving Grey's there, and pitting two powerhouses against each other will likely bring both of their average ratings down a bit.

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Question: Matt, I just watched Nobody's Watching on YouTube. I thought it was creative, original and absolutely hilarious! What's your take on it? I applaud NBC for giving it another shot. I really hope it makes it to prime time, not only for the chance to see such a bold, network experiment work, but also because I really love the show. Are there any precedents for this kind of action by a network? Do you think the effect iTunes and MySpace had on The Office's transformation from ratings loser to hit had anything to do with NBC's sudden willingness to try new things? What do you know about NBC's plans for the show? If it does make it on the schedule, when is it likely to air? — Sam

Matt Roush: To put it mildly, Nobody's Watching's trajectory from failed WB pilot to actively-in-development NBC sitcom is unprecedented. It is a very clever pilot and premise, but has "cult" written all over it, so I understand NBC's choice to develop this one slowly, at first in Web-only episodes (my old-school self has trouble typing the word "webisode") and then potentially, finally, on air for a mid-season tryout. (There's no projected airdate. First they have to produce the, um, webisodes.) Clearly, the networks are looking at what's popping in the Internet world to make sure they're not missing something. And NBC is in the forefront of using the Internet (The Office on iTunes, for example) to help boost a show's visibility. If the result is a more forgiving environment for offbeat, risky shows, I'm all for it.

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Question: Recently a prominent newspaper gave Three Moons over Milford on ABC Family a decent review — but this same paper hated Alias. Therefore, I am not inclined to trust them. Have you seen this show? Does it make for good, light summer viewing? Thanks! — Laura

Matt Roush: Perhaps you missed my review of this one, which was published before Moons' premiere. I quote, in part: "This frantic tongue-in-cheek mayhem had me asking, 'Apocalypse when?'.... The one good thing about Three Moons is that it reminds you that life truly is too short. Too short to be wasted on TV this cloying and annoying." Which only goes to show that one person's idea of "good, light summer viewing" may be another's gag-me poison. I'm sure there are those who will find the show delightfully cute. I found it too cute and couldn't wait for it to be over.

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Question: Will The O.C. return to its 8 pm/ET slot? The move to 9 pm/ET last season conflicted with CSI. They are both great shows, and I enjoy watching one then the other, not flipping back and forth and missing things. — Isabell

Matt Roush: For the moment, and unless Fox changes its mind between now and The O.C.'s Nov. 2 premiere date, the show will still air at 9 pm on Thursdays. (Two new comedies will provide the lead-in, though I'll be amazed if Happy Hour makes it past the baseball hiatus.) In the spirit of public service, let me prepare you for the inevitable. This is almost certainly The O.C.'s last hurrah. Not only will it still be facing CSI, but Grey's Anatomy is going to crush it even further. (Given the competition, and the counterprogramming, I'm wondering if even CW's enjoyable Supernatural will beat it by the time The O.C. finally limps back onto the schedule.)

________________________________________

Question: I understand and accept (though mildly disagree with) your feelings about the Big Brother series, but I wonder: Is your distaste more for the concept, the way it's presented or the personalities (or lack thereof) of the houseguests? I've watched some of the seasons and find it mildly entertaining, but a couple of years ago I decided to check out the British version. Everything about the British version is different from the U.S. version, with better challenges, more interesting surprises (most of the "shocking twists" from Big Brother U.S. are real yawners) and an actual personality for "Big Brother." As a result, the public eats it up. Have you ever seen Big Brother U.K.? Would your opinion of the U.S. show change if producers made massive revamps of the rules (and the houseguests)? — Rich

Matt Roush: I'm not surprised to hear the show is better produced elsewhere, where it's a much bigger deal than it is here, but I can't imagine any circumstance that would prompt me to say something kind about a format like Big Brother, which is inherently voyeuristic (on our part), narcissistic (on the players' part), mean-spirited and (unlike other reality contests where people actually accomplish, create or experience things) static — or should I say stagnant. This has been my problem with Big Brother all along. While I understand that for some it's an irresistible guilty pleasure, to me it's the epitome of bad TV. And this summer, it's worse than ever, because it encourages the "all-stars" to believe that all of America cares who they are and what they do just because they got on TV. Sorry, but that's just not enough.

http://tvguide.com/tv/roush/askmatt/

fredfa

08-11-06, 09:33 PM

The New York Times Obituary
Mike Douglas, Genial TV Host, Dies at 81
By Tim Weiner The New York Times August 11, 2006

Mike Douglas, the genial television host whose afternoon talk show was a beacon of popular culture in the 1960's and 1970's, died Friday in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. His death came on his birthday, a generation after his irony-free broadcast style began to pass from the screen. He was believed to be 81.
His wife of 62 years, Genevieve, confirmed his death to The Associated Press.

Everyone from Richard Nixon to the Rolling Stones showed up on "The Mike Douglas Show." It had a run of more than two decades, beginning in 1961. At the height of its popularity, in the late 1960's, it was one of the most watched shows on television.

About seven million people tuned in to the broadcast daily. They saw the pianists Liberace and Little Richard, Malcolm X and Barbra Streisand, the Catskills comedienne Totie Fields going goggled-eyed at the Kabuki-masked rocker Gene Simmons of Kiss. It was Robert Frost one day, Richard Pryor the next. The 1960's pop group called The Turtles was seated next to Truman Capote.

And next to them sat Mr. Douglas, smiling and silver-tongued. The show provided a stage for Bill Cosby and Jay Leno when they were up-and-coming performers. It always featured musicians, reflecting Mr. Douglas's show-business beginnings as a singer, and they ranged from Frank Sinatra to John Lennon.

Mr. Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono were Mr. Douglas's guest hosts for one week in 1972, when viewers were treated to Mr. Douglas singing the Beatles tune "With a Little Help From My Friends," interviews with radical leaders like Bobby Seale of the Black Panther Party and Jerry Rubin of the Youth International Party, and Mr. Lennon playing his antiwar hymn "Imagine."

The program also produced a pivotal moment in American political history: thecreative mind behind the scenes at "The Mike Douglas Show" in the 1960's, the producer Roger Ailes, became a crucial media adviser to Mr. Nixon in his successful run for President in 1968 after meeting him on the show. He went on to play a similar campaign role for Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush and is now chief executive officer of Fox News Channel and chairman of Fox Television.

Mr. Douglas was not an interrogator like his television contemporary Mike Wallace, nor was he possessed of the cool of his late-night counterpart Johnny Carson. David Letterman, whose life as a daytime host was starting when Mr. Douglas's was winding down, became a kind of antithesis of Mr. Douglas.

He usually served his guests softball questions, exuding good vibrations. Yet his program could make news. He offered Ralph Nader his first chance to question the safety of American automobiles on national television, and he let political figures from the far ends of the spectrum as well as the middle have their say.

His success was also a foreshadowing of the future: in an era before cable television, Mr. Douglas was not a creature of the networks. His show was a syndicated production of the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company and sold to about 200 local stations. It was the first syndicated television show to win an Emmy. Toward the end of his long run, Mr. Douglas was being paid $2 million a year, a salary probably exceeded on television at the time only by Mr. Carson's.

At the height of his fame, Mr. Douglas said he was always thinking of how to make a housewife in Cedar Rapids happy. The secret of his success, he said, was simple: "I'm a square."

Michael Delaney Dowd Jr. was born on Aug. 11, 1925 (some sources suggest earlier dates in the 1920's) in Chicago, the son of a railway freight agent and a homemaker. He performed as a teenaged crooner on a cruise ship that sailed the Great Lakes out of Chicago.

He moved to California after World War II and sang and recorded with the band of Kay Kyser, later appearing on "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge," a televised musical quiz show. (His was the lead voice on hits like "The Old Lamplighter'' and "Old Buttermilk Sky.'' ) He returned to Chicago as host of "Hi, Ladies," a radio show aimed at housewives, but his career foundered in the 1950's. He was singing in a piano bar when Westinghouse offered him his own television talk show in 1961.

"The Mike Douglas Show" began in Cleveland on a single station in December 1961. Within two years it was seen in Boston, Baltimore, San Francisco and Pittsburgh. The show moved to Philadelphia in 1965, making it easier to attract guests from New York.

Its fame increased. By 1967 it was the most popular show on daytime television, the 14 minutes of commercials on the 90-minute show produced about $10 million annually for its creators, and Mr. Douglas, his wife, and their three daughters were living on a 30-room Tudor mansion on Philadelphia's Main Line. His ratings eventually declined in the 1970's, and his long run ended in 1982.

In retirement, Mr. Douglas wrote a memoir, "I'll Be Right Back: Memories of TV's Greatest Talk Show," (Simon & Schuster, 1999) and played golf. He fell ill from dehydration on a golf course a few weeks ago, his wife said. She survives him, along with their daughters Michele, Christine, and Kelly Anne, and several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"Mike is the glue," his producer, Mr. Ailes, said in 1967, the year the show won its first of five Emmy awards. "Without him the show would fall apart." Another of his producers, Larry Rosen, called Mr. Douglas "a piece of clay - you can do anything with him." It was meant as a tribute to a man who displayed an adaptable affability five times a week for 21 years.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/arts/television/11cnd-douglas.html?ei=5094&en=7051d6a1f8de5649&hp=&ex=1155355200&adxnnl=1&partner=homepage&adxnnlx=1155346216-7kIitHpLY4inMcNBzQ93zg&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-11-06, 09:37 PM

Obituary
Talk show host Mike Douglas dead at 81
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter

NEW YORK -- Television talk show pioneer Mike Douglas, whose multiple talents ran to singing and acting but who became the consummate TV host who always made his guests feel at ease, died at a hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla.

Douglas died Friday on his 81st birthday, a day after he had been admitted to a Palm Beach Gardens hospital. It wasn't clear what the cause of death was though a friend and associate who had dinner with him last week said he had been in good health and playing golf.

The onetime singer -- who had hits with Kay Kyser's orchestra in the 1940s and again in 1966 with "The Men in My Little Girl's Life" -- achieved lasting fame beginning in 1961 when his afternoon talk show debuted in Cleveland. It was syndicated by Westinghouse Group W in 1963 and moved to Philadelphia two years later where it stayed until 1978. The show's last years, until 1982, were telecast from Los Angeles.

"I asked him once if he was an interviewer who sings or a singer who did interviews," CNN talk show legend Larry King said Friday. "He said he was a singer who interviews. He didn't consider himself an interviewer. He considered himself a singer and entertainer who happens to do interviews."

And if Douglas was sometimes criticized for a lack of probing to his interviews, he made up for it in the thousands of interviews he did on his show between 1961-82. It's a list of the major figures of the time from entertainment and politics, including Martin Luther King Jr., Robert F. Kennedy and Mother Teresa to Bob Hope, John Lennon and Yoko Ono and, in 1978, a young Tiger Woods who appeared as a 3-year-old golfing prodigy.

Consumer advocate Ralph Nader got major exposure for his campaign to bring seat belts to passenger cars. He interviewed seven presidents, including Richard M. Nixon and Harry S. Truman. And Jimmy Carter's first postelection interview was done on "The Mike Douglas Show."

"Mike was that wonderful friend you could have in the afternoon, who would never step on anybody," said E.V. Di Massa Jr., a daytime talk show veteran who was Douglas' executive producer from 1978-81 and worked with Douglas for 12 years. "Mike had this amazing ability to make people comfortable. No one was ever uncomfortable on 'The Mike Douglas Show.' "

Douglas was one of a breed of talk show hosts -- that included Merv Griffin, Dinah Shore and Phil Donahue -- that doesn't exist much anymore: The kind who cared more about talking to guests than inciting conflict or giving opinions.

"He was very social, he was very special he was very easy to like," said King, who had Douglas on "Larry King Live" a number of times throughout the years. "He was the last of the generalists. He never did tabloid."

Douglas endured as a talk show host because "he actually used to listen to his guests," said Warren Cowan, longtime publicist for Douglas. "He also really understood the importance of being an entertainer, having been a singer for years before he went on TV."

Douglas was the same off-camera as he was on: easygoing and fun to be around. "You just felt better when you were around him," Cowan said.

Fox News chairman and CEO Roger Ailes, who once was executive producer of Douglas' show, remembered him as "one of the great television performers of the 20th century whose versatility is unmatched in today's entertainment world."

"Everyone who came into contact with Mike learned something from his immense talent. He loved show business and the audience loved him," Ailes said Friday.

Douglas kept his ego in check, according to Tom Kelly, who co-wrote "I'll Be Right Back: Memories of TV's Greatest Talk Show" with Douglas in 1999.

"He always let the guests have the limelight. He was a fine performer. He could sing, he could do comedy, he did it all, but he always gave the guest the spotlight," Kelly said.

Born Michael Delaney Dowd in Chicago on Aug. 11, 1925, Douglas started in entertainment as a singer at supper clubs and radio shows as a teenager. He was staff singer at WKY in Oklahoma City before World War II. After a stint in the U.S. Navy during the war, he was a featured singer on "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge." It was there that Douglas had his first touch of success, with the Hoagy Carmichael standard "Ole Buttermilk Sky" and "Old Lamplighter." It also was there that he became Mike Douglas, on a suggestion from Kyser.

He also had a small acting career, contributing Prince Charming's voice in Walt Disney's "Cinderella" and appearing as "The Governor" in Burt Reynolds' 1976 movie "Gator." He also appeared on "The Love Boat." He also hosted the daytime television show, "Hi Ladies" on WGN Chicago in the late 1950s. His skills as a talk show host became known after the regular host of a WGN show didn't show up and Douglas was pressed into service, Di Massa said.

Di Massa said he was shocked by Douglas' death because he had just seen him in Florida last week. He had spent a lot of time with Douglas over the past two years working on a TV biography of the talk show host as well as a series of DVDs that would recall the best moments of "The Mike Douglas Show." Douglas' representatives are in the process of setting up a series of best-of DVDs from his talk show to be released through R2 Entertainment, Cowan said.

Di Massa said he would continue that work with the passing of his friend and colleague, who he said taught him the TV business.

In Philadelphia, there was a sense of loss for the man who was in many ways as much a part of the city's TV history as Dick Clark and "American Bandstand."

"If you wanted to do Mike Douglas' show, you had to go to Philadelphia," King said. "There were no satellites back then." King said he thought Douglas had made a mistake leaving Philadelphia for Los Angeles.

"He not only pioneered a new genre of television but by having the first nationally syndicated show to originate in Philadelphia, he placed a national spotlight on our great city for many years," said Michael Colleran, president and general manager of KYW-TV Philadelphia. "CBS 3 is proud to have been a part of his legacy."

Douglas is survived by his wife of 53 years, Genevieve, three daughters, five grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren. A private service was scheduled to be held today in North Palm Beach, Fla.

The Associated Press and Cynthia Littleton in Los Angeles contributed to this report.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002985652

fredfa

08-11-06, 10:08 PM

The 2006-2007 TV Season
For CBS, a few new shows won't do it
By Kevin Downey MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 11, 2006

CBS has had so many hit shows the past few years that the network has taken to debuting only a handful of new series each fall. It will do so again this new season, which begins Sept. 18, rolling out just four new series.

This year it may prove a mistake.

That strategy depends on having real depth to one's primetime schedule, and the No. 3 network in adults 18-49 no longer has that depth. Its highest-rated shows, such as the aging "CSI," are losing viewers, while the rest of its schedule consists of at best middling performers with decent but less than blockbuster ratings, such as the Monday comedy "The New Adventures of Old Christine."

"Stability has been CBS’s strength, but right now it’s turning into their weakness," observes John Spiropoulos, vice president and group research director at MediaVest. "They have so many shows at that mid level that don’t justify cancellation. But what that does is it keeps new product from coming on air that may turn into a success story."

CBS can't afford to see a further slide in ratings. It ended the September-May broadcast season down in every major demographic, including a 5 percent year-to-year decline among 18-49s. It tumbled 10 percent in the 18-34 demo and slipped 2 percent among adults 25-54

Here's how CBS lineup looks with just five weeks to go before the new season:

On Mondays, CBS suffered last season from the loss of the sitcom "Everybody Loves Raymond," leaving the night to less highly rated shows like "Two and a Half Men."

CBS is tweaking that comedy lineup by adding "The Class" at 8 p.m., leading into "How I Met Your Mother." "The Class" is about third-grade classmates who reunite 15 years later.

On Tuesday, the new drama "Smith" with Ray Liotta follows the returning "NCIS" and "The Unit."

Wednesday leads with "Jericho," a new drama about a town that’s cut off from the rest of the world after a mysterious explosion. That is followed by the returning "Criminal Minds" and the weak link in the "CSI" franchise, "CSI: NY."

Thursday is CBS's big challenge this season. It became a trouble spot for the network last season, in a surprising reversal of fortunes, after several years of consistent gains against a weakening NBC. "CSI’s" 18-49 rating was down about 10 percent from the prior season, and at 8 p.m., "Survivor" tumbled 18 percent.

This season's Thursday looks even tougher. "CSI" will have stiff competition with ABC moving top-five hit "Grey’s Anatomy" into the 9 p.m. timeslot.

"That will hurt the show," says Spiropoulos of "CSI." "Right now, we expect CBS to lead in overall audience, but in key demos we think it will be very close between the two shows."

CBS faces another challenge at 10 p.m., having chosen to move "Without a Trace" to Sundays at 10, sacrificing a known performer--"Trace" was last season’s No. 14 show--for an unknown when it slides into that slot the new drama "Shark," starring James Woods.

Assessing the new shows and their nights, Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director at Horizon Media, thinks Thursday's "Shark" could do well. "‘Shark’ is in a good time period, and if you like James Woods you’ll like that show."

But he is less hopeful about CBS's Wednesday lineup. He foresees "Jericho" becoming CBS’s first casualty on the fall schedule.

He expects Tuesday's "Smith" to do well but not to win its time slot against NBC’s "Law & Order: SVU." And on Monday, he sees the new comedy lineup gaining strength from the addition of "The Class."

Overall, expectations are not high for CBS.

"CBS has strong numbers but you’re not going to see them breaking records next season," says Spiropoulos. "The most they can hope for is maintaining what they had last season. But that is unlikely to happen because they don’t have enough new shows to refresh the mix."

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6586.asp

Marcus Carr

08-11-06, 11:33 PM

Comcast to hike D.C. cable prices, blames baseball

Fri Aug 11, 2006 8:22pm ET

By Jeremy Pelofsky

WASHINGTON, Aug 11 (Reuters) - Comcast Corp. said on Friday its customers in the nation's capital will soon see a $2 per month increase on their cable bills and blamed it on a pact to carry the network that airs hometown baseball team Washington Nationals games.

About 1.6 million of the No. 1 U.S. cable operator's customers in the Washington area will be able to see the games on Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) starting in September after the two sides reached an agreement a week ago, ending more than a year-long fight.

"Comcast does not intend to profit from the carriage of this new network, but its significant cost makes it necessary to pass along a price increase to our customers," Comcast executive vice president David Cohen said in a statement.

Customers will be notified of the price increase in the next bill they receive and it will take effect in the following bill, Comcast spokeswoman Jennifer Khoury said. Its standard cable television package now costs about $46 a month, according to its Web site.

Comcast has previously said MASN wanted to charge cable and satellite television providers $2-$3 per customer each month to carry the network.

A spokesman for the sports channel denied it was to blame for the increase, arguing Comcast is paying $1.25 per subscriber for the Nationals games this year and Comcast would recoup up to 30 percent of that cost from advertising.

"Comcast is gouging its subscribers once again and misrepresenting the amount it is paying to carry the Nationals games," MASN spokesman Todd Webster said in a statement.

Over the next two years, the pact expands the number of Comcast subscribers who will get the MASN channel by 600,000. However, Comcast said it was premature to say if the price increase would be charged to those customers.

"It will cost literally hundreds of millions of dollars over the next decade to provide MASN to our 2.2 million cable customers," Cohen said.

Amid pressure from some in Congress, the Federal Communications Commission intervened last month to resolve the dispute and gave MASN the option to seek arbitration, or to have an administrative law judge recommend a decision.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin and FCC Commissioner Robert McDowell praised the deal reached to air the channel. Representatives for the two were not immediately available for comment on the price increase.

MASN is mostly owned by the Baltimore Orioles baseball team owner Peter Angelos. During the dispute, MASN had accused Comcast of demanding a financial stake in exchange for carrying the channel, a charge the cable operator denied.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articleinvesting.aspx?type=governmentFilingsNews&storyID=2006-08-12T002243Z_01_N11363238_RTRIDST_0_MEDIA-COMCAST-BASEBALL-UPDATE-1.XML

fredfa

08-11-06, 11:43 PM

foxeng

08-12-06, 11:18 AM

fredfa

08-12-06, 11:21 AM

Sports On TV
NFL Goes Long
By Ben Grossman and John M. Higgins Broadcasting & Cable 8/14/2006
(Additional reporting by John Eggerton and Melanie Clarke)

Like a rookie at the Super Bowl, the new NFL Network is center stage in a high-stakes match against the game's most fearsome competitors.

The league is betting that it can parlay a lineup of eight regular-season games carved out of its TV packages, 54 pre-season games and highlight reels into critical mass and higher fees for its three-year-old network, currently in 41 million of the nation's 85 million homes receiving cable or satellite.

Already, the network has ignited a war with cable operators, which are content with the supply of games and balk at the prospect of raising cable rates yet again to pay for the price increases (25¢ per subscriber to 90¢) NFL network is pushing.

Taking the offensive, the NFL's ad campaigns exhort fans in print, “Don't let Time Warner ruin your football season.” Cable operators have swung back with Websites and a campaign blasting the NFL's financial demands as unfair and “unnecessary roughness.” The FCC has stepped in to referee.

The fledgling network's marketing plan is audacious even by the NFL's big-spending standards. For the first time since the league's inception in 1966, it will not only sell games to broadcast and cable networks but also air them itself. The league says it will spend as much as $100 million on the campaign, which will span TV, print and radio as well as NFL resources, including in-stadium giant screens.

Considering the $400 million a year that the new six-year package of Thursday and Saturday games would have brought in from an outside network, the NFL's investment totals close to $2.5 billion in its own network—making it the most expensive startup for a cable channel ever.

“The full weight of the NFL marketing machine will be used,” vows NFL Network spokesman Seth Palansky in an oft repeated line.

For the league, the network isn't so much about immediate profitability as about building a winning franchise that could one day compete with its biggest clients. The league is preparing itself for a broadband future, when games—or versions of them—are played over the Internet. The network is also a defense, a hedge against the future when the broadcast and cable networks may not be as desperate or willing to pay hundreds of millions of dollars for TV telecasts.

“There is no more powerful content on television,” says John Rash, senior VP for media-buying agency Campbell Mithun. “The NFL is well beyond sports: It is a national phenomenon, and it can drive distribution.”

“Long-term strategic, it's very smart on their part,” says Dick Ebersol, chairman of sports and Olympics for NBC Universal, which this year begins spending $600 million annually for a Sunday-night football package it hopes will revitalize its slumping primetime. “Who knows where our world will be in six years? Will there be four aggressive network bidders, and if not, why not find out what kind of business you can develop on your own as a potential home for more than just those eight games.”

Critics point to a slim slate of filler programs wrapped around a new package of eight NFL games. However, it might be enough to bring in rabid football fans. NFL football has helped build major networks before, including ESPN in the late 1980s and Fox in the 1990s. “That's the big question: Can you build a network based on eight nights?” says the president of a large cable network, who negotiates sports packages. “But if I was out there building one and I had eight things to pick, it would be eight NFL games.”

To avoid criticism that broadcasts will be PR outlets for the league, it recently acquired four post-season college games and hired big-name talent like Bryant Gumbel and Cris Collinsworth, two announcers with a history of candor. It also will re-air four weekend games every week. Network programming chief Charles Coplin says NFL Network is not only looking at additional post-season college contests but is also interested in adding regular-season college games.

The NFL is flush from recent TV deals, having just cut some for $23.9 billion ($3.73 billion annually) in rights fees from CBS, NBC, ABC, Fox, ESPN and DirecTV beginning this season. That almost equals the combined yearly fees of NASCAR, Major League Baseball, the NBA, NHL, NCAA basketball, golf and the Olympics. “This is about equity,” Ebersol says. “If you ever want to make a good bet on equity, you do it when all your other sources are turning out record amounts of money.”

While many big cable operators have agreed to carry the NFL, others—notably Time Warner, Cablevision and Charter—refuse to pay the rate hike. Time Warner and others would prefer to house the network on digital tiers that cost extra to subscribers who want it. Says Time Warner Cable COO Landel Hobbs, “The NFL Network is demanding that we pay $100 million for eight out-of-market games that will be available on local broadcast stations in the team's hometown. That price-value ratio is simply out of whack.”

On its Website, nflgetreal.com, Time Warner Cable reminds customers that they will see 130-200 NFL games on Time Warner Cable this season from ESPN, Fox, CBS and NBC. It also points out that, as with ESPN games, the home and away markets for each NFL Network game will be able to see the contest on an over-the-air station. Therefore, fans will not miss any of their team's games even if they don't get NFL Network.

“Their big risk is that cable operators just say no,” says a media investment banker who does business with sports networks. “Then you've given up $400 million a year and have a network that's just not big enough.”

The hottest battle is with Time Warner. Fred Dressler, the No. 2 cable operator's programming chief, deplores rising sports costs and has been trying to force new networks onto sports tiers with few subscribers. That way, the burden of the high-cost networks is borne only by fans, not by every single subscriber.

NFL Cried foul

The friction heated to a boiling point when Time Warner completed its July 31 acquisition of systems from Adelphia Communications and Comcast. Since Time Warner doesn't have an affiliation deal, it took the opportunity to dump NFL Network from the recently acquired properties. The NFL cried foul, contending that the move violated FCC rules requiring operators to give subscribers 30 days' notice of changes to channel lineups. Acting far more quickly than usual, the FCC ordered Time Warner to immediately restore the football channel.

“With NFL training camps now under way and the NFL's pre-season schedule commencing on Aug. 11, 2006,” the FCC's media bureau said, “now is a time when many football fans have a particular desire to view the NFL Network's programming.” The agency found that “each day that Time Warner customers go without the NFL Network significantly and irreparably harms many of them, particularly those in Buffalo, Cleveland, and Dallas, each of which is home to an NFL team.”

Unless Time Warner is able to successfully appeal the FCC decision, NFL Network remains on the new systems at least until the first of September. On Aug. 4, the cable operator started running a crawl telling viewers that the network could get dropped again if a carriage deal is not struck. If the FCC has not ruled on the NFL's complaint within 30 days of Aug. 4, Time Warner can pull the network again.

Although sports leagues are often the target of political grandstanding, Congress and federal regulators seem to support the NFL's efforts. The FCC has signaled that sports networks—specifically, regional ones—are must-have programming for which there is no substitute. That notion is seconded by legislators, many of whom have to face sports-fan constituents in November elections.

“The political side, frankly, is the hardest,” says one cable operator.

The network was conceived in March 2003, when NFL team owners unanimously approved approximately $100 million in funding for the launch of a league-run network under the guidance of President/CEO Steve Bornstein. The 22-year veteran of ESPN and ABC was pivotal in the growth of the cable sports network into a financial giant.

NFL Network launched in 11.5 million homes with a mix of original programming and NFL Films library content.

By its second anniversary last November, NFL Network followed TNT as just the second cable network to reach 35 million homes within two years. But ancillary programming, pre-season games and the NFL summer league based in Europe were not going to be enough to push the network much further.

In 2005, the NFL was shopping a new package of eight regular-season games to be played on Thursdays and Saturdays late in the season. Comcast, Fox and ESPN were interested, and the price tag was around $400 million a year.

Early that year, NFL Network distribution chief Adam Shaw gave a presentation to the owners outlining how that package could benefit the league's network. As the year went on, many owners began to seriously consider the idea of passing on the short-term cash to build out the cable network and expand the league's media empire. The owners were initially divided, Shaw says. “Up until the day it was decided, I thought it was a coin-toss.”

In early January, the NFL made the landmark decision to put the eight games on its own network and instantly turn it into a major cable player. ESPN—which could potentially suffer most if NFL Network becomes a dominant factor—says it isn't worried for now.

Few networks can appreciate the league's power more than ESPN. The cable sports powerhouse was in only 43 million homes before it began carrying NFL football in 1987. Now reaching more than 85 million homes, ESPN can afford to pay $1.1 billion a year for Monday Night Football. “So far, the competition hasn't hurt us any,” says ESPN VP of Programming and Acquisitions Leah LaPlaca, noting ESPN's established football programming from the NFL draft to the abundant analysis-based shows. “NFL fans are used to tuning into the ESPN networks for that coverage.”

Quick profits will be nearly impossible. For the investment to be worthwhile at the end of six years, NFL Network would have to be generating around $300 million in operating cash flow and around $1 billion in revenue. If the league can ram its license-fee hike through its current distribution of 41 million subscribers, NFL Network will generate around $350 million a year in license fees. At 60 million subscribers, that figure grows to $500 million; at 80 million, $675 million. Near-term goal is 80% national coverage, says Shaw, adding, “We know it might take a year or two to get there.”

NFL Network's ratings will be fairly negligible except during the live games; mighty ESPN generated just $6 million in ad sales per game last season. Even matching that level would give NFL Network just $48 million a season in game revenues. The network would probably be fortunate to generate $35 million from games and other programming in its early years. Growing that dramatically will require a massive programming breakthrough.

Some industry insiders say the NFL may have to settle for around 70¢ per subscriber to get a deal done.

“To be frank, we have been in close contact with Time Warner, and we are still pretty far apart,” says NFL Network's Shaw. “We can be patient.”

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6361913

fredfa

08-12-06, 11:40 AM

The Business of TV
Satellite Losing Steam
By Mike Farrell Multichannel News 8/14/2006

Subscriber gains continued to decline at DirecTV Group Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. in the second quarter, as the two largest direct-broadcast satellite companies focused on only adding customers who can pay for the services they sign up for, while cable companies pulled others away with telephony services.

DirecTV announced its second-quarter results on Aug. 8 with strong revenue and cash-flow growth, tempered by a sharp decline in net new subscriber additions. This year, the company added 125,000 net new subscribers in the second quarter. A year ago, it added 225,000. Gross subscriber additions of 863,000 were below last year’s 964,000 gross additions.

Satellite Slowdown
The number of new subscribers being added each quarter by DirecTV and EchoStar have been declining for more than a year.

NET NEW SUBSCRIBER ADDITIONS (in thousands)
2Q06 2Q05 1Q06 1Q05 4Q05 4Q04 3Q05 3Q04 2Q05 2Q04 1Q05 1Q04
DirecTV 125 225 255 505 200 444 263 456 225 409 505 419
EchoStar 195 225 225 325 330 430 255 350 225 340 325 360

EchoStar reported second-quarter earnings on Aug. 10 with similar results — strong revenue and cash-flow growth, but weaker additions of net new subscribers.

EchoStar’s Dish Network service actually grew gross subscriber additions in the quarter — to 824,000 from 799,000 the previous year — but net new customers fell 13% to 195,000 from 225,000 a year ago. It was EchoStar’s lowest quarterly net additions figure since 1998, according to Sanford Bernstein & Co. analyst Craig Moffett. Revenue rose 17% to $2.5 billion and cash flow increased 10% to $613 million.

DirecTV explained the subscriber decline on an initiative begun in the second quarter last year to focus on higher-quality subscribers by encouraging dealers to conduct strict credit checks on potential new customers. That new focus was apparent in its second-quarter results: Revenue climbed 10% to $3.52 billion and operating profit before depreciation and amortization nearly doubled to $977 million.

“I feel pretty good where we are today,” DirecTV CEO Chase Carey said on a conference call with analysts. “That’s not to say our second-quarter results hit all of our targets. However, I believe the quarter really exhibited our progress and our commitment to deliver both top and bottom-line growth.

“Where our second-quarter results fell a bit short it was due to moves we are successfully executing to strengthen ourselves for the mid- and long-term, even if there’s a short term sacrifice required to do so.”

But the decline in subscriber growth, once an anomaly in the direct-to-home satellite business, doesn’t seem to be letting up. For DirecTV, second-quarter net subscriber additions were down for the fifth consecutive period. At EchoStar, it was the sixth straight quarter of reduced net-subscriber growth.

Adding to the problem is cable’s aggressive rollout of voice-over-Internet protocol telephone service, which has turned out, at least initially, to be a strong tool for gaining and retaining subscribers. The two largest purveyors of VoIP service — Time Warner Cable and Cablevision Systems Corp. — have had basic customer growth for four consecutive quarters and nine consecutive quarters, respectively.

In the second quarter, Time Warner Cable added 18,000 basic subscribers, where some analysts had predicted the company would lose 10,000 in the period. Cablevision, which reported second-quarter revenue and subscriber results last week, added 35,000 basic customers in the period. That outpaced analysts’ estimates by more than 10,000 customers.

Cablevision even increased its guidance for the full year, stating that it expects basic customers to rise between 3% and 4% in 2006 instead of previous estimates of 2.5% to 3%. That is a growth level that Cablevision hasn’t seen since the 1990s, Banc of America Securities media analyst Doug Shapiro wrote in a research note.

In a research report last week, Moffett — who downgraded both DirecTV and EchoStar from “market perform” to “underperform” — wrote that the subscriber picture could get worse for the satellite companies as more cable operators roll out voice service.

“With Comcast and Charter and others just now ramping up their VoIP 'triple-play’ marketing, these results paint a sobering picture of things to come,” Moffett wrote.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6362026

keenan

08-12-06, 12:04 PM

Fred, you can use the "Code" switch for charts like those to get them to align better.

NET NEW SUBSCRIBER ADDITIONS (in thousands)
2Q06 2Q05 1Q06 1Q05 4Q05 4Q04 3Q05 3Q04 2Q05 2Q04 1Q05 1Q04
DirecTV 125 225 255 505 200 444 263 456 225 409 505 419
EchoStar 195 225 225 325 330 430 255 350 225 340 325 360

fredfa

08-12-06, 12:13 PM

Thanks, Jim.

fredfa

08-12-06, 12:23 PM

An Appreciation
Mike Douglas
A Turbulent Era's Blissfully Bland Talk Show Host
By Tom Shales Washington Post Staff Writer Saturday, August 12, 2006

Back when being called "innocuous" wasn't much of an insult, and daytime television was as placid as the kingdom of the Teletubbies, a modestly gifted singer named Mike Douglas reigned supreme, at least in the world of the show-bizzy, chitchatty talk show.

Douglas was a hit on television for two decades. His syndicated talk-show lasted 21 years -- an estimated 6,000 90-minute shows that played in as many as 230 markets. And yet millions alive today, if they heard the name "Mike Douglas," would think it was shorthand for Michael Douglas, the actor.

Now, however, Mike Douglas gets one more turn in the spotlight. He died early yesterday in West Palm Beach, Fla., near the dawn of his 81st birthday.

The show that he'd hosted all those years was proudly fluffy, rarely ruffling a feather, and Douglas himself was so ingenuous that he could probably have made bland and friendly banter with a serial killer or right-wing radical -- even though his show was launched in 1961 at the dawn of an explosive decade of domestic turbulence. Mostly he ignored the wildness of the times, although more than once his guests were "peaceniks" John Lennon and Yoko Ono. The pair even co-hosted for a week.

Perhaps the only time Mike was ever known to blow his top was when John and Yoko invited left-wing radical Jerry Rubin to come on with them. Douglas complained later: "He just got on my nerves. It sounded like this guy hated the president, the Congress, everyone in business, the military, all police and just about everything America stands for." (On the air, John and Yoko reportedly played peacemakers and kept this odd case of culture clash from becoming explosive.)

Blogs looking back on the Douglas era yesterday recalled that even though he sang big-band crooner tunes, the guest list on his show over the years included such rock and pop groups as the Beach Boys, the Box Tops, the Cowsills and the Turtles -- and such lesser-known if not completely obscure acts as the Electric Prunes and the Raspberries. It was like East meeting West, and if the combination seemed incongruous, it was driven by a simple economic reality: All but the most rabidly antisocial groups wanted to sell records, and television was the Big Store.

Most of the time, Mike Douglas was a TV personality who came out at the start of his show, sang a pop standard and essentially dared you not to like him. And disliking him was difficult, what with his placating charm and quintessentially pacifying persona. Daytime television was not a confrontational battleground then, and people didn't come on talk shows to talk about their most intimate personal problems or confront their philandering spouses. Conversation tended to be lighthearted and lightheaded and mercifully calm.

If you dug up an old episode of the show and watched it, you might never guess that America was all but coming apart at the seams over Vietnam, civil rights and generational conflict. Mike's place was like a friendly diner or coffeehouse that, for the most part, kept the real world locked out, and viewers looked to it -- and retreated to it -- as a refuge from the prevailing fractious racket of the times.

Maybe it helped that for many of its 21 years, the show originated in Philadelphia, so-called City of Brotherly Love. Mike's was the series of neighborly love.

He even used to sing a song called "Hi, Neighbor": "Hi, neighbor! Hi, neighbor! What're you doin', and what do you say? . . . ." No, not much of a rabble-rouser.

And unlike his aggressive competitor Merv Griffin, Douglas kept his distance from guests, never harassing them or looking as though he might jump into their laps. Griffin also courted controversy where Douglas avoided it, later writing in his autobiography "Merv" that the '60s, "tumultuous for America and the world, created a natural climate for talk shows. Sparks leaped off tongues of dissidents and politicians." Not on the Douglas show, they didn't. Douglas didn't even consider his program a talk show in the first place. "It was really a music show," he wrote in his autobiography, "with a whole lot of talk and laughter between numbers."

Like Griffin, Douglas was a former big-band singer. In the postwar era, Douglas appeared with "Kay Kyser's Kollege of Musical Knowledge," Kyser being a bandleader and cut-up who ran around in graduation gown and mortarboard and made a jackass of himself. Douglas had a hit or two with Kyser, but during the time his talk-show aired, he only once hit the pop charts -- with a sentimental ballad called "The Men in My Little Girl's Life."

One of the most-revived surviving clips from the series shows Douglas playing host to a preschool-age golfing wonder named Tiger Woods in 1978. After Woods demonstrated his prowess, fellow guest and fellow golfer Bob Hope -- who never met a talk show he didn't like -- joked none too tastefully, "I don't know what kind of drugs they've got this kid on, but I want some."

Douglas made millions for Westinghouse (later Group W Broadcasting), but TV salaries weren't so astronomical in those days. Nevertheless, he appears to have salted away enough to finance a comfortable Florida retirement. He rarely ventured forth once his show left the air, preferring the golf course to the blinding lights of a TV studio.

Sometime late in the '50s, when I was growing up in the Midwest and fascinated by television, my father, who knew a technician at the NBC station in Chicago, took me on a trip to the big city so that I could see what a real TV station looked like and how it worked. For me, the most memorable part of the visit was when the elevator stopped at one of the floors of the vast Merchandise Mart, then home of NBC-owned WNBQ-TV, and singer Mike Douglas joined us for the trip to the main floor.

It was the closest I'd ever been to a celebrity, although John F. Kennedy would later visit our small town during his campaign for president. And Douglas was really a celebrity then mainly just in Chicago, appearing on a daily local hour called "Club 60."

I remember him smiling pleasantly when he got on, then keeping his distance for the ride down while I stared, awe-struck. He was hardly garrulous, but he did exude a certain unmistakable guy-next-door charm. It was the same genial demeanor that would later make him as big a star in the rest of the country as he seemed to me that day, on that elevator, as I held my father's hand.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/11/AR2006081100403_pf.html

fredfa

08-12-06, 01:41 PM

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

taz291819

08-12-06, 02:01 PM

Not really big news, but thought I'd post anyway.

Starting Monday, August 14th, UPN will dropping their bug during primetime (for both SD and HD). UPN affiliates are given permission to add The CW lower thirds and bugs during this time. (For the past two weeks, Veronica Mars has not had a bug in it, for the HD feed).

The WB affiliates won't have to do anything, their feeds will automatically have The CW lower thirds and logos in it.

All network promos for both subnets will be The CW promos.

Xesdeeni

08-12-06, 02:13 PM

zebras23

08-12-06, 05:14 PM

Pretty savvy move by Comcast. Delay showing the games until just a month remains in the season, then start charging everyone - with six months in the offseason looming.

And, as the MASN spokesman points out, Comcast will derive substantial advertising revenue from MASN, while making all subs pay the full upfront cost.

The interesting thing is Verizon FiOS has been carrying MASN since day one and their service is already less costly than Comcast before the hike. If I were Verizon I'd be making hay out of this one. Of course Verizon is not available in all DC metro areas yet.

fredfa

08-12-06, 05:53 PM

An Appreciation
Early TV host Mike Douglas dies on birthday
`Mike Douglas Show' got its start in Cleveland in '61
By R.D. Heldenfels Akron Beacon Journal television writer Sat, Aug. 12, 2006

In December 1961, a former big-band singer who was considering a career in real estate gave show business one more try as host of a daytime talk show in Cleveland.

It was a good move. Mike Douglas' show ran for more than 20 years, making the former Michael Delaney Dowd very popular; his show was distributed nationally beginning in 1963, and his fame helped make his recording of The Men in My Little Girl's Life a '60s hit.

He won praise from his peers, winning the first Emmy for individual achievement in daytime television in 1967. He also became rich -- with a reported salary of $2 million a year in the '70s -- and influential.

When Rosie O'Donnell entered the talk game years later, she cited Douglas as an inspiration -- and had him as a guest on her show.

Douglas died Friday, his 81st birthday, his wife, Genevieve, told the Associated Press. He died at 5:30 a.m. in a Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., hospital. She wasn't sure of the cause, but said he had been admitted Thursday.

Douglas became dehydrated on the golf course a few weeks ago and had been treated on and off since. ``He was coming along fine, we thought. It was really a shock,'' said Mrs. Douglas, who had been married to Mike since 1943. ``We never anticipated this to happen.''

History of the show

Although Douglas' show had left Cleveland for Philadelphia in 1965, when KYW and WKYC swapped places, he returned to the area often and considered it his ``adoptive hometown.''

It took Douglas 36 years to make the connection. After working as a broadcast personality and as a singer, including with Kay Kyser's orchestra, Chicago-born Douglas was brought to town by producer Woody Fraser, who was instrumental in shaping the daytime show.

It played to Douglas' strengths, both as an affable presence and as a musician. ``People still believe The Mike Douglas Show was a talk show, and I never correct them, but I don't think so,'' Douglas said in his 2000 memoir, I'll Be Right Back. ``It was really a music show, with a whole lot of talk and laughter in between numbers.''

Even more important, though, was Douglas' willingness to keep the spotlight on his guests.

``My approach was, try to make the guest look as good as I possibly could,'' he told me in a 1997 interview. ``Why else would you have them there? You don't have them there to belittle them and make fools of them.''

That led to an array of guests for more than 6,000 telecasts, from mainstream stars to counterculture icons such as John Lennon (with wife Yoko Ono) and Richard Pryor.

A tough schedule

But the show faced challenges from its beginning on the old KYW (Channel 3). The competition included The One O'Clock Club, an established show on WEWS (Channel 5). Carmel Quinn, the singer scheduled as co-host on the first show, canceled.

Pryor's appearance, Douglas said, ``was the most painful week I've ever lived through. It was wonderful when he was together. But most of the time, he wasn't.''

The schedule could be grinding. And late-evening tapings gave some guests too much time to hit the bottle, said Douglas, to the point that they couldn't remember doing the show. ``Only two came back and apologized,'' Douglas said. ``Johnny Cash was one and Roger Miller was the other.''

In 1964, comedian Henry Morgan walked off Douglas' show after another guest, Dr. Sam Sheppard, received a greeting Morgan thought too friendly for an accused murderer. ``How come he suddenly becomes lovable Dr. Sam?'' Morgan said.

In the early going, persuading stars to take a low-paying gig in Cleveland was not the easiest thing in the world. When Douglas wanted an up-and-coming Barbra Streisand for the show, he augmented her salary by getting her a week at the old Chateau nightclub in Lakewood.

Even after the show was a hit -- syndicated nationally from 1963 to 1982 -- Douglas' lighthearted ways did not always sit well with critics. The vitriolic Gary Deeb complained that Douglas ``pandered to the hayseed element in the audience.''

Ernie ``Ghoulardi'' Anderson mocked Douglas on his show for WJW (Channel 8), and later claimed that Douglas banned Anderson from appearances on his show. Douglas called the claim ``absolute garbage'' and contended he was too busy doing his own show -- which ran 90 minutes a day, five days a week -- to know what Anderson had been up to.

[b[Support from O'Donnell[/b]

Not that Douglas loved everyone and everything. While he admired Oprah Winfrey, he was no fan of David Letterman. He was unforgiving about the treatment he received from his show's distributor when it dropped him in 1980 in favor of the younger John Davidson. (Douglas found another distributor and kept going for two more years.)

But audiences loved him. So did his family -- Gen, three daughters (one, Christine, married to the late Paul Voinovich), grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

And Rosie.

Douglas was living the quiet life, dividing his year between Florida and Gates Mills, getting in a lot of golf, when O'Donnell began singing his praises. She invited him on her show. Douglas' youngest daughter said, ``You know you're bored. Go do it.'' Douglas did. That brought more attention, a recording deal (for a CD of standards on Cleveland International) and his second memoir (following 1978's Mike Douglas: My Story).

It all reminded people of what he did, and how well and long he had done it.

``I've known a lot of people who think they can do talk shows,'' he said in 1997. ``It's not that easy. You have to connect with the people out there.''

Douglas connected.

http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/15258747.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

08-12-06, 05:54 PM

TV Notebook
Does ''Closer'' Brenda Need a Foil?
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

I finally caught up with Monday's episode of ''The Closer'' and for the most part liked it, at least until it got to that cliched justice-in-the-parking-deck moment. I felt as if the show wanted things both ways -- to show that the system sometimes lets bad guys get away, but also to satisfy the audience that the bad guy was punished. But I've seen that kind of payoff before, and I would have preferred if the show just let Brenda Lee Johnson -- Kyra Sedgwick's wonderful character -- be frustrated for a change.

One other surprise about the show was how suddenly it dispatched the hospital administrator -- played by ''Boston Public's'' Anthony Heald -- after doing so much to set him up as an obnoxious, irritating counterpart to Brenda and her team. Indeed, the show seems to be searching for a strong, consistent rival to Brenda, someone who can get under her skin on a recurring basis. After all, her original foes have all been softened or co-opted; the detective squad that was once so hostile to her now consists entirely of allies, and her one major bureaucratic foe is allowed to take her side at times and even to be reasonable. (Who wouldn't want help dealing with a possible spree killer?)

So it feels as if the show is trying things out, trying out Heald, trying out Ray Wise's defense-attorney character (who's due back on the show).

It has played with the idea of tough-to-crack criminals (like the one who murdered his wife and hild in a recent episode), but that goes against the grain of the show. Fans want Brenda to get the bad guy at the end of the hour, with character flourishes and developing relationships along the way.

So it has to be someone who is in the middle of her cases without being the target, like Wise has been, or Heald could be (if his hospital becomes a Cabot Cove-like hotbed of murder). The snotty prosecutor, sneering at Brenda's case, is another possibility, and one that would give her trouble not only in dealing with cases but in making progress in her own shop. But it sure seems that, to keep the show fresh, they have to come up with someone who might even outmaneuver Brenda now and then. Any thoughts from you viewers?

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

fredfa

08-12-06, 06:02 PM

Can't they just stop at no bugs!? And I'm thinking about running for public office just so I can pass a law making those in-show ads that cover part of the show I actually WANT to watch with ads punishable by death.

Xesdeeni

It is getting as bad as local radio baseball broadcasts. Seemingly between every batter there is a 10-15 second commercial.

The NY Times recently counted 50 such "drop-ins" in a single Mets game. It is, I believe, the wave of the future in broadcasting.

keenan

08-12-06, 07:05 PM

Until people finally just flip the off switch.

GeorgeLV

08-12-06, 08:35 PM

taz291819

08-13-06, 11:44 AM

keenan

08-13-06, 12:03 PM

HDTVChallenged

08-13-06, 12:17 PM

The CW bug for our local station, KBCW, is downright hideous, the thing is HUGE, I can only hope that once the station and the public settles in with the new branding that they will reduce the size and decrease the opaqueness.

Better or worse than the "default" FOX splicer bug that took up the lower right quadrant of your screen? :D

keenan

08-13-06, 12:24 PM

Better or worse than the "default" FOX splicer bug that took up the lower right quadrant of your screen? :D
With our local FOX, KTVU, it's quite subdued, small and tucked way down in the corner, The CW needs to take notes..I wish I had a way to post a pic...the thing is just ugly.. :mad: :D

HDTVChallenged

08-13-06, 12:47 PM

With our local FOX,

... same here ... now that they've reprogrammed it from the default state. I'm assuming you never saw the original (big honking solid blue) network bug, you'd surely remember it. ;)

That having been said, I do agree that the WB bugs and popup ads were pretty obnoxious ... I hope CW manages to lose those in the transition.

fredfa

08-13-06, 02:17 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Summer loves
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 11, 2006
(Note: all times are Central)

There’s nothing to complain about this summer. Hot weather? What-ever. There are plenty of good shows to take your mind off the heat. Here are just six of many TV-related things I’ve been loving this summer:

1. The supporting characters on “Weeds.” Mary-Louise Parker deserved the Golden Globe she won as the pot-selling suburban mom on this buzzworthy Showtime program, which returns with an excellent second season 9 p.m. Monday. But truth be told, Parker’s character, widowed suburban mom Nancy Botwin, doesn’t get most of “Weeds” funniest material. That usually goes to the show’s unusually good supporting cast.

Elizabeth Perkins brings unexpected depth and pathos to her role as Botwin’s brittle friend, Celia Hodes: You want to hate Celia for her repeated put-downs of her chubby daughter, for her snobbery and cynicism, for her obsessions with her tiny suburban problems, but something about Perkins’ deft portrayal makes Celia’s narcissism both funny and sad.

Other highly enjoyable scene-stealers on the show include Kevin Nealon as one of Botwin’s best customers, clueless and amiable accountant Doug Wilson; Justin Kirk as Botwin’s no-account, freeloading brother-in-law, Andy, who really comes into his own as bawdy comic relief in the second season; and Romany Malco as Conrad Shepard, who’s part of the crew helping Botwin set up her own pot-growing empire. He’s mystified by Botwin’s decisions and strangely attracted to the enigmatic pot purveyor, and his interaction with his tart, straight-talking mama (Tonye Patano) is always a hoot.

2. Everything about “Charlie and Lola.” The most bewitching kids’ show to come along in quite some time is the animated British import “Charlie and Lola,” which has been airing 8:30 a.m. daily on the Disney Channel for the past three months. Charlie’s younger sister, Lola, is -- as he reminds viewers at the start of each episode -- “small and very funny.” That doesn’t begin to describe the whimsical Lola, who’s a pint-size Holly Golightly with an endearing accent (you just have to hear her say “I’m really, really ever so not well, Charlie” to fall in love this this tiny fair-haired sprite).

In one episode, she burbles “Walkies!” to her brother, whom she pretends is a dog (mom and dad, who never appear, won’t let Lola get a real pooch). Lola then tries to borrow the “very extremely very clever dog” Sizzles, whom she and her friend Lotta “honestly and promisely” say they will take good care of. Of course the ever-patient Charlie has to bail Lola out of that one, but never mind, she’s already off on another adventure; she invents a pirate tale to take her mind off a boring wait at the doctor’s office, finds a creative way to eat a tomato, which she had vowed to “not ever never” eat and refuses to drink her bedtime “pink milk” until the three imaginary tigers at the kitchen table get theirs too. (By the way, thanks to this show, to-mah-toes are now known in our house as "moon squirters.")

Based on books by Lauren Child, who has an enchanting collage style that mixes spindly drawings with delightful fabrics, photo cut-outs and patterns, “Charlie and Lola” is a kids’ show that I’ve happily watched when there are no kids around.

3. Philip Glenister on “Life on Mars.” The premise of this intriguing BBC America show has a present-day Manchester detective, played by John Simm, sent back in time to 1973 - or so he thinks. Is the time travel all just a mental illusion prompted by a serious car accident? He can’t tell, but until he figures out what’s going on, he tries to work with the police department that he finds on his arrival in the Manchester of the ’70s.

Trouble is, the top cop there, Gene Hunt (played by Glenister), is an old-school type who thinks nothing of planting evidence on a suspect Hunt just knows is a bad guy. In Glenister’s hands, you see the frustration and anger of a more or less decent man trying hard to keep some kind of order in a once-proud industrial city in the midst of a serious decline. “Life on Mars,” which is being adapted for American TV by David E. Kelley, has its third airing 8 p.m. Sunday.

4. The way that Brenda Leigh Johnson says “Thaynk yew” on “The Closer.” Yes, Kyra Sedgwick’s “Southern” accent is way over the top sometimes on “The Closer” (8 p.m. Mondays). But, gosh darn it, that “thaynk yeeeew” has grown on me.

5. Dule Hill on “Psych.” Of course I love James Roday’s performance in this hit USA Network detective comedy. But Dule Hill, who plays the straight man to Roday’s fake psychic, sure seems to be having a good time with a series of pained expressions, mortified reactions and arm-flailing freakouts. Who knew the “West Wing” veteran had such solid comic chops?

And by the way, if you think the plots on “Psych” (9 p.m. Fridays) are on the thin side, you’re right. But so what? It’s not about the plot, it’s about the performances, and Hill’s is just one of many enjoyable, perfectly pitched comic turns.

6. E’s anxiety on “Entourage.” Vince Chase, the lead character on “Entourage,” sails through life without a care in the world. But for his manager, Eric Murphy, life in Hollywood is full of pitfalls -- even a sexual encounter with his girlfriend and her best friend sends him into a nearly Woody Allen-worthy state of worry. E may not be quite at Ari Gold’s level of constant panic yet, but Vince’s homeboy is well on his way, and given the complexity of E’s conflicting emotions and loyalties, the character, as played by Kevin Connolly, is far more interesting to watch than the nearly unflappable Vince.

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

fredfa

08-13-06, 02:29 PM

TV Notebook
Her Morning Shift

By Lisa Belkin, a contributing writer, in The New York Times Magazine August 13, 2006

There was a lectern in place of the familiar table on the June morning when the women of “The View” gathered to say goodbye to Meredith Vieira. This farewell came a little more than a week after the treacle-fest that ushered Katie Couric from the “Today” show. And it came two weeks before ABC announced its first all-woman early-morning team of Diane Sawyer and Robin Roberts on “Good Morning America” — which in turn happened a month after a very pregnant Elizabeth Vargas gave up the ABC evening anchor job. There would be other comings and goings, too — Rosie O’Donnell accepted Meredith Vieira’s spot, and Star Jones left, with much door slamming, for destinations unknown.

The Vieira send-off was a roast — raunchy, irreverent. The word “bitch” was thrown around a lot, always as a term of endearment. There were cracks about Meredith’s sex life and a kiss, full on the mouth, from a co-host, Joy Behar. The cameras stopped periodically for commercials, and that was the cue for Behar to clown with Joan Rivers, a guest star; for Barbara Walters to fiddle with the words on the teleprompter; and for Elisabeth Hasselbeck to pose for cellphone photos taken by the live audience.

Vieira, in turn, leaned over toward her 13-year-old daughter, Lily Max, who was sitting with Vieira’s sons — 17-year-old Ben and 15-year-old Gabe — and her husband, Richard Cohen, in the front row. “Is your head still hurting?” Mom asked daughter. “Did you take any Advil?”

The women of morning television — perhaps because theirs are the most visible jobs in America that actually require showing up at work every day — have become symbols of the choices available (or not) to the women watching from the other side of the screen. Walters, the workplace warrior who had to be better than any man. Diane Sawyer, fierce but sexy, choosing career over children. Couric, the good girl, the single working mom. Vargas — did she lose the anchor chair because she was pregnant, or was pregnancy a graceful exit in the face of lousy ratings?

And then there’s Vieira. The rebel. The one who very publicly told Don Hewitt what he could do with his grueling “60 Minutes” job 15 years ago, because she was going back home to her kids.

….(But now) mostly she said yes because the timing was right. “My kids are older now,” she says. “The juggling changes as the children grow and change. And I’ve changed. There are places I know I will want to go. If Katrina had happened on my watch, I would have wanted to be there.”

That said, she realizes that Zucker is making the same assumption that Hewitt made — that while she says, “I don’t want to spend my life on a plane,” she just might mean something else. “In the back of his head, I know he is thinking, 20 years in the news business is 20 years in the news business, and if something happens she will want to be part of it,” Vieira says.

“I am not asking for a cut-and-dried rule. All I am asking for is sensitivity. And unlike the last time, they know my issues starting out. They know I have a track record. I think it will be fine.”

And if it isn’t, she says, she could happily walk away again. Become a social worker, she says, and she seems serious. Or a hospital-based clown.

“I don’t need work to define myself,” she says, despite the fact that her life story is one of redefining work.

+++The complete story is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/13/magazine/13viera.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=media&pagewanted=print

keenan

08-13-06, 02:33 PM

... same here ... now that they've reprogrammed it from the default state. I'm assuming you never saw the original (big honking solid blue) network bug, you'd surely remember it. ;)

That having been said, I do agree that the WB bugs and popup ads were pretty obnoxious ... I hope CW manages to lose those in the transition.
I just hope the major nets don't start with that sort of stuff, I've already seen NBC with some overly large promos displayed in the lower left, during a program.

keenan

08-13-06, 02:38 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Summer loves
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” August 11, 2006
(Note: all times are Central)

5. Dule Hill on “Psych.” [/FONT][/COLOR] Of course I love James Roday’s performance in this hit USA Network detective comedy. But Dule Hill, who plays the straight man to Roday’s fake psychic, sure seems to be having a good time with a series of pained expressions, mortified reactions and arm-flailing freakouts. Who knew the “West Wing” veteran had such solid comic chops?

I like this show a lot, and it's not for the plot, it's for the interaction between the characters, very enjoyable, these two guys really play off each other well.

RussTC3

08-13-06, 04:29 PM

I agree, keenan. I would say that this past Friday's episode was the best of the series so far. The writing is starting to catch up with the characters.

fredfa

08-13-06, 06:37 PM

TV Notebook
Second-rate Showtime needs to cultivate 'Weeds'
By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic

Showtime has been around for three decades, and in case you neither knew nor cared, there's the anniversary announcement in its latest slogan: "Thirty Years of Daring To Be Different."

But most of that daring has gone unnoticed or turned out not to be examples of daring as much as flailing. What potential hits Showtime could have had languished in obscurity, because Showtime's advertising budget is anemic, and its marketing skills unmentionable. The premium channel that isn't HBO has belched out a few dramas worth seeing through to their finales in the past season or two, but that puts it at the end of the line behind many other destinations, mostly on basic cable.

Then at long last, Showtime cultivated a potent comedy-drama hybrid in "Weeds" about a young widow dealing pot in a sterile 'burb called Agrestic (an antiseptic synonym for rural). Having Mary-Louise Parker lead a cast that includes Kevin Nealon, Elizabeth Perkins and Justin Kirk did its part to lure skeptics beyond that gateway of a title.

"Weeds' " suburban angle also played well in the afterglow of "Desperate Housewives' " first season, even if we're no longer surprised at the darkness lurking within the gleaming subdivisions of formerly rural America.

Where ABC's take gave us tongue-in-cheek melodrama, Showtime's Parker took desperation to new levels with Nancy Botwin. Her illegal profession elevates her character above the weak-minded PTA gossips surrounding her. Nancy isn't quite dangerous, but by taking cues from her inner-city supplier, Heylia (Tonye Patano), and her nephew Conrad (Romany Malco), she does what she needs to do to survive and protect her sons.

Her double life requires her to smoothly segue from dealing pot to running a fake bakery as a front, to making family dinner at home, where her brother-in-law, Andy (Kirk), has become a leech and a helpmate, trying to escape a tour in Iraq by attending rabbinical school.

Not even Nancy's self-righteous best friend, Celia Hodes (Perkins), has an inkling of what she's up to. How can she? Celia is so obsessed with being a beacon of propriety that she alienates her chunky, outspoken daughter and doesn't even realize that her own husband is in on Nancy's marijuana operation.

By the end of the season, Nancy was a dealer worthy of respect and fear, a reputation earned mostly by accident. And in creating Nancy, Parker proved she could cut deeper than the quivering, sheltered maids she has played previously.

Parker earned a Golden Globe for her work in "Weeds," and the series snagged five Emmy nominations. "Weeds" is a program in which the actors make the story better than it really should be, so they deserve the credit for making it the channel's most popular show, averaging 1.6 million viewers.

Great for Showtime, chicken feed by current cable standards. In season two, then, as Nancy expands her weed-distribution racket to include a growing operation in a gated community, Showtime is doing everything that it can to expand the "Weeds" audience.

Monday you may receive a brownie from a Showtime represntative (they're prowling the streets of Seattle, Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and San Francisco). The Aug. 24 issue of Rolling Stone magazine includes a scent-strip ad that smells like the stickiest of the icky, much to the dismay of U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy. Director of public affairs Tom Riley, gave a very public thumbs down to Showtime's "Weeds" pushing tactics, telling TV Week, "Maybe some baby boomers still find this kind of thing edgy, but young people don't."

Well, young people aren't the ones paying for premium cable subscriptions.

In case Riley's right -- Yeah! Sure! -- "Weeds' " 12-episode second season has another, perhaps youth-friendlier attraction. A different musical artist will cover Malvina Reynolds' theme song, "Little Boxes," each week, and the list includes Ozomatli, Elvis Costello, Englebert Humperdinck and Seattle darling Death Cab for Cutie, which gets its turn a week from Monday.

Behind all of this hype the task of buzz maintenance falls to the scripts. Ruining the equilibrium is easy enough to do in a sophomore take (see that other suburban dramedy for proof) which is why "Weeds' " executive producers, headed by creator Jenji Kohan, get kudos for keeping the show's balance of heartfelt drama and screwy comedy intact.

The deal we make with "Weeds" is that Nancy must always be in over her head and never quite in control, but Parker is granted more opportunity to play rough this season, mostly by falling into an alter ego named Lacy LaPlante.

Celia, meanwhile, challenges Nancy's pothead accountant and business partner, Doug Wilson (Nealon), for his City Council position simply because she detests him. Parker and Perkins play together wonderfully onscreen, but watching the droll, horrible Celia butt heads with the sarcastic, sneering Doug is a thing of comedic grace.

Nancy's new man, Peter (Martin Donovan), and his drug-enforcement badge are too-obvious wrenches in the works, and would be a lazy way of driving a wedge between her and Conrad if not for a couple of creative loops in the plot.

The beauty of suburban life is that nobody really wants to know what's going on, allowing mischief to flourish. Showtime is lucky to have plucked a show like "Weeds," and smart to put muscle behind making it flourish. Now it can legitimately reap the benefits of having a high-quality series that really offers us something different. And it only took 30 years to find it.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/printer2/index.asp?ploc=t&refer=http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/280982_tv12.html

GeorgeLV

08-13-06, 09:52 PM

I just hope the major nets don't start with that sort of stuff, I've already seen NBC with some overly large promos displayed in the lower left, during a program.

Unfortunately, most tv ad execs probably thinking more in the direction of TNT's "The Closer" screen crawls.

keenan

08-13-06, 10:04 PM

Unfortunately, most tv ad execs probably thinking more in the direction of TNT's "The Closer" screen crawls.
Yes, that's what I'm afraid of, HD hasn't really taken off yet, 3 years or so down the road and they'll probably figure out all kinds of obnoxious stuff to do with all that digital screen real estate.

fredfa

08-13-06, 11:57 PM

An Appreciation
Mike Douglas left his ego off the set
The always-civil talk show host let his guests steal the show.
By Robert Lloyd Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 14, 2006

Mike Douglas died last week. As a second-tier, syndicated talk show host from an already distant past, his name will mean little or nothing to most anyone under age 45. And even as someone old enough to have watched him, my first thought on being told that he had passed away was of Michael Douglas, son of Kirk.

Though by any reckoning an enormous success in his time — large audience, multiple Emmys, high pay — Douglas faded quickly from cultural memory. Like his more boisterous contemporary Merv Griffin, with whom he is somehow easy to confuse, Douglas was Irish-by-ancestry, soft, small (or, I should say, he seems small in my memory — he may have been 6-foot-2 for all I know) and a former big band singer with a voice and mien too unremarkable to sustain a solo career in music. (Yet as a talk show host, Douglas got to sing to an audience of millions, five days a week.)

Too featureless to lampoon, as Rick Moranis famously did Griffin, or Dan Aykroyd did Tom Snyder — to be preserved, as it were, in comedy — he nevertheless made an unprepossessing personality work in his favor. It made him free.

It's not insignificant that his was a daytime show, pitched primarily to housewives, or that for most of its run, "The Mike Douglas Show" was broadcast from slightly off the media's beaten path. It began in Cleveland in 1961, moved to Philadelphia in 1965 and only in 1978, a few years before its demise, settled in Los Angeles. Being a little out of the way meant there was no need for Douglas to seem other than he was, to come on hip or cutting or funnier-than-thou.

He seemed to know he was less important, less interesting, than his guests. He didn't flash his insider credentials, because he wasn't an insider. He didn't show off or point incessantly to himself, didn't fawn to make himself seem bigger. He was just moderately entertaining company, with the less obvious knack of keeping his ship moving in the right direction without being seen to steer it.

Selfless hospitality is, oddly, not a quality endemic to TV talk show hosts; of the current crop, only Ellen DeGeneres really has it. (Oprah merely seems to. I don't mean that she isn't warm or welcoming, but there's no question that she is the queen and her guests merely her subjects.) Because Douglas thought of himself as "a square," he had no trouble getting out of the way of his widely various guests; he made them comfortable and let them have their say, or their song.

These included (among thousands of others) Robert Frost, Richard Pryor, Masters and Johnson, Astrud Gilberto, Margaret Mead, Pauline Kael, Frank Zappa, Martin Scorsese, Buck Owens, Ozzie Nelson, Peter Cook, Sid Caesar and Richard Nixon (Republican media advisor and current Fox News chief executive and Fox TV chairman Roger Ailes was Douglas' producer). Patti Smith came back three times.

Indeed, it was the guests who made the show. The weeklong celebrity co-host is undoubtedly the feature that's best remembered, a canny system that let the famous let down their hair, at length. John Lennon and Yoko Ono, most notably, copiloted for a stand that also included appearances by Black Panther leader Bobby Seale, Yippie Jerry Rubin, Ralph Nader, George Carlin and Chuck Berry, along with many musical performances and Ono art pieces.

As strange and unlikely a thing as that seems — I can't think of where it could happen now — this was the very essence of "The Mike Douglas Show"and a reflection of the host's democratic openness, universal civility and superpowerful niceness.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-douglas14aug14,0,1697033,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

08-14-06, 12:00 AM

TV Notebook
Parker's time in the sun
By Donna Freydkin USA Today

NEW YORK — Don't blame Mary-Louise Parker for feeling a wee bit like a wilted piece of lettuce.

The temperature soared into the high 90s, and right on cue, the power went out this morning in her West Village apartment. The electrician came to fix it, but Parker admits to being just "a little bit defeated."

On top of her electrical woes, she's doing rounds of press to promote the second season of her Showtime series, Weeds (Monday, 10 ET/PT), and trying to rush home before son William, 2, finishes his nap. "I have to be there when he wakes up," she declares.

Parker has brought William back to the Big Apple after just finishing a three-month stint on the West Coast shooting Weeds, culminating in a trip to Disneyland.

Parker, a single mom, is mad for Mickey Mouse. "We were both in heaven!" she giggles. "A little cotton candy for mommy and a little cotton candy for (William)!"

Since moving to Manhattan two decades ago after attending the North Carolina School of the Arts, Parker won a Tony for playing a distraught math genius in Proof, earned nominations for Prelude to a Kiss and Reckless, and can't see herself living anywhere else.

Her leisurely drawl belies her quick wit. When asked whether the actress, whose relationship with Billy Crudup ended in 2003 while she was pregnant, is dating, she retorts with a sardonic grin. "What time is it? I don't think I'm with anyone anymore, so not!"

She is protective of William and smiles when told that he hasn't been seen in the tabloids. She and Crudup have never discussed their breakup, but the actor sees his son and, in fact, had spent the morning with him while she appeared on ABC's The View.

Now, Parker is taking a time out at La Lanterna, her favorite pizzeria, wearing a loose black-and-white Chaiken halter dress designed by pal Jeff Mahshie.

With her tan Prada loafers off to the side, Parker sprawls on a chair, her dark-red manicured toes on display. The admitted sugar fiend, who "ate like a sow" while pregnant, gets animated when discussing Manhattan bakeries that churn out the cupcakes she adores. She's torn between Billy's Bakery and Magnolia.

The next day is Parker's 42nd birthday, and she has planned to celebrate in typically quiet fashion, "just hanging out with my son."

She frequently takes William to the park and loves reading to him; two favorites are Dr. Seuss' Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and Kit Allen's Swimsuit. "He has such a massive amount of books that I had to buy more bookcases," says Parker. "I love that I come into his room now and he's sitting there by himself, holding a book."

No wonder she's pleased. Before motherhood, muses Parker, she used to devour books. "I was looking at my books really longingly the other day," she says. "They're my long-lost friends."

Her "friends" have been on hold thanks in part to Parker's busy schedule working on Weeds, for which she won a Golden Globe. On the show, her character, Nancy, resorts to selling dope after her husband's death. "It wouldn't be my choice," she says, "but I haven't lived her life."

Parker and show creator Jenji Kohan have had disputes over character development but have settled their differences. "It's not my job to make it work," Parker says. "But there were times that I felt my character was put in the same situations a lot."

She would love to see Nancy pay a higher price for her career choice, particularly given her attraction to a DEA agent. Seeing her behind bars, says Parker, "would be a great episode. The kids could come visit!"

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-08-13-parker_x.htm

fredfa

08-14-06, 12:03 AM

TV Notebook
Once Again, the Tragedy You Can’t Avoid: Forthcoming 9/11 Programming
By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times

It is too soon.

That explains why the scores of fifth-anniversary specials, documentaries, mini-series and feature films that seem so bold are really quite timid. Sept. 11 is still an emotional solar eclipse; those who look at it do so through a pinhole projector that at least partly shields the mind and the heart.

And remarkably Oliver Stone’s much-anticipated take on the terrorist attack is one of the least ambitious. For all its awe-inspiring special effects and operatic touches, “World Trade Center,” is as focused on the effort to rescue two Port Authority officers as a made-for-television movie; it could almost as easily have been about trapped West Virginia miners or mountain climbers buried under an avalanche.

Playing to a much smaller audience and relying on cheesier cable television techniques such as re-enactments and movie star voice-overs, Court TV, Discovery and the History Channel nevertheless take larger imaginative leaps. That seems all the more fitting in the wake of the terrorist hijacking plot — seemingly timed to the fifth anniversary — that was just foiled by British intelligence.

Over the next four weeks the only way to avoid seeing images of United Airlines Flight 175 plough into the south tower or office workers running through the streets of Manhattan coated in plaster, dust and blood is to turn off the television. Katie Couric intends to observe the anniversary and her debut as the “CBS Evening News” anchor with an hourlong prime-time special, “Five Years Later: How Safe Are We?” on Sept. 6. No angle will be left alone: “American Vesuvius,” a History Channel special on Sept. 10, will compare the World Trade Center attack to the destruction of Pompeii in A.D. 79.

As is so often the case, the sheer quantity of anniversary specials is excessive, while no single effort is thorough enough. But there are so many offerings that viewers can pick and choose how much and how deeply they want to relive the recent past.

The documentaries that will be shown this weekend and throughout the next several weeks are snapshots, not historical treatises, though a few try to broaden the context a little beyond the events of that fateful day.

“Countdown to Ground Zero,” on the History Channel on Sunday, crosscuts between victims and rescue workers at the World Trade Center to hijackers learning to fly in Florida, Norad training exercises and Italian intelligence agents tailing Al Qaeda suspects in Milan. It seeks to show how America missed the clues yet rallied in disaster. Court TV’s “On Native Soil: The Documentary of the 9/11 Commission Report,” on Aug. 21 recounts the families’ fight to hold the government accountable for missteps and negligence.

All are carefully framed as tributes to the victims, but sometimes it is hard to tell whether their intent is to soothe or shock.

That may depend on the beholder. For New Yorkers, films about Sept. 11 can be a cathartic exercise, a way to relive the trauma over and over in order to blunt and master its awfulness. Viewers at a more distant remove from ground zero are prodded to keep fresh an event that at some level has already faded from memory.

“The Miracle of Stairway B,” on Monday night on the History Channel, is a modest effort. This conventional documentary relies on interviews and archival material to tell the heartening story of the handful of firefighters from Ladder Company 6 who were trapped in a stairwell and were rescued. Capt. John Jonas, known as Jay, is one of the main voices in this film and in many others, perhaps because he recalls what happened during that ordeal with calm and even good humor.

“I looked at my guys, I says, ‘All right, guys, if that one can go, this one can go,’ ” Captain Jonas says as he describes the moment when he and his team realized that the South Tower had just fallen. “ ‘It’s time for us to get out of here.’ ”

They did, but stopped to save Josephine Harris, a Port Authority employee who was frozen with fatigue on a landing, unable to walk on alone. On Sept. 11, 343 firefighters died.

The firefighters featured in “The Miracle of Stairway B” provide one of the few tales with a happy ending.

“Countdown to Ground Zero” takes a broader, bleaker look, focusing on the people who predicted that such an attack was imminent, including John P. O’Neill, the counterterrorism expert who had long warned of Al Qaeda’s threat and quit the F.B.I. in the summer of 2001 to become chief of security for the World Trade Center. He was one of the nearly 3,000 who died on the job on Sept 11.

This version mixes actors in re-enactments with interviews with the real survivors — half docu-drama, half documentary. Mr. O’Neill is depicted dining with two friends at Elaine’s on Sept. 8 and debating the terrorist threat before they celebrate his new job over cigars. “Gentlemen, it doesn’t get better than this,” the actor playing Mr. O’Neill says.

Survivors’ stories are also told in dramatic re-creations. And “Countdown” re-enacts a scene in which Air Force jets scramble to shoot down a hijacked commercial aircraft before it can crash into civilian targets, a training exercise two years before the attacks that belies the assertion by Condoleezza Rice, then the national security adviser, that nobody could have imagined hijackers using airplanes as bombs.

Lee H. Hamilton, the vice chairman of the 9/11 Commission and a Democrat, is interviewed, saying that at very least the government displayed, a “very significant failure of imagination.”

“Inside the Twin Towers,” which will be shown on Sept. 3 on the Discovery Channel, also weaves together re-enactments with interviews, archival material and graphics, but, like “The Miracle of Stairway B,” it sticks to a more linear narrative about the attack and how victims and rescuers struggled to survive. It is one of the few cable documentaries that actually recreates how the plane attack looked and felt to those inside the north tower, a fiery blast that is both hokey looking and a bit blasphemous; sensitive viewers may resent that sidestep into disaster movie territory.

“Reel New York: 9/11 Fallout,” which will be shown on Aug. 24 on the New York PBS station, WNET, is quite the opposite: four shorts by independent filmmakers that stay away from the actual collapse of the towers and focus on the disaster’s ripple effects on the city’s most anonymous citizens.

One looks at a legally blind woman from Colombia who lost her concession stand when the government building across from the World Trade Center was damaged and closed down. Another looks at how many Sikhs in New York were mistaken for Muslims because of their turbans and bullied and discriminated against after Sept 11. Two others are highly personal, avant-garde art films that are basically broken-hearted love poems to New York City.

Court TV’s “On Native Soil,” which uses the 9/11 Commission report to blend personal tragedies and public failures, is an emotionally fraught warning against American complacency. (On Sept. 10 ABC plans to show “The Path to 9/11,” a two-night mini-series based on the 9/11 Commission report.)

Kevin Costner and Hilary Swank are narrators of the Court TV documentary, but the most vocal participants are the parents and spouses of victims who demanded an investigation of the government’s failure to prevent the attack. There are no re-enactments. It begins with a clip of a 1997 interview with Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan, and moves inexorably to the moment in 2004 when Richard A. Clarke, the counterterrorism adviser on the National Security Council when the attacks occurred, apologized, saying “Your government failed you.”

Television showed the attacks live throughout the nation and the world, and can hardly be expected not to return to the subject five years on. Beneath all the exhumed shock and suffering, these films also reveal nostalgia for those transcendent moments — humility, selflessness, grace — that surfaced back when ordinary life froze, strangers helped one another and for an instant, the world stopped hating us.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/11/arts/television/11coun.html?ref=television&pagewanted=print

fredfa

08-14-06, 10:50 AM

The New TV Season
For ABC, a high-risk shakeup of its fall
By Kevin Downey MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 14, 2006

With two consecutive years of ratings increases, ABC would appear to be in fine shape heading into the upcoming broadcast season, which begins Sept. 18. But the No. 2 network is facing several challenges that will likely hold its ratings down.

ABC’s biggest potential problem is a risky overhaul of its lineup, with changes every night of the week, including a new night for its growing hit “Grey’s Anatomy.” Moreover, the network is debuting nine new series, the most of any network.

This type of overhaul sometimes works when a network has a lot of hit shows that viewers will follow. But it’s problematic for ABC, a network with only a handful of top-rated shows.

“What we see for ABC is some very high-rated shows and a lot of low-rated shows,” says John Spiropoulos, vice president and group research director at MediaVest. “What they don’t have is the in-between stuff, which is what they need to build out.”

ABC’s adult 18-49 rating last season was up 5.3 percent over the previous season, to a 3.9. And it posted solid increases in other major demographics.

But that was last year. This season it will likely have flat ratings.

Among its problems is the much-talked-about ratings falloff for “Desperate Housewives.” But that show’s 11 percent decline may be the least of ABC’s headaches.

This season will be the first in more than three decades that ABC doesn’t have Monday Night Football. Most media researchers think ABC’s overall ratings will slip as a result, while the addition of college football on Saturday will only partially make up for the loss.

Another major challenge is ABC’s lack of a single hit comedy.

The problem is so bad that none of ABC’s sitcoms from last season made it to this fall’s lineup, and two of its four new comedies, “Big Day” and “Notes from the Underbelly,” just last week were delayed to later in the fall.

ABC’s two remaining new comedies are “The Knights of Prosperity,” about a janitor planning to rob the Rolling Stones’ Mick Jagger, and “Help Me Help You” with Ted Danson on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. and 9:30.

“It would be a big surprise to see any of ABC’s comedies turn into even mid-level success stories,” says Spiropoulos.

Still, media researchers say ABC isn’t headed for a ratings freefall and most, in fact, applaud it for taking risks.

Key among these is moving “Grey’s” from its comfy spot following “Desperate” on Sunday to perhaps the toughest time slot of the week, Thursday at 9 p.m., opposite the third most-watched show on television, CBS’s “CSI.”

“It’s a gutsy move,” says Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director at Horizon Media. “Thursday is a very important night for advertisers. That’s where the money is. So this is a move designed to produce ad revenue for ABC.”

ABC’s dramatically changed lineup is part of its strategy to use its few hits to launch new shows.

In the recent past, ABC was unable to launch new shows by slotting them in after hits because it didn’t have any. That began to change two years ago with “Desperate” and “Lost” and it will accelerate this season.

ABC is using reality show “Dancing with the Stars” to launch its Tuesday comedies and it’s using “Lost” on Wednesday to jumpstart “The Nine,” a drama about a bank robbery.

On Thursday, “Grey’s” will lead into new drama “Six Degrees,” with Campbell Scott and Hope Davis. And on Sunday, “Desperate” will give a lift to “Brothers & Sisters,” a drama starring Calista Flockhart that lost an executive producer last week, an ominous sign reminiscent of last season’s debacle with the canceled “Commander in Chief.”

“Their overall strategy, which is built around the ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ move, is a strong one,” says Spiropoulos. “They can do this now because they have more than two hits.”

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6637.asp

fredfa

08-14-06, 10:57 AM

TV Sports
NBC launches fantasy football game
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter August 14, 2006

NEW YORK -- A week after getting back into the NFL with the kickoff of its six-year TV package, NBC will drive forward into a big and growing bigger portion of the sports world: fantasy football.

On Friday, NBCSports.com will launch "Sunday Night Fantasy Football" -- a game played online that draws as its entire universe the players who compete on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" during the season.

It plays like this: Every week, participants can visit NBCSports.com or Rotoworld.com or use their cell phone to pick players that will compete on the upcoming Sunday night game. The statistics will be compiled after every game, and winners can become eligible for prizes that include an all-expenses-paid trip to NBC's "Football Night in America" set in New York or a high-definition television. New games start every week based on that Sunday night's games.

"We think people are looking for an easy-to-play game," NBC Sports vp business development Kevin Monaghan said. "They're going to continue to compete in their seasonlong commissioner games. ... But people are looking for a second game, an incremental game, that in a sense gives them a more engaging way to watch the game."

It has been designed by Allstar Stats/Rotoworld.com of Somers, N.Y.

Last week, CBS SportsLine put its new spin on its lucrative fantasy sports business with what it calls "Heads Up Fantasy Football." Each week, CBS SportsLine users can draft players from either the early or late games and play head-to-head in a three-hour window every week. They also can make substitutions after each quarter, giving the game an immediacy that is lacking in traditional fantasy football.

That is in addition to the seasonlong fantasy football leagues that CBS SportsLine has had for years.

At the same time, NBC also will launch the so-called Player Eliminator Game, a seasonlong game where players are used only once unless they appear in "Sunday Night Football" (when they can be used twice). It also was developed by Rotoword.com for NBC affiliates and will be offered exclusively by the NBC owned stations and their affiliates nationwide through the local stations' Web sites.

"It provides you with a more engaging way to watch the game, and it's a smart marketing tool as well," Monaghan said. "People who play are much more likely to watch the game and stay till the end."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002985869

fredfa

08-14-06, 11:00 AM

TV Sports
All eyes on Kornheiser, all jokes aside
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 14, 2006

Everyone remembers the Dennis Miller debacle a few years back, when ABC eschewed traditional sports commentators in favor of the loquacious comedian to fill out its “Monday Night Football” booth.

It was a disaster. Miller showed less football knowledge than a Pop Warner league cheerleader, and his long-winded observations became fodder for online satirists and late-night comedians.

Miller lasted just two seasons, but he won’t be the last comic in the “MNF” booth. When the show moves to ESPN tonight, leaving ABC for the first time in its 36-year existence, another funny man with no game calling experience, Washington Post sports columnist Tony Kornheiser, joins the booth. The question is whether this similarly big gamble will pay off for the cable network.

No one will know for sure until Kornheiser has finished his first game, but there’s an awful lot of doubt over whether this was the right move, including from Kornheiser himself.

“I think it will bomb, it will be one year and out,” he told the Denver Post last month. “They'll say, ‘We tried, but what are you doing?’ Or I'll say, ‘I had a lot of fun, but it's not my career.’”

Deadspin, the wry sports news site that takes joy in mocking ESPN, writes: “We're not sure exactly what he's going to bring to the broadcast -- he seems like a type of broadcast tweener, not enough Dennis Miller to be a jokester but not enough Dan Fouts to be an analyst either.”

Without a doubt, the wrong chemistry for “MNF,” which is as much entertainment as sports, can hurt the program’s ratings. From Miller’s first season to his second, “MNF” ratings among men 18-49, the key sports demographic, fell 11 percent, from an average 10.8 to 9.6.

In 2002, when John Madden entered the booth and Miller exited, ratings bounced back up 5 percent, despite a slate of poor matchups that year.

With Madden and Al Michaels moving to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” ESPN had a chance to mix things up and learn from ABC’s earlier mistake.

Rather than keeping its oft-criticized former “Sunday Night Football” announcing team of Joe Theismann, Mike Patrick and Paul McGuire, ESPN decided on Kornheiser, Theismann and ESPN veteran Mike Tirico.

Kornheiser had tried out for “MNF” six years ago along with Miller. Since then Kornheiser’s popularity has risen with the success of “PTI,” a daily sports talk show he hosts with fellow Post columnist Michael Wilbon on ESPN.

Kornheiser also inspired the 2004 Jason Alexander sitcom “Listen Up,” which lasted one season on CBS.

They key to Kornheiser’s success will be to do what Miller did not, and that’s make savvy football observations. The comedy that he’s known for will fit into the booth just fine as long as he stays on topic.

Miller, for all his bite on stage, often seemed in awe of the NFL players and rarely said a bad word about them. Kornheiser’s plus is that, as a sports reporter for more than three decades, he’s covered most of these guys and actually knows something about the sport.

He’s also promised not to attempt to break down the more complex plays or talk over Tirico or Theismann.

But Kornheiser’s smartest move may have been to set expectations for his performance so low with comments like those he made to the Post. If people aren’t expecting anything special, they may be pleasantly surprised tonight.

And that will bode well for ESPN, which averaged above a 6.0 household rating for the past four seasons of “SNF.” By moving away from the competing “Desperate Housewives” on Sunday, “MNF” could do even better if the booth gels.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6614.asp

fredfa

08-14-06, 11:18 AM

TV Sports
Being Viewed in a Whole New Way
By Tony Kornheiser Washington Post Monday, August 14, 2006

MINNEAPOLIS - Well, here I am in Minneapolis and tonight is Monday night and, in my new life, that means I'm working. I'm doing a little thing I hear is called "Monday Night Football."

Let me tell you about the walkup to the game for the broadcast crew. On Saturday, you meet with the home team. So to get to the Vikings, we took my bus to landlocked Mankato, Minn. (I guess that's to keep them as far as possible from Al and Alma's boats on Lake Minnetonka.) You sit and chat up players and coaches and it's all very chummy and for me, as a veteran sportswriter, it was a vastly different experience than I've had for 35 years.

Not only was I welcomed heartily, but nobody turned to me and said, as I have become accustomed to: "What kind of stupid question is that? Get outta here!" Apparently, at the moment there is no question I can ask that is dopey enough to offend players or coaches. Brad Childress, the rookie coach, didn't even mind my asking about him losing his hair. Of course, he probably understood my motivation since we're both charter members in the Bald Brotherhood.

And why do I merit this love? 'Cause I wear a thing about my neck that says "Network Television, Baby." I'm inside the velvet ropes now, boys and girls, and everyone should be very afraid.

Players actually walk up to me and cheerfully introduce themselves and wish me luck. Of course, I suspect that's because they want to be on "PTI" -- and because none of them have actually read the vicious things I've written about them. At my age I can honestly say I find this red-carpet treatment amusing.

I should tell you, though, that I'm exceedingly nervous about tonight and my heart is thumping like a bunny. We did a rehearsal Sunday at the Metrodome and I felt like Gary Williams. I didn't just sweat through my shirt, I sweated through my suit and that was just a rehearsal . We're gonna go live tonight and it's very possible that there'll be so much water pouring off my body that I'll short out the entire electrical system at the Metrodome.

So if your screen goes dark in the first quarter, you'll know it was me.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/13/AR2006081300831_pf.html

fredfa

08-14-06, 11:22 AM

TV Sports
Will He Go Long?
Come Tonight's Kickoff, All Eyes Are on Tony K.
By Paul Farhi Washington Post Post Staff Writer Monday, August 14, 2006

Talk about managing your expectations. Facing his big new TV gig, Tony Kornheiser is setting his somewhere south of ankle-high.

Partly because of that low-ball approach, Kornheiser's debut on "Monday Night Football" figures to be one of the more interesting story lines as the venerable but creaky show begins its 37th season tonight at 8 on ESPN, as the Oakland Raiders visit the Minnesota Vikings.

Kornheiser -- who wrote in his Washington Post columns last week that he was "terrified" and fully prepared to just "wing it" in the booth -- is only the third non-athlete to sit in the color commentator's chair on "Monday Night Football." And the subplot thickens: The performance of one of those predecessors, smart-alecky comedian Dennis Miller, was widely panned.

Kornheiser's self-scouting report notwithstanding, his friends and colleagues are convinced that the co-host of ESPN's yakfest "Pardon the Interruption" will ably step up to the mike.

"He'll be terrific," said Don Ohlmeyer, the veteran sports producer and TV programming executive. "Three announcers don't work unless you have three distinct voices. And no one will ever confuse Tony with the other two" -- play-by-play man Mike Tirico and fellow analyst Joe Theismann, the ex-Redskins quarterback. (Among "Monday Night Football's" innovations has been the three-announcer format, which relies on the chemistry of a play-by-play man, an analyst and an opinionated "third chair.")

The retired Ohlmeyer knows a thing or two about sports broadcasting. He produced "Monday Night Football" during its golden years of the '70s, when it featured Frank Gifford and Don Meredith -- and the non-jock other than Miller to whom Kornheiser is most often compared: the polarizing, love-to-hate-him legend that was Howard Cosell.

While working for ABC in 2000, Ohlmeyer chose Miller as "Monday Night Football's" Third Man, after giving Kornheiser an off-air tryout. (Ohlmeyer deemed the pre-"PTI" Kornheiser as not quite ready for prime time.)

Miller was something else again. During the comic's two seasons in the booth, beginning in 2000, the media criticized his know-it-all persona. They also derided Miller for his frequently quizzical exclamations, such as, "Perhaps the referees were not really penalizing Denver for delay of game, but in fact were trying to let Paris know that Conde-sur-l'Escaut had been captured from the Austrians."

L'huh?

Ohlmeyer maintains that Miller was a success -- he said the games' ratings among young male viewers grew about 10 percent during Miller time -- and that Kornheiser will succeed, too, but for a different reason.

"The press will love Tony because he's one of them," Ohlmeyer said. "Every newspaperman in America, every sportswriter, is hoping he'll be a magnificent success, because he's opening doors for them in broadcasting. It was just the opposite with Dennis. He was the guy who they thought shouldn't have been there in the first place."

Kornheiser isn't the only thing new about "Monday Night Football." The aging institution -- and we're referring here to the show, not the 58-year-old Kornheiser -- has moved to cable's ESPN from its Disney-owned sister network, ABC (which revolutionized sports television in 1970 by putting NFL games on Mondays in prime time). The switch to ESPN could ease Kornheiser's transition, since he's a familiar face to so much of the network's audience.

The move to cable -- the result of slipping ratings on the broadcast channel -- also ensures an even smaller audience for "Monday Night Football" and potentially a different one, too. ESPN viewers tend to be hard-core sports fans, more knowledgeable about the game than the largely casual audience that ABC attracted.

It would be a mistake, though, if Kornheiser gets wonked out about coverage packages and defensive-line stunts, says John Riggins, the former Redskin-turned-radio broadcaster (on Redskins owner Dan Snyder's new stations) who has known Kornheiser for years.

"It's about entertainment," Riggins said. "You can't take it too seriously. That's the beauty of Tony -- he won't make that mistake. That was Miller's problem."

Riggins sees an opportunity for Kornheiser to mix it up with his booth mates, particularly Theismann, an opinionated, sometimes abrasive analyst whom Kornheiser covered during the quarterback's playing days.

"I can only hope he gives a lot of [grief] to Theismann," Riggins said. "I hope Tony has the usual scorn that he has for everyone on this earth. They're really an odd couple. I really don't see Tony and Joe as great drinking buddies."

Theismann is a little more diplomatic about it. In a panel discussion with the nation's TV critics in Pasadena, Calif., last month, he said: "I'm really looking forward to being with Tony Kornheiser. And I say being with him because I have absolutely no preconceived notion of what it's going to look like. . . . We're going to fly by the seat of our pants a little bit. It's going to be unique. It's going to be different. It's going to be irreverent probably at times."

Added Theismann: "Tony has certainly taken me to task, as a writer. He's -- you know, he's very candid in what he says. He's very cynical as an individual, and he likes being a cynic."

Theismann points out that Kornheiser will be in a different realm on "Monday Night Football." He won't have the relatively luxurious deadlines he has as a newspaper columnist, and won't be able to tape the show, as he does with "Pardon the Interruption." Nor will he have time for extended opinionated monologues, as he did on his daily radio program, heard until recently on WTEM-AM.

"We're all going to find out where we fit in," Theismann said, "and that's, I think, part of the excitement of what I'm looking forward to. . . . I understand my role as the football guy. But how Mike holds this thing together and what Tony does, we all have to see."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/13/AR2006081300864_pf.html

fredfa

08-14-06, 11:34 AM

TV Notebook
"Dancing With the Stars'' announces its lineup
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News in his blog Monday, August 14, 2006

You have to give credit where credit is due: ABC's "Dancing With the Stars'' has managed to come with the lineup for its season that, on paper, looks wonderfully, delightfully, deeply weird.

This time around, the "stars'' -- and on this show, that word can only be used very loosely -- include, wait for this, MSNBC's Tucker Carlson, who used to have a career on cable TV news; Jerry Springer, the talk show king of all things low-rent; ex-Dallas Cowboy Emmitt Smith, this season's Jerry Rice; and Shanna Moakler, whose fame is largely defined by her marriage to rocker Travis Barker, her relationships with Oscar de la Hoya and Dennis Quaid and taking her clothes off.

Toss in Harry Hamlin -- whose acting career seems to have gone into permanent hibernation and who will try to do what his wife, Lisa Rinna, couldn't do -- and you've got a right lively mix even before we get to the other folks trying to do the cha-cha and the quick-step.

The complete lineup for the season, which begins Sept. 12:

TUCKER CARLSON – MSNBC news anchor -- and often controversial -- conservative political TV pundit and columnist. He will be partnered with professional dancer Elena Grinenko, who makes her series debut this season.

MONIQUE COLEMAN – Actress and teen idol from Disney Channel’s smash hit “High School Musical.” She will be partnered with professional dancer Louis Van Amstel, who returns for his third season. Van Amstel danced with Lisa Rinna and Trista Sutter in previous seasons.

SARA EVANS – Country Music Award-winning and top-selling singing sensation. Sara will dance with Tony Dovolani, who partnered with Stacy Keibler in the second season.

WILLA FORD – Singing sensation and self-professed “bad girl of pop.” Professional dancer Maxsim Chmerkovskiy, who teamed up with Tia Carrere last season, will be her professional dance partner.

VIVICA A. FOX – Stunning film and television actress/producer who has starred in several major blockbusters including “Kill Bill” and “Independence Day.” She will be partnered with professional dancer Nick Kosovich, who returns for his second season. He was previously paired with Tatum O’Neal.

HARRY HAMLIN – Film and TV star of the hit, award-winning drama series “L.A. Law” and husband of “Dancing with the Stars” alumna Lisa Rinna. Professional dancer Ashly Delgrosso returns to the series for her third season. She was previously paired with Master P and Joey McIntyre.

JOE LAWRENCE – Actor and former teen heartthrob. Professional dancer Edyta Sliwinska, who returns for her third season, will be his partner. She previously partnered with George Hamilton and Evander Holyfield.

MARIO LOPEZ – Actor and TV host. He will be partnered with professional dancer Karina Smirnoff, who makes her series debut.

SHANNA MOAKLER – National beauty queen, actress, model and reality television star. Professional dancer Jesse DeSoto joins the cast for the first time this season as her partner.

EMMITT SMITH – An NFL legend and three-time Super Bowl champion who holds the world’s all-time leading rushing record and is considered one of the greatest football players to ever play the game. He will be partnered with “Dancing with the Stars” season two professional dance champion, Cheryl Burke.

JERRY SPRINGER – Notorious TV talk show host of “The Jerry Springer Show,” talk radio broadcaster and politician. He will be partnered with Australian beauty, professional dancer Kym Johnson, who makes her series debut this season. Kym was the champion of the Australian “Dancing with the Stars.”

http://blogs.mercurynews.com/aei/2006/08/dancing_with_th.html#more

fredfa

08-14-06, 11:39 AM

TV Notebook
'Weeds' sprouts a second season
By Rob Owen Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV Editor in his blog “Tuned In” Monday, Aug. 14, 2006

When Showtime's "Weeds" premiered a year ago, I really liked the pilot, but felt it drifted too far from comedy into a depressing malaise as pop-selling widow Nancy Botwin (Mary-Louise Parker) got bogged down with money troubles. At that point, I drifted away, but friends said the first season perked up again in later episodes. I watched the season one finale and agreed.

Season two begins with that same lighter tone as Nancy deals with the realization that her new lover, Peter (Martin Donovan), is a DEA agent. That revelation, which gave the first season finale a snappy zing, will undoubtedly wreak havoc on their relationship as the season progresses.

But what I like most about "Weeds" is how creator Jenji Kohan has invented a stable roster of unique supporting characters. They offer a welcome distraction from the show's drug trade setting, which could be unsettling to some viewers, this shoulda-been-a-Boy Scout included.

In tonight's episode, self-absorbed, emotionally abusive, yet still embraceable mom Celia (Elizabeth Perkins) decides to run for city council and tries to unseat dope head Doug (Kevin Nealon) after he refuses to take her demand for a traffic light seriously. (He's busy with other things, like the town's new slogan, "Agrestic: The best of the bestic.")

But the good times may not last on "Weeds." In a recent Showtime teleconference with reporters, Parker said the series will take a darker turn later in the season. I guess we can enjoy the lighter "Weeds" while it lasts.

http://www.post-gazette.com/tv/tunedin/

fredfa

08-14-06, 12:05 PM

TV Sports
Kornheiser: Winging it to a bigger stage
By Michael Hiestand USA Today

BALTIMORE — Like Lou Holtz at Notre Dame swearing mortal fear of the weakest team on his schedule, Tony Kornheiser has plugged away suggesting it might be lucky if anything but drool comes out of his mouth on ESPN's Monday Night Football, which opens its preseason Monday night with the Minnesota Vikings hosting the Oakland Raiders.

As he reiterated in one of his columns in The Washington Post last week, he hasn't stayed awake to see the end of a Monday night game "in 30 years." And besides, he wrote in an echo of lines he's used in interviews and on his Washington, D.C.-based radio show before he left it for MNF, he can name "maybe" eight NFL players other than quarterbacks, hasn't prepared "at all" and might miss plays if the Weather Channel is on a monitor in sight.

Just like Holtz didn't care that his Fighting Irish were five-touchdown favorites over Slippery Rock because The Rock had real hitters.

Yeah, right. But it was obvious as Kornheiser and MNF partners Joe Theismann and Mike Tirico did a practice call of the Giants-Ravens game here Friday: Kornheiser is no Howard Cosell or Dennis Miller or Rush Limbaugh.

Cosell and Miller were the two other MNF analysts who never played or coached the game. But Kornheiser isn't the type to belabor his self-importance, like Cosell, or make obscure references, as Miller did. A sportswriter for 35 years, and after years on radio and ESPN's Pardon the Interruption show, Kornheiser is marinated in sports media. He's not likely to self-destruct like Limbaugh who, weeks into being an ESPN studio analyst, raised race in a way that conflicted with the idiosyncrasies of sports yak.

"He talks about these neuroses," says MNF producer Jay Rothman, in a production truck Friday to watch the pseudo-broadcast as well as the on-air trio, who had a camera focused on them. "But underneath it all, he knows he has this gift. But, he'll be a nut this Monday."

Partly that's because Kornheiser, a nervous flyer, flew Saturday for Monday night's debut. He's gotten his own bus for some games — "I made sure you could use the treadmill while it's moving," says Rothman — but he says a job is a job: "I know I'm going to have to (fly). And when I can't, I'll have to say, 'That's that.' "

Doesn't sound crazy. But then Kornheiser, when asked if people should assume he's serious about his public fretting, suggests players and coaches shouldn't be the only ones who get to lower expectations: "Those quotes about me not being able to stay up, you don't think anybody reads those quotes, do you? Half the stuff I say I don't even remember."

What Kornheiser seems ready to do on-air is be somebody who knows plenty about sports, but doesn't act like a know-it-all expert. After Theismann told him in their Friday run-through that "you sound like a fan," Kornheiser didn't back off: "Every sportswriter is a failed athlete and fan —every single one."

Unlike Miller — who, says Kornheiser, now regrets having been "too scripted" on MNF— Kornheiser is quick enough to say things that will seem funny or clever by the standards of NFL TV games. When a running back was spun in the air Friday, he noted it was "an Olga Korbut move" and added "even my cat can't do that." (Kornheiser's public persona can be funny, but it might chafe with the I'm-here-to-watch-football crowd, like when he said Friday that fans like Giants quarterback Eli Manning "because he gets up at 5 in the morning to study film. I get up at 4 to walk my dog and nobody likes me.")

But Kornheiser, and veterans Theismann and Tirico, clearly know they're on TV, not jotting down deep thoughts in their diaries. After the Ravens' new quarterback, Steve McNair, made his debut with a game-opening scoring drive, Kornheiser raved: "he's the American Idol of Baltimore right now!" Then, he noted in what would have been off-air time, McNair was "a fabulous storyline. And I get to be like Howard (Cosell) — boost an entire franchise based on meaningless play."

Kornheiser gets his local Washington Redskins, hosting Minnesota, on his regular-season debut, Sept. 11. (That night will have MNF's first-ever doubleheader, with Brad Nessler, Dick Vermeil and Ron Jaworski calling the later game — San Diego-Oakland.) And, in a spinoff of his old local radio routine, he'll take viewer questions — culled through espn.com by his old radio producer — once per quarter during games.

Theismann said he thought Friday's practice "went smoothly. But what we're doing is completely different than everybody else."

True. But there's no need to fret.

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2006-08-13-hiestand-mnf_x.htm

fredfa

08-14-06, 12:11 PM

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

fredfa

08-14-06, 12:18 PM

TV Review
Weeds: An unlikely cast of characters blossoms
By Matt Zoller Seitz Newark Star-Ledger Monday, August 14, 2006

Showtime’sS "Weeds," starring Mary-Louise Parker as a widowed suburban mom who deals pot in the fictional suburb of Agrestic, isn't the deepest show on TV right now, but it's one of the most exciting. The excitement comes mainly from the sight of so many eccentric, forceful actors turned loose in the same space and encouraged to surprise and delight us.

First among equals is Parker, whose work as unlikely drug baron Nancy Botwin is the second most imaginative lead performance on television, after Ian McShane's work on HBO's "Deadwood."

The character is intriguing to begin with -- a grievously damaged woman trying to re-invent herself and realizing, in the process, that she's more attractive to men than she probably thought, and can use that attractiveness (sometimes on purpose, sometimes unconsciously) to her advantage. But Parker's combination of eccentric daring and meticulous control gives the character more layers than a wedding cake.

The first season's final image was one of the more elegantly crafted cliffhanger moments I've seen recently: After spending the night with fellow parent Peter Scottson (Martin Donovan, who's never been warmer), she got up in the dark, put on one of his jackets, then realized, upon looking in the bedroom mirror, that it was emblazoned with the letters "DEA," for Drug Enforcement Agency. Tonight's premiere picks up right where last season's finale left off, with Nancy looking in the mirror, appalled with herself, unsure what to do next.

Yet Parker and the writers don't settle for mere melodrama. They make Nancy's reactions impulsive and reckless, yet strangely believable. She roots around in his drawers looking for evidence he's really in the DEA, finds a gun, mock-fires it in the bathroom -- really enjoying herself -- and then hears Peter call to her through the closed bathroom door and has to improvise a way out of the situation.

But part of her solution -- walking naked to Peter's bed -- doesn't give her the sense of control over him that she seeks. When he looks up at her and tells her tenderly, "You are so beautiful," her face tells us how much she needed to hear that.

Despite the contrivance at the heart of the Nancy-Peter relationship, both these characters feel real. They seem surprised by their reactions to the situation they've fallen into, and don't deal with them as you expect. Their feelings are all tangled up; here, as elsewhere on "Weeds," the characters don't realize why they did or said something until it's too late to take it back.

The series' respect for the mysteries of human behavior isn't confined to Nancy and Peter. Nearly every recurring character feels lived-in, and the actors keep surprising you with little moments that etch them even more sharply.

Kevin Nealon's Doug Wilson -- a city councilman, Nancy's business manager and a major stoner -- is a real fortysomething man, just smart enough to realize he's not as smart as he'd like to be, and enjoying his vices too much to ever give them up.

Nealon is a likable, funny actor, but his character really pops thanks to the hints of contempt for this town, this life, this world. When Nancy's friend Celia Hodes (Elizabeth Perkins), a cancer patient, appears before the council and begs them to install a traffic signal at an intersection where she just survived a car wreck, Doug replies they can't because they already allocated city money for other important projects, like remodeling the council chambers and paying a consulting firm to come up with a new community slogan: "Agrestic: The Best of the Bestic." Nealon's tossed-off recital of that catch phrase suggests he thinks it's just what this town deserves.

Perkins' Celia is another keeper -- a married fortysomething suburban mom whose intense sex drive, cutting wit and tendency to get outraged at the drop of a hat make it impossible for us to define her solely as a mom, a cancer patient or even a candidate for city council. (She runs against Doug as payback for his ignoring her traffic light request.)

Then there are Nancy's supplier, Heylia James (Tonye Patano), a gourmet cook who argues with her daughter over the pronunciation of the word "bruschetta"; Heylia's brilliant, streetwise nephew, Conrad (Romany Malco), who's Nancy's science adviser and would-be suitor; Nancy's charming schemer of a brother-in-law, Andy (Justin Kirk), who's trying to bull his way into rabbinical school to avoid serving in Iraq, and Nancy's eldest son, Silas (Hunter Parrish), who's fallen hopelessly in love with his deaf girlfriend and doesn't understand that despite her disability, she's more driven and talented than he is and might not be with him much longer.

Come to think of it, there are no stereotypically "supporting" characters on this series. Every character is written with the comic complexity of a lead, and the actors behave (consciously) as if there is no other reality but the mental space their character inhabits at any moment. These people are so myopic that it's a wonder they can cross a room without bumping into something.

"Six Feet Under" took a similar approach to both suburbia and characterization, and "Desperate Housewives" still does. But "Weeds" is ultimately a more satisfying series because it challenges the characters (and us) to get past the quirks and sense the richness beneath.

The show is more amused by its characters than enamored with them. It understands them better than they understand themselves, and finds their blinkered passion both funny and sweet. And thankfully, it doesn't treat the suburbs as a graveyard of the spirit, but simply as a place to live, no less phony -- and no less surprising -- than any other.

http://www.nj.com/columns/ledger/zollerseitz/index.ssf?/base/columns-0/1155530722173740.xml&coll=1

fredfa

08-14-06, 12:21 PM

TV Notebook
Fox Sells Everything on the Web
By Steve Donohue Multichannel News 8/14/2006

News Corp. stepped up its efforts to distribute video on the Web, announcing plans Monday to sell 24, Prison Break and other 20th Century Fox TV series and movies on Direct2drive (www.direct2drive.com), MySpace.com (www.myspace.com) and other Web sites owned by its Fox Interactive Media unit.

TV shows will go for $1.99 apiece, while The Omen and other feature films will cost $19.99 to download.

The company also said it will be the first studio to allow Web surfers to transfer TV shows and movies to Windows Media portable-media players.

In addition to Direc2Drive and MySpace.com, News Corp. said it will sell programming on Web sites distributed by IGN Entertainment, including IGN.com (www.ign.com), Rotten Tomatoes (www.rottentomatoes.com) and FilmForce.com (filmforce.ign.com).

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6362254.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

08-14-06, 12:32 PM

TV Notebook
ABC's Strategy for “Grey’s Anatomy”
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 8/13/2006

ABC’s tough fall promotion issues may not be "desperate," but they are challenging. The network is introducing seven scripted series and would have liked to use its summer schedule to trumpet those shows. Unfortunately, ABC’s summer hasn’t been hot, creating the need for some more on-air promo time and requiring it to boost outside paid advertising.

So what’s a No. 2 network (in adults 18-49) to do? ABC has chosen to play to its strengths and load up its fixed on-air and paid-media budget behind marquee series, starting with a big push for its top hit, Grey’s Anatomy. In fact, Grey’s budget will equal the spending behind the now-legendary launch campaigns for Desperate Housewives and Lost two years ago.

While that might seem counterproductive, the network’s plan is to use Grey and other hits to anchor nights featuring sets of debuts. Grey faces a challenge: It’s moving to Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET, where it will have to prop up two new series and compete with CBS hit CSI.

The network took a different tack last season, "relaunching" Lost and Desperate Housewives while pushing two new critical favorites—Invasion and Commander in Chief—among nine debuts. The two series failed, along with the entire fall class, and now ABC is looking to avoid a repeat.

"While we love our new shows, moving Grey’s to Thursdays is a priority for us," says ABC marketing chief Mike Benson. "We take nothing for granted and can’t automatically assume that fans of Grey’s know that it is moving."

Benson won’t talk money, except to say that ABC’s marketing budget will mirror last season’s. In general, the major networks pump $5 million-$10 million into promoting high-profile shows, with overall fall network promotion budgets estimated at $50 million-plus. A large percentage of those dollars will also be spent on ABC anchors Lost, Housewives and Dancing With the Stars, though Grey’s is in line for the biggest portion.

At ABC, anticipation is high for the new comedy Ugly Betty, which will now move from its original Friday post to the competitive 8 p.m. Thursday lead-off. It replaces comedies Big Day and Notes From the Underbelly, now set to debut later in the season. New drama Six Degrees follows Grey’s at 10 p.m. Two other comedies, Big Day and Notes From the Underbelly, will now debut later in the season.

Benson plans to begin the "groundbreaking, massive and multifaceted" marketing campaign for Grey’s this week and says it will rival the attention paid to the network’s famed 2004 launches. Among other tactics then, ABC placed 10,000 plastic bottles on beaches, each containing letters that read, "I’m Lost. Find me on ABC."

The earlier campaign set off a wave of competition among networks topping each other in stunts. Benson believes the Grey’s campaign will work similar magic. Using such catchphrases as "Thursday is the new Grey," the network will deploy traditional, guerilla and viral marketing partially linked to music and affiliate Web tie-ins.

The Grey’s campaign will rely on descriptors associating the show with the words "love," "feel" and "crave." "The biggest shift we’ve made," Benson says, "is that we really understand the core essence of a program."

ABC execs will also promote a Housewives that they promise has been regenerated creatively, after a season in which it was critically hammered. The returning Extreme Makeover: Home Edition at 8 p.m. will also get promo play. Housewives will lead into another touted newcomer at 10 p.m. Sundays, Calista Flockhart drama Brothers & Sisters.

That show has its own issues: Last week, highly regarded executive producer/showrunner Marti Noxon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) abruptly departed. The split, reportedly over differences with creator/executive producer Jon Robin Baitz, followed casting changes that had Sally Field replacing Betty Buckley in the pilot.

ABC faces other obstacles: Audience reach this summer dropped 5% year to year, when Dancing With the Stars was on the schedule. The loss hurt a vital on-air promo platform for the fall, forcing Benson to make "minor" adjustments.

But he’s not worried, since he says he routinely alters marketing strategies. The only question is whether they will help turn Thursday into a brighter shade of Grey.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6362012

fredfa

08-14-06, 12:35 PM

The Digital Revolution
Verizon launches Home Media DVR
By Glen Dickson Broadcasting & Cable 8/14/2006

Verizon is now offering customers of its FiOS TV television service the ability to enjoy digital video recorder (DVR) functionality throughout their homes, without having to rent a DVR-capable set-top for each room.

Verizon has launched its "Home Media DVR," a Motorola DVR-equipped set-top that functions as the media hub by networking with other simple set-tops throughout the home via existing coaxial cable.

To watch recorded programs stored on the central DVR and up to two remote set-top terminals simultaneously, customers can pull down a simple menu and browse through a list of recorded programs. The "media hub" DVR also functions as a dual-tuner DVR on which viewers can watch one program while recording another.

Home Media DVR costs $19.95 per month, $7 more than the monthly fee for the standard FiOS DVR.Additional standard-definition set-tops that serve as "clients" in the Home Media DVR network lease for $3.95 per month.

The "Home Media DVR" also comes bundled with Verizon's Media Manager software, a new feature that allows customers access to photos and music from their personal computer, and to play them on their TV.

“Home Media DVR, with its combination of services, is one of the

most powerful and convenient DVRs available,” said Marilyn O’Connell, Verizon senior vice president – video solutions, in a statement.“It breaks through technology barriers and living room walls to let customers enjoy TV on their own terms throughout the home."

Verizon says that future releases of Home Media DVR will increase the number of set-tops that can simultaneously access recorded content, provide playback of protected content, such as premium movies, and permit playback of home videos stored on the PC.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6362225

fredfa

08-14-06, 01:03 PM

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

fredfa

08-14-06, 01:09 PM

The Digital Revolution
Verizon DVR Reaches Whole Home
By Karen Brown Multichannel News 8/14/2006

Verizon Communications is unveiling a new digital-video recorder that can serve up three simultaneous streams of video, as well as photos and music, to televisions throughout the home.

The new Home Media DVR, available to Verizon FiOS TV customers this week, will allow customers to set up a home media network with the Motorola QIP6416 DVR set-top box serving as the hub and standard-definition Motorola QIP2500 set-tops as the remote terminals attached to secondary television sets.

Verizon is offering the multiroom DVR service for $19.95 monthly plus $3.95 per month for each added standard-definition box to link to the secondary TV sets.

Media Manager software included with the box can draw photos from the customer’s PC and display them via the TV sets. A beta version of an application allowing them to play music stored on a home computer via TV sets also is being offered, with plans to release a final version later this year.

Verizon also plans to update the service to support more simultaneous video streams that the hub DVR box can serve.

“Home Media DVR, with its combination of services, is one of the most powerful and convenient DVRs available,” Verizon senior vice president of video solutions Marilyn O’Connell said. “It breaks through technology barriers and living-room walls to let customers enjoy TV on their own terms throughout the home. It’s another way that Verizon innovation is changing the way customers watch TV.”

The whole-home DVR service follows on the heels of FiOS TV Widgets, a set of interactive features introduced in June that add local-weather and traffic-information tickers on the bottom of the TV screen.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6362308

fredfa

08-14-06, 01:13 PM

As noted in another thread, it appears for the moment the Verizon Home Media DVR only works with SD.

fredfa

08-14-06, 01:28 PM

The Digital Revolution
Penetration of HDTV Service Rising Rapidly
In-Stat News Release

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz., August 14, 2006 – The number of households watching High-Definition (HD) TV programming continues to rise rapidly, reports In-Stat (http://www.in-stat.com). Households with HDTV service, which are defined as homes with an HDTV set that receive and watch HD programming, are projected to grow from 15 million in mid-2006 to 20.3 million at the end of 2006. This impressive household growth is tempered by the fact that it is occurring in just a few countries, the high-tech market research firm says. On a more positive note, several new countries introduced HDTV service this year.

"Consumer demand to see the World Cup in HD served as a catalyst for the start of HDTV services in several European countries," says Mike Paxton, In-Stat analyst. "In addition, select TV households in countries like China, Singapore, and Mexico can now also get HDTV service."

Recent research by In-Stat found the following:

• As of mid-2006, the US and Japan accounted for 91% of all worldwide HDTV households. Other countries with significant numbers of HDTV households include Canada, Australia, and South Korea.

• The number of worldwide HDTV households is expected to spike over the next few years as new markets for HD services, particularly in Europe, open up. By the end of 2009, In-Stat is projecting that the number of HDTV households will exceed 55 million.

• HDTV services are currently being delivered by all types of television service providers, including satellite/Direct-to-Home service providers, cable TV operators, telco TV operators, and terrestrial broadcasters.

• In the US, there is still a "disconnect" between HD services and the penetration of HDTV sets. Currently, only one-third of US households with HD-capable TV sets are actually using them to watch HD programming.

The research, "HDTV Service Expands: Over 15 Million Households Now Watch High-Def TV" (#IN0603204MBS), covers the worldwide market for HDTV. It analyzes HDTV service market drivers and challenges, and provides forecasts for HDTV households by transmission platform and by geographic region through 2010. It also examines the HDTV business models of leading service providers. The price is $2,495 (US).

For more information on this research, please visit: http://www.instat.com/catalog/Ccatalogue.asp?id=288. The price is $2,495 (US).

fredfa

08-14-06, 01:46 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
'SNF' slides as viewers' curiosity fades
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 14, 2006, 10:35

It didn’t take viewers long to realize that not much has changed from ABC’s “Monday Night Football” to NBC’s “Sunday Night Football,” which features the same announcers and same setup as the old program.

In its second preseason outing, “SNF” fell 14 percent from the previous week, from a 3.6 adults 18-49 overnight rating last week to a 3.1 this week.

That measures 8 p.m. to 11 p.m., though ratings will likely adjust when final numbers are released. Fast national ratings measure only timeslot data and not actual program data, and the game did not end until just after 11 p.m.

The curiosity factor was evident last week, when viewership for the first hour of the game averaged a 4.0 rating, very strong for summer. This week, with viewers already having gotten a glimpse of the new halftime crew and confirming that John Madden and Al Michaels were doing their same old shtick, the first hour averaged a 2.9.

What will be more interesting is seeing how the show fares in its regular-season debut Sept. 10. It premieres before most of its formidable timeslot competition, which includes Fox’s “Family Guy,” ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” and CBS’s “Without a Trace.”

Last night’s preseason game was also a dull one even if you were cheering for one of the two participants. The host Cincinnati Bengals beat the Washington Redskins 19-3 in a battle of two 2005 playoff participants.

“SNF” boosted NBC to the nightly lead with a 2.8 rating and 9 share in 18-49s, followed by CBS at 2.1/6, ABC at 2.0/6, Fox at 1.8/6, Univision at 1.1/4 and the WB at 0.6/2.

At 7 p.m., NBC led at 2.0 for "Dateline," ahead of CBS at 1.7 for "60 Minutes," ABC at 1.6 for an "America's Funniest Home Videos" rerun, Fox at 1.0 for "Fox Fall Preview" and a "King of the Hill" repeat, Univision at 0.9 for "Hora Pico," and the WB at 0.5 for "Just Legal."

At 8 p.m., NBC was No. 1 again at 2.9 for the "SNF" exhibition game, followed by CBS at 2.5 for "Big Brother 7: All-Stars," ABC and Fox each at 2.1 for an "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" repeat and reruns of "The Simpsons" and "American Dad," Univision at 0.9 for "Cantando por un Sueño" and the WB at 0.6 for a "Charmed" rerun.

At 9 p.m., NBC held the lead for "SNF" at 3.4, ahead of Fox's repeats of "Family Guy" and "War at Home" at 2.2, CBS's "Cold Case" rerun at 2.0, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" repeat at 1.8, Univision's "Cantando" at 1.2 and WB's "Charmed" rerun at 0.6.

At 10 p.m., NBC's "SNF" led again at 3.1, trailed by ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" repeat at 2.5, CBS's "Without a Trace" rerun at 2.3 and Univision's "Cantando" at 1.2.

Among households, CBS led for the night at a 5.6 rating and 10 share, followed by NBC at 5.4/10, ABC at 4.0/7, Fox at 2.5/4, Univision at 1.4/2 and the WB at 1.0/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6640.asp

fredfa

08-14-06, 01:53 PM

TV Sports
Buck To Host Pre-Game Show
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 8/14/2006

Fox Sports said Monday that lead NFL commentator Joe Buck will also host the network’s Fox NFL Sunday pre-game show, which will travel to the site of the network’s main NFC football game each week.

On three October Sundays when Buck is calling the baseball playoffs for the network, Fox’s Curt Menefee will step in and handle hosting duties and the show will originate from the Fox Sports studio in Los Angeles.

Buck replaces James Brown, who jumped to CBS’s NFL pre-game show.

In-game updates, previously handled by Brown as the studio host, will be handled out of the Los Angeles studio by a yet-to-be-finalized host.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6362322

fredfa

08-14-06, 02:02 PM

TV Sports
FOX NFL Sunday announces new host
(FOX Sports)

It will still be JB, Terry, Howie and Jimmy on NFL on FOX Sunday this fall. But plenty will change as the network's pregame show will sport a whole new look.

Joe Buck, a six-time Emmy Award winner, has been named as new host for the FOX NFL Sunday pregame show and postgame show The OT on doubleheader weekends.

It marks the first time in sports television history that a broadcaster will host an NFL pregame show while simultaneously handling play-by-play duties.

The announcement was made Monday by David Hill, chairman of the FOX Sports television group and executive producer for FOX Sports.

Buck joins Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long, Jimmy Johnson, Pam Oliver, insider Jay Glazer and comedian Frank Caliendo this season, beginning with the 2006 premiere on Sunday, September 10 at noon ET.

Buck will also continue as the network's lead NFL and MLB play-by-play voice with analysts Troy Aikman and Tim McCarver.

"We considered a number of superb candidates for this role, who each would have brought something special to the show, but once we thought about this fascinating scenario featuring Joe, we knew this was the right thing to do," Hill said.

"The success of FOX NFL Sunday has always been based on chemistry, and Joe, while still relatively young, has a maturity that belies his age and a clever, contemporary style that will add a fresh, exciting energy to the program. The only consistent thing about television is change, and I expect the interaction between Joe, Terry, Howie and Jimmy to give FOX NFL Sunday and The OT new and different dynamics."

Curt Menefee will host FOX NFL Sunday's halftime and postgame coverage.

Menefee is also set to host three pregame shows in October when Buck calls FOX Sports' coverage of Major League Baseball's postseason.

"Curt is a consummate pro whose smooth, affable style fits in perfectly with the FOX NFL Sunday team," Hill said.

Pregame show hits the road

FOX NFL Sunday, which has called Los Angeles, Calif. home for the past 12 seasons, will hit the road during most weekends this season in a state-of-the-art traveling set.

The FOX NFL Sunday road show opens in Jacksonville on Sept. 10 as Terrell Owens makes his Dallas Cowboys debut vs. the Jaguars.

The show will travel to Philadelphia's Lincoln Financial Field in Week 2 for a classic NFC East battle between the New York Giants and Eagles.

Then it's on to Seattle for Week 3 as the Giants visit the defending NFC champion Seahawks.

The rest of the 2006 FOX NFL Sunday road show schedule will be announced at a later date.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/5871590?print=true

RussTC3

08-14-06, 02:05 PM

I had a feeling they would tap Joe Buck.

He's a good announcer, one of the few I enjoy listening to.

Not sure if this data is out there archived or what not Fred, but do you happen to know how this second pre-season game (1st after the HOF game) faired last season on ABC?

fredfa

08-14-06, 03:12 PM

Russ, I'll try to find the info for you.

fredfa

08-14-06, 03:16 PM

TV Notebook
Fox News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza

The Associated Press is reporting that:

“Palestinian gunmen ambushed a car carrying a Fox News crew in Gaza City on Monday and kidnapped two of the journalists inside, according to witnesses and Fox. "We can confirm that two of our people were taken against their will in Gaza," Fox News said in a statement.

A Fox employee in Gaza, who declined to give his name because he was not authorized to release information about the incident, said the two kidnapped people were reporter Steve Centanni, a U.S. citizen, and a cameraman from New Zealand…”

http://www.breitbart.com/news/2006/08/14/D8JGC6V80.html

fredfa

08-14-06, 03:19 PM

TV Notebook
2 Fox News Journalists Kidnapped in Gaza
USA Today

News update: Fox News Channel just confirmed on the air that two of its journalists were kidnapped in Gaza today. It did not release their names and said that negotiations are underway to secure their release.

ABC News, CNN and Reuters are reporting that -- according to witnesses -- two journalists from Fox News were kidnapped by armed gunmen today. ABC and CNN say Fox has confirmed that two of its people are missing, though there's no such confirmation at FoxNews.com and the network has not been talking about it on the air.

The Associated Press is reporting that:

"Palestinian gunmen kidnapped two foreign journalists in Gaza City on Monday, according to witnesses.

"Two trucks filled with gunmen boxed in the reporters' car near the Palestinian security headquarters and seized them, according to witnesses.

"Several foreigners have been kidnapped in Gaza in recent months. All of them have been released within hours without harm."

http://blogs.usatoday.com/ondeadline/2006/08/reports_2_journ.html

fredfa

08-14-06, 03:22 PM

TV Notebook
Steve Centanni bio
Fox News Channel

Steve Centanni is a national correspondent for FOX News Channel (FNC). He has been with the network since its inception in 1996 and has reported on numerous global news stories and events.

In July 2003, Centanni was the first television network reporter to provide on-site reports from the building where Uday and Qusay Hussein were killed after a gun battle with the 101st Airborne Division. During Operation Iraqi Freedom, Centanni served as an embedded journalist with the Navy SEAL’s and provided numerous first reports for the network, including a report that the U.S. had captured two main offshore oil terminals located 22 miles off Iraq's southern coast, preventing them from being blown up by the Iraqis.

Previously, while covering the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan, Centanni was first to report the fall of the Taliban in their final stronghold of Kandahar. During Operation Enduring Freedom, he reported on U.S. military operations in Afghanistan, the new interim government in Kabul and hostilities between Pakistani and Indian troops along the frontlines in Kashmir. Currently, Centanni is covering the crisis in Iraq and is stationed in Doha, Qatar.

During his tenure at FNC, Centanni has provided extensive coverage of the Pentagon, the U.S. Supreme Court and the Presidential Campaign of Sen. Bob Dole in 1996. He traveled with former President Clinton during his 1996 presidential campaign and his second term in office.

Centanni, a California native, began his broadcast career as an anchor and reporter for radio stations in San Francisco and Oakland, Calif. For eight years he wrote and produced news segments for KRON-TV (formerly an NBC affiliate) in San Francisco. In 1989 he won the Alaska Press Club Award for producing a weekly news magazine show for KTUU-TV (NBC) in Alaska.

Centanni attended the University of Colorado and earned a Bachelor’s degree in broadcasting from San Francisco State University.

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,1182,00.html

fredfa

08-14-06, 03:25 PM

TV Notebook
Dancing with ... Tucker Carlson?
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher”

It sounds like the answer to a "Jeopardy!" question gone terribly wrong: Jerry Springer, Tucker Carlson and Joey Lawrence.

No, the question is not "People one is likely to find on the televisions in Hell."

All three will be part of the next season of "Dancing With the Stars" when it premieres Sept. 12. Yes, the list of contestants is once again a calvacade of strangeness.

Also on the bill: Shanna Moakler of that bad MTV show about Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker and his (soon to be ex) wife; NFL player Emmitt Smith; country singer Sara Evans; Willa Ford, who is a "singing sensation" according to ABC's press release; random TV guy Mario Lopez; Harry Hamlin (husband of last season's "Dancing" contestant Lisa Rinna); Monique Coleman from "High School Musical"; and Vivica A. Fox (reality-TV trivia nuts will note that Fox's last reality gig was on "The Starlet," a 2005 WB show that apparently had only one viewer -- me).

Anyone else having trouble trying to wrap their head around the idea of Tucker Carlson dancing around on prime-time TV? It's only the third season of "Dancing," and if ABC has to stoop to enlisting a cable pundit already, that can't be a good sign for the future of this show.

By the way,in the interest of full disclosure, Joey Lawrence wants to be known as Joe Lawrence these days.

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

fredfa

08-14-06, 06:22 PM

TV Notebook
Steve Centanni Update

GAZA (Reuters) - Palestinian gunmen kidnapped two foreign journalists working for the Fox News Channel in Gaza on Monday, a witness and the U.S. television network said.

A Fox spokeswoman in New York named the two journalists as correspondent Steve Centanni, an American, and cameraman Olaf Wiig, from New Zealand.

A Fox news report said the network did not know who had seized them but that "negotiations were under way to secure their release".

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the abduction.

http://today.reuters.com/news/articlenews.aspx?type=topNews&storyid=2006-08-14T202904Z_01_L14273140_RTRUKOC_0_US-MIDEAST-GAZA-KIDNAPPING.xml&src=rss&rpc=22

fredfa

08-14-06, 08:43 PM

TV Notebook
'Weeds' not taking hits, but it's still smoking
By Gail Shister Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist

For a network that's jonesing for controversy, Showtime hasn't drawn an ounce of buzz from marijuana.

Weeds, starring Mary-Louise Parker as a widowed suburban mom turned pot dealer, generates zero backlash, according to Showtime Entertainment chief Robert Greenblatt.

Not a peep. Not from antidrug groups. Not from religious groups. Not from family groups.

Bob's bummed.

"Controversy is always a good thing for us," Greenblatt, 46, says. "It's great to have people talking about your stuff. When we get a great script, I'm always hoping what goes along with it is some stirred-up emotions."

Even buzz-less, Weeds - which launches its second season at 10 p.m. tomorrow - is the premium network's most popular show, averaging 1.6 million total viewers (over multiple airings) last season.

In Showtime's tiny universe of 14.5 million homes, that's a serious number.

Another serious number: five. That's how many Emmy nominations Weeds received, including one for Elizabeth Perkins for best supporting actress in a comedy. The awards air live Aug. 27 on NBC.

"We all expected blogs to be flying right, left and center about 'the moral corruption' on our show," says Perkins, who plays Parker's boozy, bossy neighbor, Celia Hodes.

Instead, "it was so quiet, it was almost like there was a cricket in the room. It was very surprising to us."

As themes go, marijuana is about the tamest on Showtime's prime-time roster, which includes terrorists (Sleeper Cell), serial killers (Dexter) and documentary coitus (Sexual Healing), not to mention gorgeous lesbians (The L Word.)

In Greenblatt's view, pot has become so prevalent in our culture that it's "kind of benign," despite its classification as an illegal substance.

"If you polled people over 20, most of them will tell you they've probably tried it. I can't remember the last time somebody died because of marijuana. Alcohol is not remotely illegal and it kills people in many different ways."

With a nod toward Mel Gibson, Greenblatt adds that being stoned "doesn't make you anti-Semitic, either."

For the record, Greenblatt, the product of a "repressed" Catholic family in rural Illinois, swears he's never smoked dope. ("I'm so square you wouldn't believe it.") He says he prefers good chocolate.

Perkins, 45, a mother of four who ditched doobies years ago for red wine, agrees with Greenblatt's assessment of the drug. Unlike crystal meth or cocaine or alcohol, she says, "marijuana doesn't destroy entire families."

Perkins says she'd rather her kids, all teenagers, "smoke a joint than drink a fifth of vodka and get behind the wheel of a car. I'd rather they have a bong hit in their room."

Party on, Liz.

Justin Kirk, who plays Parker's horndog, freeloading brother-in-law, Andy, acknowledges that he's inhaled, and liked it.

"I have smoked marijuana, and have enjoyed it," says Kirk, 38. "I tend to be coy about that particular question, because I'm concerned about offending our demographic. I try to keep it mysterious."

Equally mysterious, we might add, is the question of Kirk's sexuality.

Having won major kudos playing gay men in HBO's adaptation of Angels in America and the big-screen version of Love! Valour! Compassion!, the actor is widely assumed to be homosexual.

Au contraire - he's outing himself as a card-carrying hetero.

"I love the gays and the gays love me. What can I say? I've been in iconic pieces of theater, slash, movies. The theater is a gay place. I grew up there. A lot of gay men... were my mentors and teachers."

Tongue firmly in cheek, Kirk says he's not married, "but I've had sex with several married women."

Perkins, who's not one of them, describes her costar as "extremely manly and testosterone-filled and very obviously into women. I've never met anyone more heterosexual."

Says the tres gay Greenblatt: "I wish he were gay. I think he's adorable."

Kirk's Andy Botwin spends most of his time in a semi-comatose state at Nancy's house in the mythical cookie-cutter town of Agrestic, Calif. The good news: He cooks for her and her two sons.

Preferring to cruise chicks and get stoned instead of looking for a real job, Andy's been labeled "a raging id" by Weeds creator Jenji Kohan. (Fun Fact: Her brother, David Kohan, co-created Will & Grace.)

"I believe the writers act out a good deal of issues through me," Kirk says. "They feel they can put more far-out things into the mouth of this particular character.

"They know I'll pretty much do anything. I won't come to them and say, 'This isn't cool.'... One of my main objectives is to offend. I hope the show lasts forever. It's a dream."

Despite his obvious shortcomings, Andy is "an admirable character" in Kirk's eyes. "He runs at things full speed and doesn't have fear. He enjoys life and has a lot of lust for things."

Kirk and Angels alum Parker, whom Greenblatt labels "the Meryl Streep of her time," share a special connection, Kirk says. Their relationship "continues to grow in new and bizarre ways."

Like many actors in premium cable, Kirk and Perkins both say they're not in a hurry to return to the FCC-regulated world of broadcast TV.

"We're completely spoiled," she says. "I can go as far as I want as a performer. There's not this giant thumb hanging over our heads. Every line doesn't have to be approved and reapproved.

"I can't imagine returning to broadcast TV. Once you've seen Paris, it's hard to go back to the farm."

Put that in your hookah and smoke it.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15251484.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

08-14-06, 08:49 PM

(If you haven’t lived in Memphis, you probably have never heard of Tom Walter. But he was a wonderful writer about television. A kind and gentle man, he left us too soon. Thanks to Aaron Barnhart of the Kansas City Star for linking to the Walter obit.)

Obituary
Tom Walter, 57
Critic saw world through TV's prism

By Fredric Koeppel and Pamela Perkins Memphis Commercial Appeal August 13, 2006

When Tom Walter began writing about television for The Commercial Appeal in 1984, the top programs included "Dynasty," "Dallas," "The Cosby Show," "60 Minutes," "Family Ties" and "Knots Landing," all commercial network productions and not a cop, doc or lawyer show among them.

When Walter retired in May 2005, television had been transformed by the frankness and inventiveness of the cable networks, by the proliferation of "reality" programming and by the evolution of news broadcasting and reporting into infotainment.

But whether covering national or local television, Walter continued to write about his beat with equal measures of cynicism, humor and affection.

Walter, 57, died Saturday morning at Baptist Memorial Hospital-Memphis after a three-year battle with cancer.

"Covering television is the best job any reporter could have," he said in a farewell column last year. "When you write about television, you write about the world."

Walter came to Memphis from his native Chicago in 1983, the year he started working at The Commercial Appeal.

"The first thing I could ever say about Tom is he had a very gentle spirit and he was a mild-mannered guy who went about his job in the most competent way that anybody could ever ask," said Otis Sanford, the newspaper's managing editor.

"He was an undisputed expert in television and how television evolved and how it affects our lives, and just solid reporting on the ins and outs of television."

Peggy McKenzie, editor of the newspaper's "M" lifestyle section that featured Walter's work, called him "a journalist to the bone."

"Tom was well-respected and admired among his peers here and nationally," McKenzie said.

Peggy Phillip, news director for WMC-TV and Walter's eventual friend, grew to appreciate being on the pointy side of Walter's critical sword, she said.

"Tom and I probably had a hate-love relationship. I think at the beginning I wasn't very appreciative of some of the things he wrote over the years," Phillip said. "He did have a very distinctive insight into television news that I appreciated sometimes and other times not very much."

McKenzie also echoed sentiments regarding Walter's gentle nature. But every man has his limits.

"Tom was the easiest person to work with that you could imagine. He was just a really nice gentle man. I only saw him get mad one time in all the years I've been there -- almost 27 years. It was when we tried to assign him a story on Britney Spears and the effect her having a baby would have on her fan base. He blew up. And he did not do it," she said.

"We will all miss our friend greatly."

"Tom never lost his love for his hometown," said Susan Adler Thorp, former political writer for The Commercial Appeal and editorial commentator for WMC-TV Channel 5. "He could talk about Polish sausages given any opportunity."

When Walter closed out his career as a television reporter last year, he offered an eclectic list of his favorite shows from 21 years. Among them were "Hill Street Blues," "L.A. Law," "Seinfeld," "Gilmore Girls," "The Sopranos," "Frasier," "The Cosby Show," "The West Wing" ("first few years"), "Twin Peaks" ("The first season was brilliant ... The second season was a mess"), "The Daily Show" and "The Simpsons" ("After 350 episodes, it remains the best comedy on TV, perhaps the best ever").

Walter is survived by his wife, Sara, of Memphis; and a sister, Janice Kieckhefer of Oak Park, Ill.

Visitation will be Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m., at Canale Funeral Directors, 2700 Union Ext. A funeral mass will be said Wednesday at 3 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Memorials may be sent to Immaculate Conception or the American Cancer Society.

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/obituaries/article/0,1426,MCA_443_4913662,00.html

fredfa

08-15-06, 01:59 AM

TV Notebook
Couric ready to work, but sitting tight
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 15, 2006

NEW YORK -- Soon-to-be "CBS Evening News" anchor Katie Couric said Monday that she has been tempted to go on the air in the month that she's been at the network but instead is taking the longer view and preparing for her Sept. 5 debut.

Couric started at CBS News in July and hasn't appeared on the air since her final "Today" telecast on NBC at the end of May. But she's hardly been taking the time off: She's been working with CBS News president Sean McManus and "Evening News" executive producer Rome Hartman to shape the evening newscast. She also completed a weeklong town meeting-style round of events around the country and has been doing other things behind the scenes.

"I've been working on a '60 Minutes' piece that will air Sept. 10 and planning some other pieces as well," Couric said Monday. "That's been very time consuming. I really want to come out of the box strong. As a reporter, I've wanted to be involved in some of the (breaking) stories, but I also understand the importance of good planning" (for the debut of her newscast).

Hartman said there have been some discussions about Couric appearing on air but that it never got to the point where she was about to do it.

"She's been out shooting '60 Minutes' stories and stories that are going to air for us in the fall," Hartman said. "She's been out practicing the craft, that's for sure -- just not on the air."

In a roundtable interview Monday at CBS News headquarters in Manhattan, Couric said that she was trying to chart a new path for the evening newscast. That includes taking on a case-by-case basis whether to travel extensively in war zones or other dangerous places, something for which her predecessor Dan Rather was famous.

"If I feel strongly that my presence will advance a story, that I'm not just window dressing to show that I'm at a particular story, which I think does happen quite frankly in certain situations," Couric said. "If I get an important interview or actually have time to do real reporting and my presence will serve the story, that's something I will consider. But additionally, though, there are family considerations for me that would be part of the equation."

Hartman agreed. "There is a game of network 'chicken' sometimes, and I don't think we necessarily feel the need to play that game," he said.

Couric, who tackled a wide range of topics in the 30-minute interview, declined to tip her hand to many of the specifics of how her newscast will be different. But she said not to expect a "soup to nuts" roundup of the day's news, which she said wasn't appropriate in the current media landscape.

"We're going to take risks and try some new things, and we're not going to be tied to the formulaic evening newscast that we've all pretty much grown up with that hasn't changed very much in the last several decades," Couric said. "We're going to take some chances and try some new things."

But don't expect Couric to be the same on air as she was during 15 years at "Today" -- or a robo-anchor either.

"I had opportunities to show my sense of humor or more playful side (on 'Today')," she said. "I think there will certainly be fewer opportunities for that on the evening news, and yet I hope the essence of who I am will surface on the broadcast."

Said Hartman: "Every evening newscast on every network has always reflected to some degree the personality and the taste and the sensibility of its anchor. Ours will, as others have. Katie brings what she brings, she is who she is, and that is going to come through."

She's planning to address the "CBS Evening News" audience during her first newscast but said she doesn't know what she'll say or when.

"I can't sort of show up and pretend like this is my 87th newscast and there's nothing new and different here," Couric said. "I think that obviously I will want at some point to say a few words to the four people who are watching -- my parents and my kids -- and give them some sort of indication of what we are going to try to do here."

Couric said she was thinking about what she'd use as her closing but hadn't come up with anything. She said her mother was working on it too. And she's planning to stick with Katie instead of Katherine, a change she made in the early days of "Today."

"No one called me that except my father when he was mad at me," Couric joked. "That's just not who I am."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002986405

fredfa

08-15-06, 04:00 AM

TV Notebook
'Brothers' gets a jump on drama
The highly anticipated show's executive producer abruptly quits. Veteran Greg Berlanti is brought in to help out for the meantime.
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer August 15, 2006

If the scripts for ABC's new fall drama "Brothers & Sisters" are as good as the behind-the-scenes intrigue surrounding the show, the network might have a hit on its hands.

Last week, executive producer Marti Noxon abruptly quit, a decision people familiar with the situation say was due to creative differences with series creator Jon Robin Baitz.

The defection of Noxon, who as the "showrunner" was the producer responsible for day-to-day supervision of the series, casts a cloud over "Brothers," which debuts next month and stars Calista Flockhart as a New York talk-show host drawn back to her extended family in Southern California.

To fill the gap, Walt Disney Co.-owned Touchstone Television, which makes the show, has tapped veteran writer-producer Greg Berlanti to help out with scripts and production management, a spokeswoman confirmed Monday.

Berlanti is an A-list TV industry player, best-known as the creator of two critically acclaimed but now-canceled WB network dramas, "Everwood" and "Jack and Bobby." He also has a development deal with Touchstone and has been working on an ABC drama pilot called "Eli Stone," about an attorney who may have supernatural powers.

His new role raises the possibility that Berlanti might permanently take the reins on "Brothers." That would in turn heighten doubts about the level of control retained by Baitz and another executive producer, Ken Olin.

The situation bears some similarities to "Commander in Chief," the ABC drama starring Geena Davis that imploded last year after Rod Lurie, the series' creator, suddenly exited the show early in its run. "Commander" then went through tumultuous personnel shifts before being canceled.

Noxon hasn't commented on her departure.

Neither Berlanti nor his agent immediately returned telephone calls, but Touchstone spokeswoman Charissa Gilmore dismissed any hint of turmoil on "Brothers."

"Everyone is absolutely thrilled about this collaboration, and we're still trying to weigh options for going forward," she said of Berlanti. "No decisions have been made as of yet."

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-channel15aug15,0,2038496,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

posg

08-15-06, 09:23 AM

As noted in another thread, it appears for the moment the Verizon Home Media DVR only works with SD.

My Time Warner HD DVR only costs me $6.95/month. I could rent 3 of those and have much more flexibility for the same price as Verizon is charging for one SD unit.

Don't worry Fredfa. I'm not gonna hijack your thread. It's too valuable. But couldn't pass this one up. :D

fredfa

08-15-06, 11:04 AM

posg

08-15-06, 11:34 AM

Glad to see you join us here, posg.
My feeling is that both cable and satellite better be very, very afraid of the telcos - at least for the moment.
Yet it also seems very possible that somewhere down the line there will be an internet-based (or yet-to-be-developed) delivery system which could put them all out of business.
Once the program producers/sports leagues/movie studios can deliver their products to consumers directly the party for cable/dbs/telco will be over.

Somebody still needs to own the "pipe".

It's ironic that the telcos have historically been in the "pipe" business, while cable has been more in the "programming" business. Cable ended up with the better fatter pipe. Telco is now implementing an even bigger fatter pipe. It's a battle over who's got the better infrastructure, because again, there still needs to be a pipe.

Satellite is definitely the long term loser. Both telco and cable's pipes are analogous to city water and sewer. Satellite is a well and septic tank. :D :D

fredfa

08-15-06, 11:52 AM

TV Notebook
Countdown to Couric debut starts with a quip

By Julie Hinds Detroit Free Press

Katie Couric didn't miss a beat Monday when someone described the "CBS Evening News" as being in the ratings basement for years.

"Well, we prefer to call it the ratings rec room," joked Couric, deftly fielding questions from reporters via telephone. The session was tied to her Sept. 5 debut as top CBS anchor.

Couric insisted she's not focused on ratings. "I just really am interested in building a quality newscast that is willing to, when appropriate, take some risks and try some new things," she said.

Other Couric tidbits:

• The best advice she's gotten so far? "It's probably from my parents, who just said to be myself."

• She's working on a 9/11-related story for "60 Minutes" and plans to contribute to a CBS blog.

• She realizes there's interest in her personal style as it relates to her new job, but it's not her favorite subject. "It's about No. 57 on my to-do list, and I'm really focused on the work and the content of the show, and that's really my No. 1 priority."

• Anything else regarding her on-air look? "I have no plans to get a crew cut or shop at Brooks Brothers or whatever," she quipped.

http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060815/ENT07/608150360

fredfa

08-15-06, 12:04 PM

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

fredfa

08-15-06, 12:08 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
One hell of a finale for Fox's 'Kitchen'
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 15, 2006, 10:48

Heather won a shot to run her own Las Vegas restaurant last night on the season ender of Fox’s “Hell’s Kitchen.” Fox likely gained one of the summer’s best finales, and secured “Kitchen’s” place as one of the few summer shows to actually grow from start to finish.

“Kitchen” averaged a series-best 3.9 adults 18-49 overnight rating for its two-hour finale last night, up 5 percent over last year’s 3.7 for its first-season ender.

It averaged 8.49 million total viewers.

“Kitchen,” which bettered last week’s penultimate 3.8 rating, was one of the few programs this summer that didn’t fade after a big debut. In fact, it grew steadily from its debut and will end the season up slightly from last year in adults 18-49.

The show peaked with a 4.6 in the final half hour at 9:30 p.m., easily besting the competition. It nearly beat the combined average of the tied-for-No. 2 shows, ABC’s “Wife Swap” and CBS’s “The New Adventures of Old Christine,” which each averaged a 2.4.

“Kitchen” will likely be the summer’s No. 2 program behind fellow Fox offering “So You Think You Can Dance.” With “America’s Got Talent” on NBC fading over recent weeks, “Kitchen’s” finale could well be the second-best of the summer as well, assuming tomorrow’s “Dance” finale tops a 3.9.

Gordon Ramsay will return for a third season of “Kitchen” next summer.

“Kitchen” boosted Fox to No. 1 for the night with a 3.9 rating and 11 share in 18-49s, followed by CBS at 2.6/7, ABC at 2.2/6, NBC and Univision both at 1.6/4, UPN at 0.9/3 and WB at 0.7/2.

At 8 p.m., Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" finale was No. 1 at 3.4, ahead of CBS's repeats of "Two and a Half Men" and "How I Met Your Mother" at 2.3, ABC's "Wife Swap" repeat at 2.1, Univision's "La Fea Mas Bella" at 1.9, NBC's "Psych" repeat at 1.3, UPN's repeats of "One on One" and "All of Us" at 0.9 and WB's "7th Heaven" rerun at 0.7.

At 9 p.m., Fox's "Kitchen" led again at 4.4, ahead of CBS's repeats of "Men" and "New Adventures of Old Christine" at 2.6, ABC's "Wife Swap" repeat at 2.4, NBC's "Treasure Hunters" at 1.8, Univision's "Barrera de Amor" at 1.5, UPN's reruns of "Girlfriends" and "Half & Half" at 0.9, and WB's "Heaven" rerun at 0.7.

At 10 p.m., CBS's "CSI: Miami" repeat led at 2.9, followed by ABC's "Supernanny" rerun at 2.0, NBC's "Medium" rerun at 1.6 and Univision's "Cristina" at 1.4.

Among households, CBS led for the night at a 5.9 rating and 10 share, ahead of Fox at 5.3/9, ABC at 3.8/6, NBC at 2.9/5, Univision at 2.1/3, UPN at 1.7/3 and the WB at 1.1/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6670.asp

fredfa

08-15-06, 12:13 PM

TV Notebook
Up Close And Too Personal
Katie Couric, Center of Attention, Says She Just Wants to Do Her Job
By Howard Kurtz Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 15, 2006; C01

NEW YORK, Aug. 14--She is already the most heavily scrutinized, psychoanalyzed and gossiped-about anchor in network history, and she hasn't yet uttered a single "good evening" on a CBS newscast.

Katie Couric's wardrobe has been analyzed by the Wall Street Journal, her makeup assailed in USA Today, her dating life examined by Parade magazine, her fitness for nightly news duty debated by columnists, cable combatants, bloggers and bloviators.

"I'm really focused on work and trying to tune the other stuff out, because it could potentially drive you absolutely out of your mind," Couric says in a conference room down the hall from the new set being constructed for her Sept. 5 debut.

When she takes the helm of the "CBS Evening News," Couric's challenge to NBC's Brian Williams and ABC's Charlie Gibson will mark the first such three-way showdown since Dan Rather, Tom Brokaw and Peter Jennings initially went at it in the early 1980s. But the media landscape has shifted dramatically since then, leaving this trio fighting for a shrinking slice of the audience and increasingly taking their battle online.

Because Couric is both the first woman to serve as a solo nightly news anchor and a big-time celebrity, some are casting her debut as the biggest event of the fall television season. After 15 years as a popular morning personality at NBC, she is armed with some new ideas -- including a regular soapbox segment for advocates and activists-- to jazz up an evening news format that sometimes seems set in concrete.

After conducting town meetings in a half-dozen cities last month, Couric concluded that "people are hungry" for more positive stories. She is, for example, working on a piece about an Alexandria foundation that teaches juvenile delinquents how to build boats and helps them get high school equivalency degrees.

"Sometimes when you watch the evening news, it's all gloom and doom -- and some of it has to be, because the world is a complicated and pretty scary place right now," says Couric, 49. "But there has to be a place for more hopeful stories."

But, she adds, "it's not going to be smiley-face happy news."

What viewers want is a constant topic of discussion among the staffs of the evening newscasts, which still reach a combined 25 million viewers but have seen their share of the total audience gradually decline for nearly three decades. Whether Couric can revive interest in the genre is the focus of considerable debate.

Williams, who has occupied first place since succeeding Brokaw at "NBC Nightly News" 21 months ago, calls her a "great communicator" who "brings to the job an already established personal relationship with millions of viewers. She will be formidable competition, no ifs, ands or buts. . . . Like any product launch in the marketing world, an introduction is going to get sampling. I think that dies down rather quickly."

But Williams, 47, sees no need to tinker with his newscast, saying: "We're the established industry leader."

Gibson, 63, who took over second-place "World News" in June after Bob Woodruff was sidelined by injuries suffered in Iraq and ABC reassigned co-anchor Elizabeth Vargas, has said the showdown should be focused on news, not personalities.

"I believe competition is good for all of us," says Jon Banner, executive producer of "World News," who calls Couric and Williams tough rivals. "It brings more attention to the evening news, which lots of people determined some time ago was going to go away. Charlie's move to the evening and Katie's move to the evening give the lie to that. The only challenge we've had is to make sure they know he's on in the evening now."

Public fascination with the anchors has reached the point that Gallup recently polled about them, as if they were presidential candidates. Couric led the trio with a 60 percent approval rating but, with 23 percent disapproving, had the highest negatives as well. Gibson got positive marks from 55 percent of those surveyed and thumbs down from 8 percent, while 47 percent approved of Williams and 7 percent disapproved.

CBS has done its part to stoke the interest in Couric as she takes the reins from Bob Schieffer, who will return to his Washington job after having boosted the "Evening News" ratings during his 18 months as Rather's interim replacement. The network has launched a promotional campaign and tapped Academy Award-winning composer James Horner to write new theme music for the broadcast.

CBS News President Sean McManus says he sees a media "feeding frenzy" over Couric's new role and is surprised by "this unbelievable thirst for information" about her life. "It's a good thing that everyone is talking about the 'CBS Evening News' right now," he says. "The downside is that people are going to be so quick to jump to conclusions after one broadcast. Some things are going to work and others aren't going to work."

One of those elements is the new commentary segment, dubbed "Free Speech," which will give a 90-second platform to outsiders -- some prominent, some not -- and will also include a weekly essay by Schieffer.

"People are sick of the lack of civil discourse," Couric says, with guests "screaming and interrupting each other and trying to stay on message and berating the other person. They want us to get away from sound bites from inside the Beltway and roll up our sleeves and hear from real people."

On immigration, Couric says, CBS might interview a restaurant owner about illegal immigrants or a recent emigre from Guatemala. "Sometimes in recent years there's been such an effort to bend over backwards to placate both sides of the political aisle, and that on-the-one-hand-this, on-the-other-hand-that approach has left people a little bit cold," she says. "Sometimes they want more analysis and fact-finding and critical thinking."

On the other hand . . . one planned segment will also feature author Nora Ephron expounding on plastic surgery, a subject of her new book. "They're not all going to be super-heavy," Couric says.

Executive Producer Rome Hartman describes the changes as evolutionary. "People watching the first night will know it's a different broadcast, but it's not going to be outside the tradition or form of the 'CBS Evening News,' " he says. "It's not going to be one of these radical remakes."

CBS executives are trying to tamp down expectations of a dramatic boost for their last-place newscast. "The ratings movement might be slow and very gradual," McManus says. "Moving the needle takes a long time, I don't care who your anchor is."

Despite her years of experience interviewing presidents and world leaders on the "Today" show, Couric has faced skepticism rooted in her singing, dancing, cooking and other morning high jinks -- even though press reports about Gibson rarely mention the lighter shtick he did during 19 years on "Good Morning America."

"She's America's cutie pie," says Robert Lichter of the Center for Media and Public Affairs. "She's bringing star power to a job that has been a black hole in terms of losing viewers. She's a devil to people who think TV news is losing its soul, and an angel to people who think TV news needs shaking up."

Couric's presence will be felt beyond the anchor desk that, as press reports frequently note, was once occupied by Walter Cronkite. She is already working on two pieces for "60 Minutes," one of which is related to Sept. 11. She will host a prime-time documentary on the fifth anniversary of the 2001 terrorist attacks the night after her debut. She plans to appear daily on CBS Radio and blog at least once a week for the network's Web site, fielding questions "if people have a beef with us. It just adds to the transparency we're trying to promote. We just want to let viewers in a little bit on the process of how a newscast is put together and what decisions we make."

In that regard, CBS is a step behind NBC, where Williams has been writing a daily blog since last year, and ABC, where Gibson anchors a 15-minute afternoon webcast that was downloaded nearly 8 million times in June. CBS recently cut a deal with the online site WebMD to contribute to medical segments.

With the average age of evening news watchers about 60, and the total number of viewers having dropped by half since 1980, network executives see the Internet as a new forum for reaching younger people accustomed to watching news and video online.

"It's easy for people our age to dismiss a generation with a broad brush," Couric says. But, she adds, it would be nice if more younger viewers knew "as much about the state of the country as they know about the state of Britney Spears's marriage."

Couric's life may not draw as much attention as Spears's marriage, but it is surely dissected more fervently than those of most journalists. That is in part because of her celebrity status and in part because she often shared personal experiences with the "Today" audience -- particularly after the 1998 death of her husband, Jay Monahan, turned Couric into a crusader and fundraiser for cancer-related causes. With a salary of $15 million a year, she moves easily among Manhattan's jet set.

Couric, who has two teenage daughters, sparked a debate after saying in May that as a single mother she might not be willing to travel with U.S. forces in Iraq. The entertainment show "Access Hollywood" later recycled the quote, erroneously, as applying to whether Couric would have gone to Israel to cover its war with Hezbollah. She says such matters would have to be decided on a case-by-case basis, but she is not apologetic about hesitating to parachute into any war zone.

"I'm not saying I'm going to be totally blowing off my family," says Couric. "That's a very important role in my life, that I'm a mother."

Asked why her comments generated so much attention, she says: "Probably there's still a lot of consternation in this country about people trying to balance work and family. . . . It's a sticky wicket. People applauded the fact that I was going to put my [foot] down at some point and say no.

"If it's going to advance the story -- if I get an interview with an important figure in said hot spot -- obviously I want to go. Do I want to go just to put on a flak jacket and front a news show? Not necessarily. Viewers are smart. They understand when someone really needs to be there and when it's more of a show."

Couric, who left "Today" at the end of May, sounds a bit impatient to get on with it, telling reporters on a conference call Monday: "It's been an out-of-body experience to watch these major news events unfold in my pajamas." But in the interview in the first-floor conference room, she cautions against the idea of a personal transformation.

"I don't want to lose who I am, in terms of how I communicate with people," she says. "I'm not going to become a different person. The downside of all the attention is to suggest I'm going to single-handedly save anything. I'm just going to try to be a contributor with a great group of people who are already in place."

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6670.asp

fredfa

08-15-06, 12:27 PM

TV Sports
Kornheiser, Not Yet in Game Shape On 'MNF'
By Paul Farhi Washington Post Staff Writer Tuesday, August 15, 2006

Tony Kornheiser played it safe in his "Monday Night Football" announcing debut last night, making few missteps but offering little for the highlight reel. It wasn't exactly clear at times why he was there at all.

It's still early, as the coaches like to say. But on the basis of his first preseason game, Kornheiser, the Post sports columnist and co-host of ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption," wasn't many of the things that ESPN hired him for. He wasn't especially witty, provocative or insightful in calling the Raiders' 16-13 win over the Vikings from the Metrodome in Minneapolis.

It was enough to make one yearn for Dennis Miller, the comedian whose star-crossed tenure as a "Monday Night Football" analyst in 2000-01 was at least marked by a certain danger, a whiff of the unexpected, or the just plain loony.

Kornheiser mostly spluttered, typically emphasizing the obvious and playing third fiddle to his more experienced mike mates, play-by-play man Mike Tirico and fellow color analyst Joe Theismann.

"You fumble a kickoff on a nationally televised game on the opening kickoff, you want to crawl into a hole!" he offered on the very first play.

"These are not good numbers tonight, are they?" he asked at one point as the passing statistics for Aaron Brooks, the Raiders quarterback, flashed on-screen. Given that Brooks was 0-for-4 passing at the time, the question was either needlessly rhetorical or hopelessly naive.

Hyping next Monday night's game (with a full 3 1/2 quarters still to play in the one he was announcing), he offered, "Reggie Bush is the kind of player people will pay money to see!"

Of course this was a hugely meaningless preseason game, even by the standards of meaningless preseason games. The Raiders-Vikings contest had a few hypeable story lines -- former Minnesota star receiver Randy Moss playing against his old teammates, a new coach for the Vikings -- but all that was dispensed with after about 10 minutes. The game had even less moment than the usual "Monday Night Football" preseason kickoff, the Hall of Fame game from Canton, Ohio (the game and venue in which Miller got off perhaps the best one-liner of his short-lived "MNF" career: "Ironically enough, you can't find any good Cantonese food in Canton").

Kornheiser is the first to admit he's no matinee idol, but he looked oddly washed out under the TV lights (this may explain why ESPN had close-ups of Tirico and Theismann, as well as sideline reporters Michele Tafoya and Suzy Kolber, but not Kornheiser). Some unsolicited advice: Tony, get a tan.

Kornheiser's challenge is to translate his familiar "PTI" personality -- opinionated, sarcastic, bombastic, a little curmudgeonly -- into the announcing booth. That's a tough assignment. Sarcasm can sound mean in the wrong hands. Tougher still, Kornheiser doesn't have Michael Wilbon, his fellow Post sports columnist and "PTI" co-host, in the booth with him. "PTI" is watchable primarily because of the verbal fireworks and good-natured banter between the two.

On "MNF," Kornheiser's foil is Theismann, who -- and let's be charitable to a Redskins legend -- is kind of a stiff. Kornheiser should be bouncing off of him like a Superball. Theismann is plainly knowledgeable about the game but often goes off on his own personal lecture circuit. He's also so smug and pretentious -- did he mention that he used to play the game? Oh, yes, about 12 times -- that he invites deflation. All this could be a good thing, at least from Kornheiser's perspective. Sticking the pin in the Theismann blimp could create some nice tension from week to week.

To his or ESPN's credit, Kornheiser seems to understand the value of a good argument. Getting into one is the problem. Kornheiser did seem to loosen up somewhat as the game wore on, waving red flags at Theismann and drawing him into brief verbal exchanges.

Noting that the Raiders' newly hired assistant coach, Tom Walsh, had left pro football to run a bed-and-breakfast in Idaho, he asked Theismann if he'd have hired him: "Would you be comfortable with Bob Newhart?" Kornheiser taunted. "He ran a B&B!"

"Joe, I know you like Brad Johnson," the Vikings quarterback, he said at another point. "Don't you think Brad Johnson is a downgrade from Daunte Culpepper?" Good question, the kind that viewers might want to hear some opinion-slinging about.

Kornheiser's strongest opinion was his horror near the end of the game when it looked like Minnesota might push the game into overtime -- and keep him from getting to bed.

ESPN tried to force a little of Kornheiser's "PTI" mojo by instituting an in-game mini-feature called "Tony, Tony, Tony!" The idea is to have viewers e-mail their questions to Kornheiser, who answers them on the air. It played like it sounds -- contrived.

"What team deserves a fun nickname?" asked one e-mailer.

"That's the hardest question I ever heard," Kornheiser replied. "I don't know."

After a few moments, he did suggest a nickname (but not which team should get it): "Snakes on a plane."

Kind of reminded you of Dennis Miller. In a bad way.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/08/14/AR2006081401503_pf.html

fredfa

08-15-06, 12:30 PM

On the other hand…..
TV Sports
Kornheiser Steals the Show
ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' announcing team is off to a good start, especially the veteran columnist
By Larry StewartLos Angeles Times Staff Writer August 15, 2006

After its debut, one thing is clear about ESPN's "Monday Night Football" announcing team. It's a big cast — three game announcers and two sideline reporters — with one star.

And that star, as evidenced by ESPN's telecast Monday night of the Oakland Raiders' 16-13 exhibition victory over the Minnesota Vikings, is newcomer Tony Kornheiser. He was the focal point of the telecast, and all things considered, he not only survived but was pretty good.

He came across as less obnoxious than Howard Cosell, and funnier than Dennis Miller. Miller was put in the "Monday Night Football" booth for strictly entertainment purposes. Sure, Kornheiser is also there to entertain, but he is also able to inform.

The difference between Miller and Kornheiser is that Miller was never a credentialed journalist. Kornheiser is a longtime sports columnist for the Washington Post, and with that job comes the responsibility of knowing sports, studying sports and forming opinions about sports.

An example of what Kornheiser can bring to a game telecast occurred near the end of the second half Monday. Sideline reporter Suzy Kolber, interviewing the Raiders' Warren Sapp, asked him to throw a trivia question at Kornheiser. Said Sapp: What four quarterbacks who were No. 1 draft choices later were Super Bowl MVPs?

Kornheiser got two of them — John Elway and Jim Plunkett. He missed Terry Bradshaw and Troy Aikman. The significance wasn't that Kornheiser was able to name two of them, or not name two of them, it was that he had fun with it.

He also had fun when it appeared the game might go into overtime. Kornheiser, a notoriously early riser, complained it was already past his bedtime. When Vikings Coach Brad Childress decided to go for a winning touchdown rather than a tying field goal, Childress suddenly became Kornheiser's best friend.

So maybe it will be OK to make Kornheiser the star, and maybe commentating partner Joe Theismann will be accepting of that.

But, overall, this was a good debut for Kornheiser and ESPN, despite a minor slip-up by play-by-play announcer Mike Tirico at the top of the telecast. He said the two teams on the field, the Vikings and Raiders, would be featured when ESPN begins "Monday Night Football's" regular season with a doubleheader Sept. 11. But he also said the Vikings and Raiders would be on the road that night. Well, he was half right. The Vikings will be at Washington, but the Raiders will play host to San Diego.

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-montv15aug15,1,2539068,print.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports

generalpatton78

08-15-06, 12:39 PM

fredfa

08-15-06, 12:45 PM

Prime-time ratings for Monday– and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted at the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.
Monday’s network prime-time ratings are now at the top of RATINGS NEWS (the first post in this thread).

fredfa

08-15-06, 02:01 PM

(The more TV critics who actually see HDTV, the better off we all will be. Oh, and Mark Cuban keeps adding to the HDTV population, even if it is one viewer at a time.)
The Digital Revolution
Hypnotized by HDTV
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Tue, Aug. 15, 2006

When it comes to television sets, I come from a long line of late adopters.

My mother's often bragged that hers was the last family in their neighborhood to get a TV, probably about 1950 or so.

In high school at the time, she didn't care that her parents weren't keeping up with the Joneses. TVs "were these teensy little things and you could mostly only get ball games on them," she recalls.

My father, who loved TV - and ball games - stuck with black-and-white for years, arguing he was waiting till they worked out the bugs in the color.

With seven children to feed and clothe - and dispatch with a pair of pliers to switch channels, which passed for remote control in our house - he also had better places to put his money.

They must have worked out those bugs, because after we chipped in to buy him a color set in 1976, I never heard a word of complaint about the color.

In college then, I'd become so used to life without living color that I lived TV-free for several years. And though my husband's parents had been the first on their block to get a set, a 13-inch, black-and-white box was the main TV in our own first house as late as the mid-'80s.

Fast-forward 10 years, and I'm getting paid to write about TV. Most of my viewing's done on a 27-inch color set I'd won in a United Way raffle, and honestly, it looks fine to me, though most of my TV critic friends would've hooted with derision if they'd seen it.

When that one starts to flicker, I eventually replace it with a 24-inch flat-screen (but not flat panel) Sony, and a few years later, when the number of things I'm screening at home that can't be watched with kids around - as in just about anything from HBO or Showtime - exceeds the number of hours when they're asleep and I'm not, I add a 20-inch Sony for my study. A 13-inch TV/VCR combo in the kitchen allows me to watch the occasional screener while cooking dinner (back before most of the screeners arrived on DVD), and as far as I'm concerned, we're full up on TVs.

Sure, every time I walk into one of the neighbors' houses, I can't help noticing that one of their TV sets is bigger than our three combined, but I'm a pro: I don't need a 60-inch screen to see that "Deadwood" is better than "Biggest Loser," and all "high-def" means to me is seeing way too much of other people's pores.

Plus, every time I see the sticker on an HDTV set, it's flashing "trip to Europe, trip to Europe."

And that's where I was on the whole HDTV question until last month, when, during a press conference where Dan Rather and Mark Cuban were promoting Rather's new deal with Cuban's HDNet, it occurred to me that if I actually wanted to see Rather's latest reporting venture, I'd need a new TV set.

As it turns out, I'd also need a satellite dish, since Comcast doesn't carry HDNet here. And no one in her right mind actually goes high-def to see Dan Rather.

Still, once I'd started down that road, it was easy to think of work-related reasons that I needed the 32-inch Sony Bravia LCD I eventually bought on sale for, OK, maybe half a trip to Europe. (You can hear Daily News tech guru Jonathan Takiff talking me through the process on the latest Philly Feed podcast http://www.phillyfeed.com/archives/003629.html)

My friends told me this purchase would change the way I felt about TV, and they were right.

Since the new TV moved into our library, I find myself watching more screeners there. One result: The Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the subject of most of my viewing last week, now appear clearer to me than they did at the time, when I watched events unfold on the 13-inch office set.

I'm not sure that's a good thing.

Last week, I stayed up to watch CBS' "Late Show with David Letterman" for no other reason than to view the topography of guest Denis Leary's face. (Only guests seem to get the close-ups now that high-def's here, so I was spared too close a look at Dave.)

I've interviewed Leary, but even craning my neck to look up - he's got more than a foot on me - I'd have needed a magnifying glass to get the view "Late Show" fans got.

Again, I'm not sure that's a good thing.

I've never been much of a nature-show person, but it turns out that two of the most dependable players on Comcast's high-def lineup are the Discovery Channel and WHYY, so I find myself spending hours looking at sharks or penguins or old-growth forests when once I might've put down the remote and picked up a book.

And that can't be a good thing.

Can it?

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15275971.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Marcus Carr

08-15-06, 02:03 PM

Six Nets Join All-Digital Platform

By Karen Brown 8/15/2006 1:24:00 PM

Six more television-network groups are taking the all-digital plunge, inking contracts to have their East and West Coast satellite feeds delivered via Comcast Media Center’s and SES Americom’s joint Total Digital Solution platform.

The programmers are A&E Television Networks, Hallmark Channel, Jewelry Television, ION Media Networks, Oxygen Media and WGN. The six groups combined field 10 East and West Coast satellite feeds.

They join a list of programmers using the all-digital transport that includes Comcast properties E! Entertainment Television and G4, as well as PBS Kids Sprout, C-SPAN, Lifetime Networks and Food Network.

The Total Digital Solution offers an all-digital video-delivery backbone using CMC’s content-management services and SES’ AMC-4 satellite. It can deliver to cable operators all-digital-video feeds, secured authorization and digital program-insertion triggers used to place ad spots and high-quality video and audio.

“For the industry’s programming networks, Total Digital represents a cost-effective and complementary distribution method for reaching their affiliates,” CMC chief operating officer Gary Traver said.

“For cable operators, our Total Digital Solution offers a highly efficient means for launching all-digital service in their markets by shifting much of the investment, maintenance and quality assurance for digital compression to a company that’s been providing this service to the industry for over 12 years,” he added.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6362698.html?display=Breaking+News

fredfa

08-15-06, 04:43 PM

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

fredfa

08-15-06, 06:08 PM

I somehow neglected to file this last week – but even a week late it is a welcome update!
TV Sports
Gammons back at the ballfield
By Russ Charpentier Cape Cod Times

COTUIT--ESPN baseball analyst and Hall of Fame baseball writer Peter Gammons saw his first live baseball game in quite a while yesterday (last Wednesday), taking in a few innings of Game 1 of the Cape League's West Division playoffs at Lowell Park.

Gammons, a huge fan of the Cape League, suffered a brain aneurysm June 27 at his home on the Cape and last saw a game in person June 25, when he worked ESPN's Sunday Night Game in Chicago.

Gammons is best known around New England as the former Boston Globe baseball writer who penned a voluminous and highly informative Sunday baseball notes column. He is home after after emergency surgery in Boston and a stint in a rehabilitation center.

He was in his element back around baseball at Lowell Park, chatting with Cotuit manager Mike Roberts near the dugout before the game. Roberts is the father of Baltimore Orioles second baseman Brian Roberts. As always, Gammons was a wealth of stories about the league and its players, talking about a Barry Zito-Mark Mulder matchup in 1997 and some other memorable highlights.

''I'm feeling better but it will be awhile (before he gets back to work),'' said Gammons before the game. ''It's great to see baseball again and what better place. I was telling Mike Roberts my favorite player here was Josh Paul (1995 league MVP and batting champion for Kettleers' championship team). He played the right way, took batting practice the right way, ran the bases the right way. That's why he has six or seven years in in the majors and will be a manager someday. I remember Eric Byrnes practicing crashing into walls.''

The ever-popular Gammons received a big ovation when he was introduced before the game.

http://www.capecodonline.com/cctimes/sports/gammonsback9.htm

fredfa

08-15-06, 06:15 PM

TV Notebook
CBS to Stream for Free Next-Day Episodes of Top Shows
By Mike Shields MediaWeek.com AUGUST 15, 2006 -

Following ABC's much publicized move last spring to feature full-length episodes of several of its biggest prime-time hits on its Web site, CBS has announced that starting in September, it too will begin offering fans the ability to stream next-day episodes of seven of its top shows for free on its brodaband Web channel innertube. Included will be all three versions of CSI, Survivor, Numb3rs, NCIS and the yet-to-debut Jericho.

Each show will carry a limited amount of advertising, according to CBS. Most episodes will be available on the site for one month after their original air date, while episodes of Survivor and Jericho will remain online all season.

CBS launched innertube back in May of this year. Up until now, the Web site has featured mostly supplemental video content tied to existing CBS series, with the promise of several original shows to debut, including the upcoming dating series Hook Me Up.

Now, the site is likely to receive a major traffic boost with the arrival of shows like CSI, which is still one of the highest rated series on TV. “Making our new and returning prime-time series available to our viewers is the next step in innertube’s programming evolution," said CBS Digital Media president Larry Kramer. "It further helps us extend the reach of the CBS brand, provides a new avenue for advertisers to engage with our programming, which in turn creates a new source of revenue for our company.”

However, it remains to be seen just how attractive free streams of full episodes of networks shows will be for the average Web user. Back in May, ABC drew less than one million unique viewers to its own video portal, according to comScore Media Metrix, while AOL has garnered modest success by streaming older TV hits on its broadband platform In2TV. Plus, the majority of CBS's top shows are already available on the Web for purchase, via both Apple's iTunes Music store and Google Video.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002986872

fredfa

08-15-06, 06:20 PM

TV Notebook
Search Intensifies for Kidnapped Fox News Journalists in Gaza
By John M. Higgins Broadcasting & Cable 8/15/2006

Fox News secured meetings with top Palestinian officials to help to secure the release of a network correspondent and cameraman. Fox News’Jerusalem bureau chief, Eli Fastman, and chief Israeli correspondent Jennifer Griffin met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Tuesday.

The Associated Press reports that Palestinian security forces are hunting for correspondent Steve Centanni and freelance cameraman Olaf Wiig.

Former CNN executive Eason Jordan says that prodding government authorities to act is the most likely avenue for Fox News to secure the journalists' release. Jordan was, among other things was in charge of logistics for CNN's international crews and has started a consulting firm to for companies that have personnel deployed in war zones.

Once authorities identify which group kidnapped Centanni and Wiig, they can bring pressure to bear on the leadership to release the journalists, Jordan says.

Jordan notes that Gaza City is a very small place, there's not very many places to hide, not many secrets. And there's a lot of tipsters that can help to resolve things."

Fox News itself is keeping a low profile, reporting very little detail about the kidnapped journalist on its own air.

Gunmen abducted Centanni and Wiig Monday, using two vehicles to block Fox News’ vehicle -- clearly marked "TV". A masked man put a gun to the head of the crew’s bodyguard, then the kidnappers sped away with the two journalists.
Centanni has been with the network since it went on the air in 1996. His beats have included the Pentagon and the Supreme Court. He was embedded with a Navy Seal unit during the early day of the Iraqi war, and had covered military operations from Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Wiig's, who hold a passport from New Zealand, has worked extensively in Auckland, New Zealand and London shooting for news and entertainment shows plus TV commercials.

Foreign journalists are, from time to time, kidnapped in Palestinian territory and generally released without serious injury; however, those abductions occurred before war broke out between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6362499

fredfa

08-15-06, 07:10 PM

TV Sports
ESPN's MNF crew needs work
By Bob Young The Arizona Republic Aug. 15, 2006

We caught the debut of ESPN's version of Monday Night Football - well, it was more of a dress rehearsal than debut because they didn't even have Hank Williams Jr.'s Are You Ready for Some Football? cranked up yet.

Maybe he was in traffic court.

Anyway, the new three-man booth of Mike Tirico on play-by-play with Joe Theismann and Tony Kornheiser as sidekicks left us wondering why ESPN didn't just stick with its ESPN Sunday Night Football crew.

Tirico is fine as a play-by-play guy but certainly no better than Mike Patrick, who had terrific chemistry with Theismann and Paul Maguire.

They were ESPN's "A team," right? Why break them up?

You only had to see the opening segment to know this group's chemistry needs work. Kornheiser and Theismann were leaning so far away from Tirico that, at one point, part of Kornheiser's head actually went off the screen.

Kornheiser got off his best line right up front when Tirico introduced him.

"I've made it to it. Will I make it through it?" he said.

After that, not much. And when Minnesota's Troy Williamson fumbled the opening kickoff, he actually said, "You can't fumble the opening kickoff on a nationally televised show... "

It's only preseason, so we'll give them time. But we sure missed the give-and-take between Maguire and Theismann, who never were afraid to call each other out and who knew you actually can fumble an opening kickoff on a nationally televised show.

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/sports/articles/0815p2mondaynight0815.html

fredfa

08-15-06, 07:16 PM

Last week’s updated top 20 prime-time program ratings are now updated toward the bottom of RATINGS NEWS -- the first post in this thread.

fredfa

08-15-06, 07:23 PM

The Business of TV
Cox bucking cable-for-satellite TV trend
The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 16, 2006

NEW YORK -- Cable operator Cox Communications on Tuesday shared some data points to further press the recent bull case for the cable sector.

With many cable firms having added basic subscribers in recent quarters and satellite TV providers having lost customer growth momentum, observers have argued that cable's bundled services finally have stemmed a user exodus to the competition.

Since going private in late 2004, Cox no longer has to report its financial and subscriber trends.

However, the firm shed a little light on its competitive momentum Tuesday, saying that among new connections, its percentage of basic cable customers who are former satellite users has nearly doubled during the past two years from 6% in 2004 to 11% so far this year.

During the past year, Cox has won about 84,000 basic cable customers -- though not necessarily all from the satellite competition as some of the sign-ups also might come from households that previously received no multichannel TV service.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002986917

fredfa

08-15-06, 07:28 PM

TV Notebook
Telenovelas get their English translations
By Gary Levin USA Today August 15, 2006

Get ready for a telenovela invasion.

Following in the footsteps of reality and quiz shows, which exploded overseas before becoming hits in the USA, the prime-time Spanish-language soap opera finally is being translated for TV audiences in the USA. Shows on the way:

• Ugly Betty, based on Colombian hit Yo Soy Betty La Fea, premieres on ABC next month.

• Fox Television Stations is building its entire prime-time lineup, dubbed My Network TV, on a pair of rotating 13-week telenovelas that will air every weeknight.

• Lifetime will air 20 episodes of Bianca, based on a German show, on Saturdays starting in October.

And major broadcast networks remain interested in multiple weekly episodes for next summer.

What do all have in common? They're soapy, over-the-top and either winking or unintentionally comedic, though "bosoms may not heave as much" as in Latin versions, says CBS programming chief Nina Tassler, who adds that she would like to air a novela two or three times a week next summer.

Unlike traditional prime-time dramas, "novelas don't have roots in reality. They're very broad, they're very slapstick," says Tony Plana, who plays Ugly Betty's father, describing his show as more satirical and sophisticated.

"I was always subjected to telenovelas growing up," says Cuban-American Betty producer Silvio Horta. "I both hated and got addicted to them. The very arch, overly dramatic style and overacting was also something that kept us intrigued. And there were always these big themes of unrequited love and class differences, these things that resonated with everyone."

And, producers hope, still do.

They're seeking English-speaking Latino viewers as well as crossover audiences.

Overseas, the shows are produced dirt-cheap, and unlike daytime soaps, they air in closed-ended three- to six-month cycles, then are replaced by new shows.

Only My Network TV plans that low-budget format of five nights a week, starting Sept. 5. Desire, with Michelle Belegrin, Nate Haden and Zack Silva, and Fashion House, starring Bo Derek and Morgan Fairchild, shot 65 episodes in only 11 weeks. Fox will air them on former UPN or WB stations and other stations in most of the country. Recaps will air on Saturdays.

Two new shows starring Tatum O'Neal and Casper Van Dien will start in December and also are adapted from scripts produced overseas.

Fox Stations chief Jack Abernethy says novelas are can't-miss.

"People watch soaps in the day, and they're very popular, so why wouldn't they be popular in prime time?"

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-08-14-ugly-betty-main_x.htm

fredfa

08-15-06, 07:29 PM

TV Notebook
Plot: Pretty is as pretty does
By Gary Levin USA Today August 15, 2006

LOS ANGELES — The show: Ugly Betty

The premiere: Sept. 28, 8 p.m. ET/PT, ABC

The concept: A homely Queens gal gets her dream job at a tony fashion magazine and tries to fit in.

The challenge: Translating Spanish-language telenovelas for non-Latino viewers.

The title alone dares you to gawk.

When the Colombian telenovela first appeared in 1999 as Yo Soy Betty la Fea ("I am Betty the Ugly"), "it was harsh, it was in your face, it was intriguing, and it was funny," says Silvio Horta, a Cuban-American who created ABC's version due next month.

But the monster hit, adapted around the world, took six years to wind up on American TV after several scripts failed to strike the right balance of heart and humor. Finally, producer Ben Silverman recruited actress Salma Hayek, who got her start on Mexican telenovelas, to help produce the show. Last month they visited the set and settled on Horta's winning treatment.

Hayek sees the title as a sarcastic take on a classic fish-out-of-water series. "It's about how Betty is not ugly, but she is working in an ugly environment full of beautiful people," she says. "She has a sense of humor about who she is and a self-confidence that a lot of times pretty girls don't have."

The show, labeled a comedy, follows Betty (America Ferrera) into two worlds: her humble Queens home, where her ailing, widowed father (Tony Plana) needs her support, and the swanky Manhattan offices of high-fashion Mode. The magazine's owner hires Betty as an assistant for his son, who is the womanizing editor (Eric Mabius), only because she's too homely for him. She eventually helps him navigate the fashion world and battle editrix Wilhelmina (Vanessa Williams), who is vengeful after she is passed over for the top job.

"It's a reverse Cinderella story," says Ferrera, 22, who plays Betty Suarez aided by braces, glasses and a hideous wardrobe.

"She reminds other people how to be human again, how to be alive. She's nice, and she's kind, and she's human, but that doesn't mean she's stupid, and she's not naive."

Betty veers from satire to over-the-top soap to heartfelt drama, but Horta says he has no interest in a swan-like physical transformation. That would subvert the premise: "A lot of Betty's growth is learning to deal with the reality of the workplace and reality of this fashion world that is built on deception and lies and superficiality. She's able to effect her own change on these people."

Says Mabius: "I teach her how to move through the adult world, and she teaches me how to be a human being. (We) seem like the unlikeliest of pairs; we're both flawed in totally different ways. But you realize through the course of the series that she is the only together one."

Hayek appears in cameos as a slap-happy maid in Betty's dad's favorite novela. How much fun is that? "Can you imagine? It was hysterical, it was hilarious," she says. Let's just hope she doesn't upstage Betty.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-08-14-ugly-betty-inside_x.htm

foxeng

08-15-06, 08:35 PM

fredfa

08-15-06, 11:33 PM

TV Sports
'MNF' pads ESPN's ratings
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 16, 2006

NEW YORK -- The debut of ESPN's "Monday Night Football" scored the network's highest preseason ratings in three years, though the ratings are off significantly from last year's preseason premiere on ABC.

Monday night's matchup between the Oakland Raiders and the Minnesota Vikings averaged 5.4 million total viewers (including 2.7 million adults 18-49), according to data released Tuesday by Nielsen Media Research.

That's up considerably from the 4.2 million viewers (including 2.1 million adults 18-49) who watched ESPN's preseason opener, the San Diego Chargers vs. the Green Bay Packers, on Thursday, Aug. 11, 2005.

But ESPN's "Monday Night Football" fumbled in comparison to ABC's "Monday Night Football" opener, the Chicago Bears-Miami Dolphins' Hall of Fame game on Aug. 8, 2005. That game brought in 9.1 million viewers, including 4.5 million adults 18-49.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/brief_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1002986983

fredfa

08-15-06, 11:39 PM

TV Notebook
Let's play catch-up
"Battlestar" recaps, "Star Trek" revisits the past, and "Ugly Betty" starts to look promising
By Joanne Ostrow Denver Post TV Critic 08/15/2006

What are the two most-feared words of the upcoming television season?

"Previously on ..."

With a slew of serialized dramas heading our way this fall, viewers are going to be hearing that voice-over a lot and are right to be worried about keeping track. Some of the best and most dense dramas will open with a recap, bringing viewers up to speed and reaching out to first-timers with key plot points.

Here's hoping the narrative recap doesn't begin to feel like homework.

This week, a returning series relaunches the same way, aiming to bring new geeks into the fold. "Battlestar Galactica: The Story So Far" is airing across all NBC Universal networks, notably NBC, SciFi, USA, Bravo and

SciFi.com's broadband channel, Pulse. Not to mention iTunes and XBox Live. There also will be portions available for download on YouTube, given away as DVDs at Universal Studios theme parks and, if they could, through the AV club at an afterschool meeting in a town near you.

In-store, on-air; here, there and everywhere. Most newcomers will catch the recaps Sept. 15 or 18 on USA, or Sept. 29 or 30 on Bravo, leading up to the season three premiere Oct. 6 on SciFi.

The one-hour recap, told through the voice of Laura Roslin (Mary McDonnell), the former president, now resistance leader, will chronicle the ongoing struggle of humanity versus its deadly enemy, the

Nylons. Er, make that Cylons. I admit I haven't kept up. But the primer promises to take a laser gun to that problem.

"Betty" looking better

ABC signaled its high hopes for "Ugly Betty," its most talked- about hour for fall,
by giving the series a plum, competitive Thursday night slot.

Moving "Betty" from the black hole of Friday night, the network put the promising series on Thursdays, locally at 7 on Channel 7, as a lead-in to blockbuster "Grey's Anatomy" and newcomer "Six Degrees."

"Ugly Betty" is the Americanized version of a popular Colombian telenovela. America Ferrera plays a rather homely young woman who lands a job at a snooty fashion magazine. Vanessa Williams portrays the evil magazine editor. Salma Hayek is an executive producer and appears on a campy tele-novela within the series.

Replacing "Betty" on Fridays is another run of "America's Funniest Home Videos." The two comedies originally slated on Thursday night, "Big Day" and "Notes from the Underbelly," will be held until later in the season.

Leading off the evening in the tough Thursday night battle, "Ugly Betty" goes up against "Survivor" on CBS and the sitcoms "My Name is Earl" and "The Office" on NBC.

"Betty" premieres Sept. 28.

Pimples and more

Nick News turns its gaze to the awkward years in a celebrity-studded half-hour about adolescence. "Nick News with Linda Ellerbee: The Worst Years of My Life? Surviving Middle School," is a kid-friendly report on the chaos, bodily changes, self-doubts, raging hormones and, not least, homework of middle school.

In addition to numerous kids voicing their current concerns, the show features Shawn and Marlon Wayans, Jon Stewart, Megan Mullally, R.L. Stine, Jewel, Judy Blume, Nelly Furtado, Cynthia Nixon, Taylor Hicks ("American Idol") and other middle-school survivors. The report airs at 6:30 p.m. Sunday on Nickelodeon.

"Middle school is a different scenario because the lockers are finally big enough that, when the other kids would shove me into them, I had breathing room," Stewart recalls.

Junior high or middle school, no matter what you call it, is "more than a place," Ellerbee characteristically understates.

This show succeeds as a light effort to assure kids that they are not alone in feeling the pain of middle school. Clearly there's room for a more scientific, investigative, documentary approach to the issue for adults.

Beam it up

The 40th anniversary of "Star Trek" (1966-69) will be duly noted by TV Land on Friday, Sept. 8, when the network airs four of the most talked about episodes in primetime (including Captain Kirk and Uhura sharing TV's first interracial kiss!). The reruns join the TV Land roster Nov. 17.

http://www.denverpost.com/ostrow

fredfa

08-15-06, 11:46 PM

Hey, wasn't Dallas, Knot's Landing, Dynasty (wasn't Joan Collins the "original b*tch"?), etc English one a week telenovelas instead of every night? How about all of the daytime soaps? Can't they be called telenovelas?

Just a question to ponder.

Generally, as I understand it, foxeng, telenovas have a definite end point. In the case of the MyNetworkTV shows, they will all run, as you know, 65 episodes -- 13 weeks.

A show must be on multiple times a week to fall under the telanova umbrella -- at least how the term is currently being used.

Certainly the shows you mentioned were considered prime time soaps to a great extent, though.

(And I am not sure Joan was the "original" bitch. Not trying to be sexist here, but I suspect she was preceded by a few thousand years.) :rolleyes:

fredfa

08-16-06, 12:15 AM

Nielsen Notebook
Reruns push CBS to No. 1
By Gary Levin USA Today

•Encore, encore. A dominant rerun performance helped CBS to a No. 1 finish in viewers for the 11th consecutive week, continuing its summer-long winning streak. Repeats of Monday's CSI: Miami (11.4 million viewers) and Two and a Half Men (10.4 million) finished first and second in viewers, and two reruns of Without a Trace, one in its old Thursday slot and another in its new fall Sunday position, each made the top 10. CBS and NBC tied for first in advertiser-prized young adults (viewers 18 to 49).

•Head of the class. TNT's movie The Ron Clark Story attracted 6.8 million viewers, making it basic cable's top weekly broadcast and its most-watched original movie of the year. A same-night rebroadcast of the film, starring Matthew Perry as a real-life teacher, also made cable's weekly top 20.

•Shake and bake. Two Fox reality series, So You Think You Can Dance and Hell's Kitchen, tied for the top spot among young adults. Each series attracted slightly more than 5 million viewers ages 18 to 49. Dance's final performance show was the week's third-most-watched program (10.1 million).

•Somebody's watching them. Big Brother: All Stars' Tuesday and Sunday editions attracted their largest audiences of the season (7.5 million and 7.3 million, respectively). Another CBS reality series, Rock Star: Supernova, matched bests in viewers and young adults on its Tuesday edition (6.3 million).

•Cleaning up. Cable's SOAPnet attracted its largest weekly prime-time audience ever (377,000 viewers), helped by a same-day broadcast of a General Hospital story arc featuring Dancing with the Stars first-season champ Kelly Monaco.

•The party's over. ABC pulled One Ocean View, a reality series following singles in a beach house, after the second episode drew an even smaller audience (2.7 million) than its weak premiere.

•Dog bites Gene.Gene Simmons: Family Jewels has its work cut out if it wants to topple another A&E series, Dog the Bounty Hunter. Dog snatched 4.5 million viewers; the Kiss performer and his family drew 1.9 million for their premiere.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-08-15-nielsen-analysis_x.htm

fredfa

08-16-06, 01:22 AM

HDTV Sales Soar

In case you missed them, Ken H has posted some good HDTV sales stories here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=711552

and here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=711072

(Price plummet, sales soar. What a concept!)

fredfa

08-16-06, 01:35 AM

TV Sports
'Monday Night' Attracts 5.4 Million Viewers
By Richard Sandomir The New York Times August 16, 2006

ESPN’s first showing of “Monday Night Football” attracted 5.4 million viewers, a 25.6 percent leap above the 4.3 million for the network’s first preseason game last year, which occurred on a Thursday night.

It was the third-most-viewed preseason game on ESPN.

But ESPN faltered in comparison with viewership of “Monday Night” last season, the last of its long run on ABC Sports.

The 5.4 million who watched the Oakland-Minnesota game represented a 40 percent drop from the 9.1 million viewers for the first “Monday Night” game last year on ABC.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/08/16/sports/football/16sportsbriefs5.ready.html?pagewanted=print

foxeng

08-16-06, 07:40 AM

Generally, as I understand it, foxeng, telenovas have a definite end point. In the case of the MyNetworkTV shows, they will all run, as you know, 65 episodes -- 13 weeks.

A show must be on multiple times a week to fall under the telanova umbrella -- at least how the term is currently being used.

Certainly the shows you mentioned were considered prime time soaps to a great extent, though.

Yeah, I know what the definition of a telenovela is, but I personally think it is kinda funny how all of the hype for night soap operas. IMO, just the same thing repackaged. Now I am not saying that is a bad thing. I do on occasion when flipping past one of the Spanish ones, will stop and catch the eye candy since I don't speak Spanish and have no idea what they are saying. Don't know if they will still have the same appeal if I know what they are saying. :)

Marcus Carr

08-16-06, 09:59 AM

Shocking news!

Retailers Upset Over HDTV DVDs

Officials say sales are slow and consumers are confused.

By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (August 16, 2006) -- Several top retailers said yesterday that sales of new High-Definition DVD players are slower than expected.

The executives made their remarks at DisplaySearch's 4th annual HDTV conference in Beverly Hills.

The retailers blamed a limited number of titles in the new format; the format war between Sony and Toshiba; and some early technical snags in the players themselves.

Sony has launched the Blu-ray DVD while Toshiba has released the HD-DVD. The two formats are not compatible, meaning one disc won't play on the other's machine.

“This whole high-definition DVD is the worst execution that’s happened in the industry,” said David Workman, executive director of the PRO Buying Group, which serves independent retailers. “There’s a format war going on, and we need correct software support. So it has been stacked up to create failure. … It’s a race to see who can string the tightest noose [around their format].”

(Workman's comments were quoted by Video Business Online.)

Video Business says Ken Crane CEO Casey Crane told the conference that his store employees were 'embarrassed' while performing early demonstrations of Sony's Blu-ray player. He said the picture quality was not much better than standard DVDs.

Crane says the picture quality has improved since a software glitch was fixed. Still, he said "sales are lighter than we anticipated."

http://www.tvpredictions.com/retailershd081606.htm

(The usual "insightful" comments from Phillip Swann have been omitted.)

fredfa

08-16-06, 10:24 AM

I am sure that was a sarcastic "Shocking news!" remark, Marcus.

Who would have expected that a machine that costs $500 (to $1,000 for its rival) and for which there is virtually no software would sell well?

Especially since people are generally happy with their regular DVD players which now can be bought for under $50 and which feature software of tens of thousands of titles?

I think consumers are doing themselves proud: why rush to buy something that is outrageously expensive and whose format may not survive?

fredfa

08-16-06, 10:31 AM

Cable Nielsen Notebook
'Weeds' 5.8M Premiere Boosts Showtime
From Channel Island: The TV Industry Blog by Scott Collins in the Los Angeles Times

Monday's second-season premiere of "Weeds" scored big for Showtime. The drama with Mary-Louise Parker as a pot-dealing suburban mom delivered a total of 5.8 million viewers, up 18% compared with the first-season debut a year ago, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research.

That's not quite a "Sopranos"-worthy number, but the growing strength of "Weeds" could prove a game-changer for Showtime, which has labored for years in the shadow of pay-cable rival HBO. "Weeds" had the best second-season launch of any show in the network's history, and Showtime now has a series whose ratings could make HBO executives envious. Indeed, through the first six episodes this season, HBO's highly promoted polygamy drama "Big Love" averaged just 3.9 million viewers.

Best of all for Showtime, "Weeds" is drawing a young audience. The number of young people (ages 18 to 34) who viewed Monday's episode nearly doubled compared with the first season debut.

http://hollywoodhotline.typepad.com/watcher/2006/08/weeds_58m_premi.html

fredfa

08-16-06, 10:33 AM

Obituary
Bruno Kirby, 57
Character Actor in Film and Television
The Los Angeles Times August 16, 2006

Bruno Kirby, a veteran character actor who costarred in "When Harry Met Sally," "City Slickers" and many other films, died Monday in Los Angeles of complications from leukemia. He was 57.

fredfa

08-16-06, 10:38 AM

Obituary
Bruno Kirby, 57
From Wikipedia

Bruno Kirby (Born Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Jr.) (April 28, 1949 – August 14, 2006), was an American character actor. He was the son of actor Bruce Kirby (Bruno Giovanni Quidaciolu, Sr.) and brother of Los Angeles acting coach, John Kirby.

Kirby made his film debut in the little-seen The Young Graduates (1971), before being cast as Richard S. Castellano's son on the sitcom The Super. Later that year, interestingly, Castellano was in The Godfather (1972) as hefty Pete Clemenza, a prominent member of the Corleone crime family, a role Kirby would play as a younger version in the sequel, The Godfather: Part II (listed in the credits as 'B. Kirby, Jr.'), which helped raise the actor's profile in Hollywood.

Described by film critic Leonard Maltin as "the quintessential New Yorker or cranky straight man", Bruno Kirby displayed his talents in a series of comedies, typically playing fast-talking, belligerent, yet strangely lovable characters. The most well-known of these are The Freshman, This Is Spinal Tap, Good Morning, Vietnam (as jealous U.S. Army officer Lt. Hauk, obsessed with polka music and unaware of his own mediocre comedic skills), Modern Romance as Albert Brooks' fellow film editor, and City Slickers (as one of Billy Crystal's character's best friends). Kirby also played the best friend of another Crystal character in When Harry Met Sally.... Additionally, Kirby performed dramatic roles, proving himself in Donnie Brasco and Sleepers.

In an interview on Bob Costas' Later show, Kirby revealed that, like his character in Spinal Tap, he was a fanatical fan of Frank Sinatra. He was also deathly allergic to horses, and needed daily allergy shots on the set of City Slickers.

Kirby was a popular character actor through the late '80s and early '90s, although his star fell somewhat as the decade wore on. Near the end of his life he was increasingly working on television. He played a paroled convict out for revenge in an episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. More recently, he played Phil Rubenstein in the HBO series Entourage.

Kirby married actress Lynn Sellers in 2004. On August 14th, 2006, Kirby died in Los Angeles from complications related to leukemia. According to the Associated Press, he had only recently been diagnosed with the disease. He was 57.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruno_Kirby

fredfa

08-16-06, 10:47 AM

Weekly Nielsen Notebook
Telltale clue: Sinking summer for 'CSI'
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 16, 2006

Once the most-watched show on television, CBS’s “CSI” is in a mini-slump that began during the second half of the regular season and has worsened this summer with ratings for reruns down sharply from last year.

Though it’s risky to read too much into repeats, the fact that the trend has continued in the summer can’t be too comforting for CBS, which is already trying to paint “CSI” as the underdog when ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” slips into the Thursday 9 p.m. timeslot this fall.

“CSI’s” softening speaks to a general trend for CBS shows, which are beginning to show their age after years of dominance. While no one expects CBS to slip behind NBC this season in adults 18-49, there are signs pointing to a weaker year.

“CSI” averaged a 2.9 in adults 18-49 last week, the week ended Aug. 13, down 29 percent from last summer’s 4.1 average, according to Nielsen numbers crunched by Horizon Media. Only once over the past five weeks has a regularly scheduled “CSI” crept above a 3.0.

Certainly some of the decline can be attributed to tougher timeslot competition. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” and NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” are both outperforming what the networks had in the timeslot last year, making reruns a tougher sell for CBS.

Yet even so, last year “CSI” was often the week’s top-ranked show. This year it’s finished out of the top five several times. It continues a trend that began near the end of the most recent season, when “CSI’s” season finale average fell 22 percent from last year, from a 10.6 to an 8.3.

It’s possible that the summer ratings are merely a glitch and that “CSI” will be strong as ever come fall. However, it’s also possible that the “CSI” trend speaks to a greater problem for CBS: that its returning and now aging shows, while still quite strong among total viewers, aren’t doing as well among 18-49s and will dip further in the fall.

That puts the network in a bit of a holding pattern. The shows aren’t doing poorly enough to cancel yet they’re also not growing. “Without a Trace” also declined at the end of last season, as did “Survivor” and “Two and a Half Men.”

As one media veteran puts it, “CBS seems to be suffering a kind of inertia caused by ratings too good to scream cancellation, but not good enough to win the season.”

CBS did not return a call for comment yesterday.

Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended Aug. 13:

Among adults 18-49, CBS and NBC tied for first with a 2.2 rating and 7 share, followed by Fox at 2.1/7, ABC at 1.8/6, Univision at 1.4/4, UPN at 0.8/2, the WB at 0.7/2, Telemundo at 0.4/1 and Telefutura at 0.2/1.

Among adults 18-34, Fox held its advantage with a 2.1/8, followed by NBC at 1.8/6, CBS at 1.6/6, Univision at 1.6/5, ABC at 1.4/5, UPN at 0.8/3, the WB at 0.7/2, Telemundo at 0.4/1 and Telefutura at 0.2/1.

Among adults 25-54, CBS led at 2.7/8, followed by NBC at 2.6/7, Fox at 2.3/7, ABC at 2.2/6, Univision at 1.3/4, UPN at 0.8/2, the WB at 0.7/2, Telemundo at 0.4/1 and Telefutura at 0.2/1.

Top five (18-49s): 1. Fox's "So You Think You Can Dance-Wed.," Fox's "Hell's Kitchen" 3.9; 3. CBS’s “CSI: Miami” 3.5; 4. NBC’s “NFL Preseason Pregame,” CBS’s “Two and a Half Men,” NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” 3.2

Top five (total viewers): 1. CBS’s “CSI: Miami” 11.42 million; 2. CBS’s “Two and a Half Men” 10.40 million; 3. Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance-Wed.” 10.1 million; 4. CBS’s “CSI” 9.76 million; 5. NBC's "America's Got Talent" 9.67 million

Bottom five (18-49s): Tie-102. UPN's “All of Us,” WB’s “Charmed” (two shows), WB’s “7th Heaven” UPN's "Cuts" 0.5, UPN’s "Veronica Mars," UPN’s “Half and Half-Wed.,” WB’s “Just Legal” 0.6; Tie-110. WB's “Twins,” WB’s "One Tree Hill," WB’s “What I Like About You” 0.5; 113. UPN's "Veronica Mars-8 p.m.” 0.4

Bottom five (total viewers): Tie-109. UPN's "Veronica Mars," WB’s “One Tree Hill” 1.38 million; 111. UPN’s “All of Us-Wed.” 1.37 million; 112. UPN’s “Half and Half-Wed.” 1.36 million; 113. UPN's "Veronica Mars-8 p.m." 1.14 million

Show on the rise: "Primetime," ABC, 10 p.m., Thursday. A special report on the foiled terrorist attacks in Britain boosted the newsmagazine to its best rating among adults 25-54, a 3.5, since April 6 and its best total viewers, 8.4 million, since March 23.

Show on the decline: "Big Brother-Tuesday," CBS, 8 p.m., Tuesday. Last week’s episode averaged a 2.8 in 18-49s, down 17 percent from the same week last year.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6671.asp

fredfa

08-16-06, 11:07 AM

The Business of TV
Annual cable/satellite satisfaction rankings
Bright House Networks, Cox Communications, DIRECTV and WOW! Lead Regional Customer Satisfaction Rankings
J.D. Power and Associates News Release

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif.: 16 August 2006 — Although cable TV service continues to lose market share to satellite, penetration of digital cable has increased 11 percentage points, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2006 Residential Cable/Satellite Satisfaction StudySM released today.

The study finds the industry-wide penetration of digital cable has increased from 30 percent in the 2005 study to 41 percent in 2006, largely fueled by the increased availability of digital video, data and voice bundling options. Currently, 29 percent of U.S. households subscribe to satellite service alone—up 2 percent since the 2005 study—while 58 percent of households subscribe only to cable—down from 60 percent in the 2005 study. An additional 1 percent of households subscribe to both cable and satellite services, with a total of 88 percent of households with either or both.

“Digital service is the key for consumers in taking advantage of the aggressively marketed ‘triple play’ bundle of digital video, voice and Internet services,” said Steve Kirkeby, executive director of telecommunications and technology research at J.D. Power and Associates. “With analog cable subscribers increasingly converting to digital, this becomes a major advantage for cable companies in the race against satellite providers to maintain market share.”

Increased popularity of bundled services is also a likely contributor to a decrease in monthly payments for cable subscribers. Cable customers report spending $58 monthly—down $1 from 2005—while satellite subscribers report spending $61 per month for service—up $3 from a year ago.

Although satellite providers still have a significant lead over cable providers in overall customer satisfaction, cable providers continue to close the satisfaction gap. The difference in satisfaction scores between cable and satellite subscribers is currently 50 index points on a 1,000-point scale—down from a 69-point gap in 2005. Satisfaction for cable and satellite providers has fallen 29 and 48 points, respectively, since 2005.

“Recent mergers and acquisitions within the cable industry will undoubtedly impact satisfaction in the very near future,” said Kirkeby. “During an acquisition, subscribers are likely to be more sensitive to how their carrier is going to impact the reliability of service and whether there will be any changes to the price structure or payment plan. These two areas are the most critical factors driving a customer’s intent to switch carriers.”

The use of digital video recorders (DVRs), which allow viewers to freeze and record live TV, has increased significantly since 2005. Thirty-eight percent of cable subscribers and 25 percent of satellite subscribers report that they are using DVRs supplied by their provider. Another 24 percent of cable and satellite customers report using TiVo as their DVR.

For the first time, the study measures customer satisfaction with cable and satellite TV providers in four regional segments: North Central, East, West and South. The shift to an expanded regional ranking structure in the study was made to provide respondents with choices more applicable to their regional markets. Within each segment, six factors are measured to determine overall customer satisfaction: customer service, performance and reliability, image, billing, cost of service, and offerings and promotions. Study results by region are:

North Central Region: WOW! ranks highest in the region with an index score of 708 points—the highest satisfaction score in the study. WOW! receives top ratings from customers in five of the six study factors: customer service, performance and reliability, billing, cost of service, and offerings and promotions. DIRECTV follows WOW! in the North Central region rankings with a score of 677 points.

East Region: DIRECTV ranks highest in the East with an overall index score of 686 points, receiving the highest ratings from customers in performance and reliability, billing, image, cost of service, and offerings and promotions. Cox Communications follows with an overall score of 664 points.

West Region: Cox Communications ranks highest in the region with a score of 690 points. Cox receives top ratings from customers in customer service, performance and reliability, image, billing, and offerings and promotions. DISH Network ranks second overall in the West with a score of 662 points.

South Region: Bright House Networks ranks highest in the South region with an index score of 682 points. Bright House receives the highest ratings from customers in customer service, image, billing, and offerings and promotions. DIRECTV follows Bright House in the South region with a score of 676 points.

http://www.jdpower.com/telecom/ratings/cable_satellite/results/index.asp?v1=West

fredfa

08-16-06, 12:11 PM

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

HDTVChallenged

08-16-06, 12:12 PM

I think consumers are doing themselves proud: why rush to buy something that is outrageously expensive and whose format may not survive?

the problem, of course, is that the bean counters are sure to conclude (wrongly) that there's no appetite for HD media in general and optical format specifically.

After the D-Theater/DVHS sputter, the heretofore slow uptake of broadcast and cable HD, combined with the apparent increasing (and maddening) consumer interest in things like streamed video (in tiny windows,) video iPods (in tiny, tiny windows,) cellular video (in even tinier windows,) who could blame the bean counters for reaching that conclusion. Heretofore, consumers appear to be saying, 'Give us more crap? Tastes good and it's less filling?' :D

The SD-DVD success appears to be the lone exception to the rule in recent years.

fredfa

08-16-06, 12:21 PM

Perhaps if they provided quality content (the movies available so far in the HD FVD and Blu-ray formats are overwhelmingly underwhelming) and showed some real reason to trade a perfectly good DVD player in for one that costs from 10 to 20 times as much, the effort might not be stalling.

How about CSI and Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy and some top tier movies as lures?

And how about making a player which shows both formats? (Or better yet having just one format.)

Many people still remember being "stuck" with a Betamax unit.

SD DVD has clear advantages over VHS -- there was obviously better ease of use, PQ, indexing and extras.

HD DVD formats are seen as incrementally better -- maybe -- by most consumers.

We have already seen some and I suspect we'll be seeing more and more stories about how video iPod, cellar video and even streaming videos are underperforming compared with projections.

A few years down the road when HD videostreaming is available to HDTVs, then it will take off.

fredfa

08-16-06, 12:28 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Crowning tears: Miss Teen USA skids
Rerun of NBC copper wins timeslot with a 3.0
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 16, 2006, 11:10

It has not been a great summer for specials on any network. ABC’s country music fest earlier this summer did poorly, as have special episodes of cable shows from their sister networks aired by NBC and Fox. A special inviting viewers to vote on "Big Brother's" then-upcoming all-star edition was disappointing.

Last night the trend continued with NBC’s “Miss Teen USA,” which may have set a record for the lowest household rating in the pageant’s 23 years on television.

“Teen” averaged a 3.8 overnight household rating, down 3 percent from last year’s record-low-tying 3.9 for the pageant, which aired on a Friday.

Its 1.7 average in adults 18-49 was down 23 percent from last year’s 2.2, and it managed just 5.6 million total viewers. If that number holds when final ratings are released later today, it will rank only behind the 2004 “Teen” pageant, which averaged 5.34 million for NBC.

“Teen” once had very healthy ratings. At its peak, the pageant averaged 22 million viewers on CBS in 1988, and even as recently as 1999, it averaged more than 10 million. But disinterest in beauty pageants has grown over the past decade, and ratings for summer broadcast programming in general have declined as well.

Meanwhile, Fox was No. 1 for the night with a 3.1 rating and 9 share among 18-49s, followed by CBS at 2.7/8, NBC at 2.0/6, ABC at 1.9/6, Univision at 1.6/5, UPN at 0.7/2 and the WB at 0.6/2.

At 8 p.m., CBS's "Big Brother 7: All-Stars" led at 3.1, ahead of Fox's "House" rerun at 2.6 and Univision's "La Fea Mas Bella" at 2.0, while ABC's pair of "According to Jim" repeats and NBC's "Teen" each averaged 1.5. UPN's "Veronica Mars" rerun averaged a 0.7, followed by WB's "Gilmore Girls" repeat at 0.6.

At 9 p.m., Fox was No. 1 at 3.7 for another "House" rerun, the drama’s best rating of the summer, ahead of a 3.0 for CBS's "Rock Star: Supernova," and a 1.9 each for NBC with the second hour of "Teen USA" and ABC with two more "Jim" reruns. Univision averaged a 1.6 for "Barrera de Amor," followed by UPN at 0.7 for a "Mars" rerun and WB at 0.6 for a "Girls" repeat.

At 10 p.m., NBC led at 2.5 for a "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" rerun, while ABC's "Primetime: The Outsiders" and CBS's "48 Hours Mystery" rerun each earned a 2.2. Univision's "¡Qué Madre Tan Padre!" followed at 1.0.

Among households, Fox led for the night at a 5.8 rating and 10 share, followed by CBS at 4.6/8, NBC at 4.4/8, ABC at 3.5/6, Univision at 2.0/3, UPN at 1.6/3 and WB at 1.2/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6698.asp

RussTC3

08-16-06, 12:46 PM

Fast National ratings for Tuesday, Aug. 15th

CBS began the night in first with the 5.1/9 for "Big Brother: All-Stars." FOX's "House" was in second with a 5.0/9. NBC's coverage of the Miss Teen USA pageant was third with a 3.5/6 outdoing a pair of "According to Jim" episodes on ABC. UPN's "Veronica Mars" posted a solid 1.6/3, beating The WB's "Gilmore Girls" for fifth.

The second episode of "House" improved to a 6.6/11 for FOX, making for an easy 9 p.m. win. NBC's beauty pageant moved up to second, nipping the 4.0/7 for "Rock Star Supernova" on CBS. ABC kept airing episodes of "According to Jim," staying in fourth. UPN's "Veronica Mars" was up to a 1.7/3, still beating the 1.2/2 for The WB's "Gilmore Girls."
I'm really liking those re-run numbers for Veronica Mars. Solid indeed. Hopefully a good amount of those viewers are new to the show and will watch in Season 3.
Cable Nielsen Notebook
'Weeds' 5.8M Premiere Boosts Showtime
From Channel Island: The TV Industry Blog by Scott Collins in the Los Angeles Times
Wow, that's a very good premiere.

nikeykid

08-16-06, 01:00 PM

the problem, of course, is that the bean counters are sure to conclude (wrongly) that there's no appetite for HD media in general and optical format specifically.

After the D-Theater/DVHS sputter, the heretofore slow uptake of broadcast and cable HD, combined with the apparent increasing (and maddening) consumer interest in things like streamed video (in tiny windows,) video iPods (in tiny, tiny windows,) cellular video (in even tinier windows,) who could blame the bean counters for reaching that conclusion. Heretofore, consumers appear to be saying, 'Give us more crap? Tastes good and it's less filling?' :D

The SD-DVD success appears to be the lone exception to the rule in recent years.

hey! i'm a bean counter. i can conclude that bean counters with hdtvs think HDTV media is going to drive the next century of growth and prosperity worldwide! even tho i've never plugged in a number in regards to the industry :\

HDTVChallenged

08-16-06, 01:27 PM

hey! i'm a bean counter. i can conclude that bean counters with hdtvs think HDTV media is going to drive the next century of growth and prosperity worldwide! even tho i've never plugged in a number in regards to the industry :\

LOL ... then please share your feelings and intuitions with your fellow bean counters (at USDTV, Emmis, NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, Sinclair, E*, D*, TWC, Comcast ... any given local broadcaster ... and especially those at the "Studio/Production" houses ... ) cause they don't seem to be sharing your viewpoint (easily anyway.) :)

fredfa

08-16-06, 02:22 PM

TV Notebook
Nielsen Basics

If information about television interests you, here is a good source, from A.C. Nielsen, for some basic information about television viewership.

fredfa

08-16-06, 02:30 PM

I'm really liking those re-run numbers for Veronica Mars. Solid indeed. Hopefully a good amount of those viewers are new to the show and will watch in Season 3...

I wish I shared your optimism Russ.

Take a look at last week's Nielsen ratings (by total viewers in the millions).

The results are nowhere near as promising:

Rank-Program---Network-Viewers in millions
120 Supernatural WB 1.86
121 America's Next Top Model 6 UPN 1.85
122 Hora Pico UNI 1.83
123 7th Heaven (8 p.m.) WB 1.81
124 7th Heaven (9 p.m.) WB 1.69
125t Eve UPN 1.67
125t Charmed (8 p.m.) WB 1.67
127 One on One UPN 1.64
128 Charmed (9 p.m.) WB 1.58
129t Twins WB 1.53
129t Cuts UPN 1.53
131 Just Legal WB 1.51
132 What I Like About You WB 1.50
133 Casos Familia UNI 1.40
134 One Tree Hill WB 1.38
135t Veronica Mars (9 p.m.) UPN 1.37
135t All of Us (Wed.) UPN 1.37
137 Half and Half (Wed.) UPN 1.36
138 Veronica Mars (8 p.m.) UPN 1.14
139 Decisiones (Tue.) TEL 1.07
140 Tierra de Pasiones (Mon.) TEL 1.04

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

08-16-06, 02:36 PM

TV Notebook
Satellite Rules J.D. Power Survey
By Steve Donohue Multichannel News 8/16/2006

DirecTV and EchoStar Communications once again dominated J.D. Power & Associates’ annual customer-satisfaction survey, while top cable distributor Comcast ranked below average in all regions.

Adelphia Communications -- which was recently absorbed by Time Warner Cable and Comcast -- ranked at the bottom of the survey in the East, north-central and West regions.

J.D. ranked DirecTV as the best pay TV company overall, with the direct-broadcast satellite provider receiving the top rankings in overall satisfaction; performance and reliability; cost of service; billing; image; offerings and promotions; and customer service.

DirecTV scored the most points on J.D. Power’s survey in the East region, with 686. It was followed by Cox Communications (664), EchoStar’s Dish Network (648) and Time Warner (637). Pay TV providers scoring below average in the East region included Cablevision Systems (607), Comcast (591), RCN (590), Charter Communications (575) and Adelphia (562).

Cox was the top pay TV provider in the West region, scoring 690 points. It was followed by Dish (662) and DirecTV (661). Companies scoring below average in the West region were Comcast (622), Time Warner (605), Charter (596), Cable One (587), Mediacom Communications (577) and Adelphia (544).

Bright House Networks led the customer-satisfaction survey in the South region, scoring 682 points. Also scoring high marks in the South were DirecTV (676), Time Warner (651), Dish (647), Cable One (644), Cox (640) and Insight Communications (639). Companies scoring below average in the South were Comcast (591), Adelphia (579), Charter (571) and Mediacom (563).

The north-central region was led by cable overbuidler WideOpenWest, which scored 708 points. It was followed in the region by DirecTV (677), Dish (648) and Time Warner (636). Companies ranking below average in the north central were Charter (603), Comcast (586), Mediacom (574), Bright House (566) and Adelphia (545).

The good news for cable: Digital-cable penetration increased from 30% in 2005 to 41% in 2006, according to J.D. Power.

The firm also found that bundling helped to reduce cable bills, with cable subscribers reporting average spending of $58 monthly, down $1 from 2005, while satellite subscribers reported spending $61 monthly, up $3 from 2005.

Digital-video-recorder penetration is also on the rise, with J.D. Power reporting that 38% of cable subscribers have DVRs, compared with 25% of satellite customers.

J.D. Power said it based the survey on responses from 15,819 U.S. households that evaluated their cable or satellite providers.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6363083

fredfa

08-16-06, 02:42 PM

Weekly Cable Nielsens
It's down the aisle with Dog and Beth
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 16, 2006

The A&E show “Dog the Bounty Hunter” is so over the top, with its leather-bound lead character, the off-the-wall bond skippers he pursues, and his rough-and-tumble kids, that it’s hard to imagine how the show would deal with something as normal and potentially mundane as a wedding.

You’d expect the bride to wear something low-cut and Dog to wear something even more outrageous, and both turned out to be true. But it was the unexpected, a family tragedy, that made Beth and Dog’s wedding episode so unusual and so uncharacteristically tender.

The effect was to draw record ratings for the show last week.

Tuesday’s 10 p.m. episode showing Dog and Beth’s wedding ceremony was the most-watched show in A&E history among adults 18-34, averaging 1.23 million viewers.

It became the network’s No. 2 show ever, behind the movie “Flight 93,” in adults 18-49, with an average 2.7 million, and 25-54s, at 2.6 million. And it drew the most viewers ever for the three-year-old series, 4.5 million, more than double its season average of 2.1 million.

An episode showing the run-up to the wedding also did well at 9 p.m., boosting A&E to the No. 1 basic cable network in primetime for the evening in total viewers, 18-49s and 25-54s.

Viewers had no doubt been anticipating this episode for months, as it showcased one of the best and worst days in Dog’s life. Just hours before the wedding, Dog found out that his eldest daughter, Barbara, had been killed in a car crash.

Dog and Beth, who had been together for years before making it legal, consulted with their preacher for guidance on whether the wedding should go on. The couple decided to celebrate life in the midst of a sad time, going ahead with the ceremony despite the tragedy.

Barbara’s death had received a lot of publicity, and many wondered whether A&E would show the footage of such a raw, emotional event. Viewers seemed to find the episode cathartic.

“It is such a sad thing to hear. Your wedding day is supposed to be joyous and happy, but I'm glad they could celebrate both the wedding and Barbara Katy's life together,” writes one poster on the Fansofrealitytv.com forums.

Meanwhile, in other cable ratings for the week ended Aug. 13:

Top five networks in primetime (18-49s):
USA
TNT
TBS
A&E
Comedy Central

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers):
USA
TNT
Lifetime
Fox News
Cartoon Network

Top movie (18-49s): TNT’s "The Ron Clark Story" (Sunday, 8 p.m.) 2.92 million

Top sporting event (total viewers): USA’s "WWE Entertainment" (Monday, 10 p.m.) 5.71 million

Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s:
USA's "WWE Entertainment" (Monday, 9 p.m.)
USA's "WWE Entertainment" (Monday, 10 p.m.)
TNT’s "The Ron Clark Story" (Sunday, 8 p.m.)
“Dog the Bounty Hunter” (Tuesday, 10 p.m.)

Show on the rise: “I Wanna Be a Soap Star,” 10 p.m., Thursday, SOAPnet. The show’s third-season finale earned series bests in total viewers with 406,000, women 18-34 with 121,000 and women 25-54 with 237,000. It doubled its season average in women 18-34.

Show on the decline: “Saved,” 10 p.m., Monday, TNT. In a week when nearly all the top 10 in every demographic were up or even with the prior week, “Saved” dipped 9 percent from the prior week in households, averaging 3.26 million. Still, last week’s episode aired after the second-highest-rated “Closer” of the season, and "Saved" still placed No. 23 on basic cable.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6673.asp

RussTC3

08-16-06, 03:52 PM

Fred, that's true, however that was from the week before.

Here were the ratings from that week:
8PM - 0.9/2 (0.5)
9PM - 0.9/2 (0.6)

So the 1.6/3 (0.7) and 1.7/3 (0.7) are a very nice jump up. (Something like what, an extra 1M viewers?)

Sure, it's not amazing, but they are repeats, and hopefully a lot of those viewers are new viewers. I guess we'll find out for sure come October. I'm hoping for the best. After all, it is airing on a new network.

fredfa

08-16-06, 04:05 PM

archiguy

08-16-06, 04:22 PM

One problem is that Veronica Mars tends to do better in the overnights than in the full weekly numbers.
We'll see next Tuesday.
I hope you are right, but I think VM faces a very tough road on a network which will have an extremely hard time getting any traction at all.

The performance of any serial-type show in summer reruns is not terribly indicative of how it does when a new season starts up (see: LOST). The producers of VM have made modifications to the show to make it more accessible to new viewers. We'll just have to wait and see how it does in the fall, and how committed the new CW Network is to it. It's about their only buzz-worthy show and the only one with any critical acclaim; they would be wise to push it as hard as they can and do everything they can to assure its survival.

keenan

08-16-06, 04:24 PM

TV Notebook
Nielsen Basics

If information about television interests you, here is a good source, from A.C. Nielsen, for some basic information about television viewership.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/Nielsen1.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v637/keenanj/Nielsen2.jpg

keenan

08-16-06, 04:26 PM

taz291819

08-16-06, 06:40 PM

The performance of any serial-type show in summer reruns is not terribly indicative of how it does when a new season starts up (see: LOST). The producers of VM have made modifications to the show to make it more accessible to new viewers. We'll just have to wait and see how it does in the fall, and how committed the new CW Network is to it. It's about their only buzz-worthy show and the only one with any critical acclaim; they would be wise to push it as hard as they can and do everything they can to assure its survival.

I agree. It's my 2nd favorite show on Primetime (behind House). Unfortunately, it has to go up against House once again, which is stellar in ratings. Also, I'm not sure the execs at The CW were wise matching it with Gilmore Girls. The two shows just don't fit together IMO. Personally, I think a better fit would have been with either Smallville or Supernatural, as both can hold their own (especially Smallville, though Supernatural would be a better fit with VM).

NOTE TO Mark Cuban:
If Veronica Mars gets cancelled, this is the next show you should pick up, and continue with new episodes. (Though switch from 16mm to 32mm or HD-Video).

trbarry

08-16-06, 07:38 PM

Since VM is one of my very favorite shows I'm somewhat surprised it has not been canceled already. They always do. :(

- Tom

pwrmetal

08-16-06, 10:00 PM

I agree. It's my 2nd favorite show on Primetime (behind House). Unfortunately, it has to go up against House once again, which is stellar in ratings.

Actually it doesn't. House will be on at 8, not 9 in September. Then it will be preempted for baseball in October. By the time House shows back up with new episodes at 9, I would think VM's fate will be pretty much decided. A friend of mine at work is praying VM will keep some of the GG audience, but he has little hope for VM's survival.

fredfa

08-16-06, 11:08 PM

fredfa

08-16-06, 11:12 PM

TV Notebook
Wife, Diplomats Press for Journalists’ Release
By John M. Higgins Broadcasting & Cable 8/16/2006

The wife of one of the two Fox News staffers kidnapped in Gaza issued a public plea Wednesday for their release, while diplomats lobbied Palestinian officials.

Anita McNaught, the wife of abducted New Zealand cameraman Olaf Wiig, appeared on Israeli and Palestinian TV to declare that Wiig and Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni “are friends of the Palestinians. They are here telling the Palestinian story for weeks now, when the rest of the world's media has not been here."

New Zealand's ambassador to Israel and Turkey, Jan Henderson, met with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Gaza to discuss the incident, hoping to spur the Palestinian Authority military’s search for the journalists. Meanwhile, a U.S. State Department said that "the U.S. government strongly condemns the kidnapping of these individuals and calls for their immediate release” and that consulate officials are working with the Palestinian government.

The silence of the kidnappers is unsettling to Fox and government officials. Typically, kidnappings in Gaza are followed by some claim of credit and demands in exchange for the abductees' release. That’s followed by negotiations and pressure applied to the kidnapping group's leaders, usually some splinter group of controlling political group Hamas.

However, the "typical" pattern was set before rising tensions over Israel's war against Lebanon's Hezbollah. Centanni and Wiig’s kidnappers have been quiet, with several militant groups in Gaza denying any involvement.

Gunmen abducted Centanni and Wiig Monday, using two vehicles to block Fox News’ vehicle -- clearly marked "TV." A masked man put a gun to the head of the crew’s bodyguard, then the kidnappers sped away with the two journalists.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6363345

fredfa

08-16-06, 11:47 PM

The 2006-2007 Season
Carat Predicts Success for 'The Nine,' 'The Class,' '30 Rock'

By Christopher Lisotta TVWeek.com August 16, 2006

ABC's debuting drama "The Nine," CBS's traditional sitcom "The Class" and NBC's single-camera comedy "30 Rock" are among the new shows likely to succeed this fall, media research firm Carat said in its new-season programming report for the 2006-07 season.

As part of its yearly predictions of how new broadcast programming will fare in the upcoming season, Carat is also listing ABC's college football coverage on Saturdays and NBC's new NFL Sunday night football telecasts as winners.

Dramas highlighted include CBS's "Shark," NBC's "Heroes" and Fox's "Standoff." Additional comedies Carat sees as potential successes are Fox's "'Til Death" and The CW's "The Game."

But Carat is predicting that at least a third of the fall freshmen will be off the air by January, paving the way for midseason entries, including a number of reality series.

Shows Carat has the least confidence in include ABC's "Men in Trees," CBS's "Jericho," NBC's "20 Good Years" and Fox's "Justice."

In terms of the fall schedule, Carat is predicting CBS winning Mondays and Fridays in the adults 18 to 49 demographic, with ABC winning in the demo on Wednesdays, Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays. Fox will win in adults 18 to 49 on Tuesdays, Carat predicted.

Of the 57 series introduced last season in prime time on the six networks, only 15 are returning for 2006-07, Carat reported.

http://www.tvweek.com/news.cms?newsId=10555

HDTVChallenged

08-17-06, 01:18 AM

The latest Fox schedule I have seen has Standoff at 8 and House at 9 on Tuesdays.

VM, of course, is now scheduled for 9 also.

This is why Man invented HD-TiVo ;)

foxeng

08-17-06, 07:18 AM

The latest Fox schedule I have seen has Standoff at 8 and House at 9 on Tuesdays.

VM, of course, is now scheduled for 9 also.

(The network schedules are constantly updated in the second post of this thread.)

Unless it has changed in the last 48 hours (and it may have) House is scheduled for 8pm and Standoff at 9pm ET. We have been running promos for those times.

pwrmetal

08-17-06, 07:46 AM

Unless it has changed in the last 48 hours (and it may have) House is scheduled for 8pm and Standoff at 9pm ET. We have been running promos for those times.

Agreed. Certainly for weeks (including this week) during House reruns, FOX has been hammering the point that House is on at a new time this September...

RockyF

08-17-06, 08:03 AM

Yeah, Fox quietly flip-flopped the Tuesday schedule sometime between the upfronts and the TCA. Usually there is some sort of announcement of this sort of thing, but this one was real quiet. House will move back to it's original spot when American Idol returns, if not before.

Marcus Carr

08-17-06, 09:54 AM

MASN: No Decision On Nats In HDTV

The regional sports network dispels rumors that it will broadcast Washington Nationals games in high-def.

By Phillip Swann

Washington, D.C. (August 17, 2006) -- The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network (MASN) has not decided whether it will broadcast next season's Washington Nationals baseball games in High-Definition TV, according to a spokesman.

Internet message boards have been buzzing about an imminent announcement regarding MASN and high-def. And one TVPredictions.com reader says he was informed by a MASN customer service employee that Nats games will air in HD in 2007.

However, Todd Webster, a MASN spokesman, told TVPredictions.com today that "no decision has been made about HDTV."

MASN, which can be seen in the Baltimore/Washington area, will carry both the Nationals and the Baltimore Orioles in 2007. The network recently scored a big victory when Comcast, the largest cable operator in the D.C. area, agreed to carry Nationals games starting September 1.

MASN is also available on DIRECTV, EchoStar and other cable systems.

http://www.tvpredictions.com/natshd081706.htm

fredfa

08-17-06, 10:48 AM

Thanks pwrmetal, foxeng and RockyF for the correction.
I've updated the network schedules.

fredfa

08-17-06, 10:52 AM

TV Notebook
CBS Evening News To Be Shown Live on Internet
by P.J. Bednarski Broadcasting & Cable 8/17/2006

The new CBS Evening News With Katie Couric will be simulcast live on the Internet every evening, starting with its premiere Sept. 5. The move, announced this morning, makes CBS News the first of the network newscasts to use the Internet for simultaneous transmission of the news.

CBS, with the oldest viewership of all the networks, and with the lowest rated evening news, hopes Couric will help lower the demographic; moving the news to the Internet would likely help overall. CBS News President Sean McManus, in a statement, called it "a groundbreaking development in making the program available to the largest possible audience."

In addition to the live simulcast, Evening News will be able to to be be viewed as an on-demand program any time after the live simulcast. CBS News has for years allowed Web visitors to pick and chooses stories from the newscast, and that will continue.

Web visitors will have to register to watch the newscast live. Also the live and on-demand versions will run without advertising support.

B&C will have more details as this story develops.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6363379

fredfa

08-17-06, 11:04 AM

TV Notebook
Ahead of her time, Delany revisits Viet nurses
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Aug. 17, 2006
VIETNAM NURSES WITH DANA DELANY 10 PM ET Friday WE tv.

There was a time when every guy I knew seemed to be in love with Dana Delany.

Most of them probably still are. They ask about her once in a while, wondering what she's been up to, and you can tell from their voices that for them, Nurse Colleen McMurphy and "China Beach," which left the air in 1991, happened about five minutes ago.

The connection between Delany and McMurphy remains strong enough that WE tv is exploiting the actress' fictional past as a Vietnam nurse for tomorrow night's "Vietnam Nurses with Dana Delany," a moving documentary that Delany hosts and narrates.

The real stars of that show, though, are the veterans who spill their guts about what it was like to be young women dealing with the day-to-day horrors of a bloody war and later to come home to a country where no one, not even the military, was prepared to deal with their memories.

One of those veterans is Diane Carlson Evans (who looks even more like what I'd have imagined a middle-aged McMurphy to look like than Delany does). Evans, who talks at one point about the post-Vietnam depression that dogged her for years, led the fight for a Vietnam Women's Memorial after visiting the Washington, D.C., Vietnam Memorial and its wall listing the names of the dead.

"If it wasn't for us, the wall would be much higher and much wider," Evans says.

Delany, meanwhile, will be back on TV this fall in NBC's "Kidnapped," where she and Timothy Hutton will play the wealthy parents of a teenage kidnap victim.

It's a role that bears at least a passing resemblance to the character she played in Fox's short-lived "Pasadena" a few seasons ago, suggesting, as one reporter put it during a press conference last month, that Delany tends to be cast in the role of a "rich... slightly amoral woman."

"I just like the clothes," she joked then.

"It's also what I choose," she said later. "I like when women are complicated. I like women that seem to be one thing but actually are something else. I like to find the duality in people."

Though this would seem to be the season for complicated characters and storylines - "Kidnapped" is one of two serialized dramas that centers on an abduction, and "Lost" has spawned a slew of shows with sprawling casts and complex plots - Delany's past timing has been less than perfect.

"Pasadena" was in many ways a smarter predecessor of shows like "The O.C." and "Desperate Housewives," but it got none of the buzz.

"I feel like I'm always ahead of my time, I really do," Delany said. "I feel like I tend to do things, nobody sees them, and then somebody else does it two years later and everybody sees it."

Whatever happens to "Kidnapped," Delany and Hutton will be there for one season only, the show's format requiring a new victim for next year.

It's a deal that initially looked good to Delany, who's developing a cable drama with producer Tom Fontana ("Homicide: Life on the Streets," "Oz") and "thought it would be the perfect thing to do for a year."

Now, though, after shooting the first few episodes in her native New York, "I'll be sad to leave it," she said.

"I'm enjoying myself so much," she said. "The actors are of such a caliber that when you come in to work in the morning, you really feel like you have to rise to the level of the work, and it's a nice challenge."

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15292593.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

08-17-06, 11:09 AM

Nielsen Dayparts Update
Katie in the wings, all bets are now off
The three news shows are squeaky close
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 17, 2006

With less than three weeks until Katie Couric makes her debut as the “CBS Evening News” anchor, the three network newscasts are in their closest competitive positions to one another in months.

Tongues have long been wagging over whether Couric can rise to No. 1, but perhaps the bigger issue is the wider effect she could have on the evening news. In a season of changes, she's by far the biggest change, and her presence could mix up the nightly news rankings for the first time in years.

It's now that close, with only a few hundred thousand viewers separating first from second and second from third.

Last week, the week ended Aug. 13, fewer than 1.2 million total viewers separated first-place NBC, with 8.13 million total viewers, from third-place CBS, with 6.94 million. That’s in sharp contrast to the same week a year ago, when more than 1.8 million viewers separated NBC and CBS.

Two main factors have contributed to this tightening. First, NBC has declined somewhat, down 6 percent year to date, to 9.12 million. And at the same time, CBS has risen, up 4 percent, to 7.39 million. ABC has bounced around, even finishing behind CBS three months ago before steadying recently at about 400,000 viewers ahead.

When Couric finally sits down in her anchor's seat, possible scenarios abound.

Couric could draw viewers away from first-place NBC as former "Today" fans swing over to CBS for their nightly news. CBS would rise to No. 1 and NBC and CBS could potentially switch places, with the latter going from last to first.

In this scenario, ABC would remain steady, holding on as No. 2, neither losing nor gaining many viewers.

Another scenario: Couric could draw just enough viewers away from ABC to rise to No. 2. That looked like a real possibility several months ago in Charles Gibson’s first weeks as anchor. In fact, CBS seemed poised to pass ABC even without Couric.

Since then Gibson has stabilized, averaging 7.55 million viewers last week, 500,000 above his second-week average. Yet ABC still remains 9 percent off last year’s average, at 8.12 million.

Another scenario: ABC could bob up to No. 1, driven by two factors. Gibson could continue to grow in viewers, and the network could see an influx of CBS viewers disgruntled over the exit of Bob Schieffer, the sit-in anchor who replaced Dan Rather.

Yet another scenario: Couric not only stay in third place but sink, with the effect of actually widening NBC's lead. This could happen if she fails to draw over and hold great numbers of former "Today" fans and if those disgruntled Schieffer fans were to flee to NBC rather than ABC.

One last scenario: Couric's arrival has little effect, with ratings popping up in the early weeks but sliding back down.

In any case, further confounding matters, the outcome won't be fully known for months, perhaps even six months. News viewership tends to change slowly, and rarely do viewers make immediate viewing shifts.

Meanwhile, for the week ended Aug. 13, viewership for the broadcast networks’ nightly news dropped across the board from the previous week despite news of the foiled London airplane terrorist attacks.

All peaked on Thursday when news of the alleged attacks broke. NBC’s “Nightly News with Brian Williams” averaged 9.35 million, its best delivery since May 15. ABC averaged 7.81 million that night and CBS 7.5 million.

In dayparts for the week ended Aug. 6, with CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman” in repeats, ABC’s “Nightline” jumped into a tie for second place in the 11:35 p.m. hour, matching Letterman’s 1.1 adults 18-49 average. While NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” was down slightly week to week, to a 1.7 from a 1.8, his third quarter lead over Letterman has grown, from 29 percent last year to 38 percent this year.

Fox’s “News Sunday” posted its biggest increase in recent weeks, jumping some 200,000 viewers to 1.31 million. NBC’s “Meet the Press” retained the top spot despite dipping week to week, drawing 3.19 million viewers, 25 percent more than CBS’s “Face the Nation” at 2.54 million and 39 percent better than ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos” at 2.29 million. But CBS did tie NBC in adults 25-54 for the first time in weeks.

In syndication, the Mel Gibson meltdown fallout gave a boost to most of the entertainment newsmagazines. “Entertainment Tonight” jumped into the top five with a 4.6 household rating, and “Inside Edition” and “The Insider” were both up over the previous week. “Everybody Loves Raymond” bumped into a tie with “Oprah” for No. 3 for the week, but “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy” remained unchanged at Nos. 1 and 2.

In daytime dramas, NBC continued its recent run at No. 1, averaging a 1.7 among women 18-49 to remain in first, 0.1 ahead of No. 2 ABC and 0.2 ahead of CBS, which remained the dominant network among total viewers.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_6700.asp

taz291819

08-17-06, 11:18 AM

Here's a schedule of events for The CW:

Monday, Sept. 18th:
8pm 7th Heaven 2005-2006 Finale
9pm TBA

Tuesday, Sept. 19th:
8pm Gilmore Girls 2005-2006 Finale *HD*
9pm TBA

Thursday, Sept. 21st:
8pm Smallville 2005-2006 Finale *HD*
9pm Supernatural 2005-2006 Finale *HD*

Sunday, Sept. 24th:
5pm - Six episodes of Everybody Hates Chris *HD*
8pm - America's Next Top Model 2-hour encore of Season Premiere

Tuesday, Sept. 26th:
8pm Gilmore Girls Season Premiere *HD*
9pm Runaway Special Encore airing of series premiere (originally aired the day before) *HD*

Sunday, Oct. 1st:
5pm Girlfriends 2005-2006 finale (1-hour show) *HD*
6pm Everybody Hates Chris 2005-2006 finale *HD*
6:30pm Everybody Hates Chris Pilot *HD*
7pm Everybody Hates Chris Season Premiere *HD*
7:30pm All of Us Season Premiere *HD*
8pm Girlfriends Season Premiere *HD*
8:30pm The Game Season Premiere *HD*
9pm America's Next Top Model Encore

fredfa

08-17-06, 11:49 AM

Xesdeeni

08-17-06, 11:50 AM

Just so long as Supernatural doesn't get lost in the rest of the CW crap.

Xesdeeni

fredfa

08-17-06, 11:59 AM

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

fredfa

08-17-06, 12:02 PM

Just so long as Supernatural doesn't get lost in the rest of the CW crap.

Xesdeeni

How can it not get lost on Thursdays at 9?

ABC Grey's Anatomy
CBS CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
NBC Deal Or No Deal
Fox The O.C.
CW Supernatural
MNTV Fashion House

HDTVChallenged

08-17-06, 12:06 PM

How can it not get lost on Thursdays at 9?

ABC Grey's Anatomy
CBS CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
NBC Deal Or No Deal
Fox The O.C.
CW Supernatural
MNTV Fashion House

My strategy for Thursday's @ 9pm:

Grey's - TiVo tuner #1
Supernatural - TiVo tuner #2
CSI - Live via second STB

Don't care about the rest :)

fredfa

08-17-06, 12:08 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Last tango: A stellar finale for 'Dance'
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 17, 2006

Facing a revived “America’s Got Talent” on NBC, which pulled its best ratings in more than a month, Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” was still the winner last night, and may be the summer season’s big winner.

The one-hour finale of “Dance” at 9 p.m. averaged a 4.2 overnight rating in adults 18-49, equaling its Thursday season premiere average nearly three months ago and marking the show’s best Wednesday performance in weeks. It was not, however, a season high for the show.

“Dance’s” 4.2 rating bettered its 3.8 from last week by 11 percent, despite facing stronger competition from NBC’s “Talent” than it has seen in weeks. That show, airing its penultimate episode in a two-hour episode that began at 8 p.m., averaged a 3.3, its best rating since July 12.

Among total viewers, however, “Talent” did better “Dance” in their shared hour, averaging 12.95 million to the latter’s 10.44 million.

“Dance” is the highest-rated finale of the summer season yet and will likely keep that title unless “Talent” manages a bigger finish tonight. CBS’s “Rock Star: Supernova” and “Big Brother: All-Stars,” while showing some improvement over recent outings, probably won’t crack a 4.0.

Benji Schwimmer took the title on “Dance.” He wins $100,000 and a contract to join Celine Dion’s Las Vegas show.

“Dance” lifted Fox to No. 1 for the night at a 3.6 rating and 11 share in 18-49s, followed by NBC at 3.1/9, CBS at 2.3/7, ABC at 2.0/6, Univision at 1.7/5, WB at 0.6/2 and UPN at 0.4/1.

At 8 p.m., Fox was No. 1 at 3.0 for a rerun of last week’s "Dance," ahead of NBC at 2.9 for the first hour of "Talent," CBS at 2.3 for "Supernova," Univision at 2.1 for "La Fea Mas Bella," ABC at 1.6 for two "George Lopez" reruns, WB at 0.8 for two "Blue Collar TV" reruns and UPN at 0.5 for an "America's Next Top Model" repeat.

At 9 p.m., Fox's "Dance" led at 4.2, ahead of NBC's "Talent" at 3.8, CBS's "Criminal Minds" rerun at 2.0, ABC's pair of "George" repeats at 1.9, Univision's "Barrera de Amor" at 1.7, and, badly trailing at 0.4 each, UPN's repeats of "All of Us" and "Half & Half" and WB's "One Tree Hill" rerun.

At 10 p.m., NBC led at 2.6 for a "Law & Order" rerun, ahead of ABC's "Primetime: Medical Mysteries" and CBS's "CSI: NY" repeat each at 2.4. Univision's "Don Francisco Presenta" averaged a 1.4 for the hour.

Among households, NBC was No. 1 for the night at a 6.6 rating and 11 share, ahead of Fox at 5.8/10, CBS at 4.8/8, ABC at 3.7/6, Univision at 2.0/3, WB at 1.0/2 and UPN at 0.7/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6728.asp

posg

08-17-06, 12:10 PM

I am sorry, but to me the CW looks like a warmed-over, imagination-starved, Nielsen disaster just waiting to happen.

I wouldn't be surprised if by mid season MyNetworkTV is ahead of it in the ratings.

While the world is moving more and more rapidly towards HDTV, it can't help CW that most of it's affiliates do not have cable carriage in HD. With most households depending exclusively on cable or satellite for reception, they're already handicapped.

CW should have for it's own sake, required it's affiliates to give free retransmission consent. They'll need all the help they can get.

fredfa

08-17-06, 12:46 PM

The 2006-2007 Season
For Fox, new season looks right rosy
By Kevin Downey MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Aug 17, 2006

Just a couple of years ago, it was inconceivable that Fox would be heading into the fall season with the strongest prospects of any of the broadcast networks. It would have been even more inconceivable that it be doing so with two back-to-back season wins fresh behind it.

But that's exactly where Fox stands with the new season set to start in less than a month. Fox is the odds-on favorite to win its third broadcast season, in the eyes of media buyers.

Wherever it stands in January, Fox can expect that the midseason return of “American Idol" will push it back into No. 1 if it isn't there already.

Further, this fall, unlike previous falls, Fox is premiering a strong lineup of shows, virtually ensuring a solid performance leading into January. Its strategy will be to deploy hits, such as "House," the Hugh Laurie medical drama, to serve as both lead-ins for its rookie series and as platforms to promote its new lineup.

Fox will also be going out early, debuting some of its new shows next week--ahead of the other networks, which will roll out the week of Sept. 18--to compensate for the MLB playoffs, which air in October, breaking up its fall.

“Our strategy is to premiere our shows early so they get traction before baseball and to use baseball to give those shows a second push,” says Preston Beckman, executive vice president of strategic program planning and research at Fox. "We'll then come back in January with our two big guns, ‘American Idol’ and ’24,’ and then again make any adjustments to take advantage of those two shows.”

Too, this fall Fox can expect to gain more from the playoffs as a promotional platform. One of the benefits of shows like "House" is that they attract an older audience, and that has broadened the network from a young-skewing network into one that’s more solidly focused on the 18-49 demographic favored by advertisers.

Major League Baseball was a headache for Fox for years because it disrupted its fall, and its value as a promotional platform was lessened by the fact that the older baseball audience wasn't as likely to be swayed by promotions for shows created for much younger viewers. But that is becoming less of a problem as the median age of Fox’s audience eases toward 40 years old.

On Mondays, Fox is slotting in new serialized drama “Vanished” after modest hit “Prison Break.” The two dramas face fairly light competition with reality shows on ABC, comedies on CBS, and a game show and new drama on NBC.

For the first few weeks, “House” on Tuesdays will lead into “Standoff,” a new drama about FBI negotiators. The shows will flip time slots after baseball. “Standoff” will then compete with older-skewing shows on ABC and CBS and a new drama on NBC.

The returning “Bones” on Wednesdays will lead into “Justice,” a legal drama from “CSI’s” Jerry Bruckheimer. “Justice” faces tough competition in ABC’s “Lost,” last season’s No. 8 program.

Thursdays will be Fox’s biggest problem. The fading “O.C.” at 9 p.m. will compete with top-rated hits on ABC, “Grey’s Anatomy,” and CBS, “CSI.”

At 8 p.m., Fox has a new comedy, “’Til Death,” with Brad Garrett from CBS’s “Everybody Loves Raymond.” Many media researchers say it’s this season’s strongest new comedy. But it will lead into the widely panned “Happy Hour.”

Both comedies will compete with NBC’s returning hits “My Name is Earl” and “The Office.”

“We think we can do our business and they can do theirs,” says Beckman. “What they have is single-camera comedies and what we have is broad, multi-camera, kind of old school comedies like the ones that worked on NBC in the 1990s.”

Fox will have returning reality shows on Friday, while its weekend lineups are among network TV’s most stable, with “Cops” anchoring Saturdays and “Simpsons” and “Family Guy” on Sundays.

Last season, Fox ranked No. 1 among 18-49s with a 4.1 rating, flat to the prior season, but enough to win.

Steve Sternberg, executive vice president of audience analysis at Magna Global, says Fox may be the only network this season to post increased ratings.

“They have a few new shows, ‘Standoff,’ ‘Justice,’ ‘Vanished.’ If one of these does well, they will be in fantastic shape,” he says. “If they all flop, Fox will still be in good shape. ‘American Idol’ covers up a lot of their problems, and there’s no reason to think that show will decline this year.”

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_6703.asp

fredfa

08-17-06, 12:52 PM

I haven’t posted day-by-day updates on the FCC spectrum auction for a number of reasons. (The main one is I don’t really understand what is going on.) But I do know the auction is significant, and may well have a major impact on how we see TV in the future, so here is the latest for those of you who have interest:
The Business of TV
DirecTV cuts wire from its spectrum bid
By Brooks Boliek The Hollywood Reporter Aug. 17, 2006

WASHINGTON -- The ardor that media companies initially showed for the advanced wireless frequencies up for auction by the FCC has cooled as one of the biggest early bidders for the airwaves apparently has dropped out.

The consortium that included News Corp. and the nation's satellite TV companies ended its participation in the auction as it declined to continue bidding on the airwaves and used up its allotted number of free passes after round 19 ended this week, according to commission data.

While a DirecTV spokesman said FCC rules prohibit the company from discussing the auction, it has not given up hope of developing a way to provide broadband service.

"We'll continue to pursue a number of options that will enable DirecTV to provide broadband service to its customers nationwide," company spokesman Darris Gringeri said.

The company is likely to pursue a partnership or buy out companies that already provide the service, analysts said.

While FCC rules forbid the companies from discussing their plans while the auction is going on, they are expected to use the wireless frequencies to sell services that compete with the phone companies who are aggressively moving into the television business.

The auction rules approved by the FCC for the frequencies, which were given up by various government agencies from the Defense Department to the Department of the Interior, are among the most liberal ever approved.

Winning bidders can use the frequencies for just about anything, including mobile phone services, wireless Internet connections, video and data delivery.

Telephone companies have made it clear that they plan to aggressively market bundles of services that include wireless, wire-line, video, data and video services.

News Corp., DirecTV and EchoStar might have given up on the bidding, but the FCC auction reports show that a second media consortium comprised of the nation's big cable operators are still bidding.

The cable group that includes Time Warner, Comcast and Newhouse continued to hold on to the third slot with a provisional bid of $1.2 billion for 63 licenses that cover more than 285 million people.

After the 19th round, the bidders for the frequencies looked more like bidders for past FCC auctions as cell phone carriers sought to strengthen or improve their position in the marketplace.

Media companies had made up three of the top five bidders at the end of the FCC's early rounds, but as the rounds ground on, the frequencies became too pricey for most media companies.

Those still bidding for the licenses include wireless communications providers Cingular Wireless, Verizon Wireless and Deutsche Telekom AG's T-Mobile USA.

T-Mobile, the fourth-largest U.S. carrier, has less spectrum than its larger rivals. It had made the top offers for 74 licenses after 18 auction rounds, bidding $2.6 billion. Verizon Wireless, the nation's second-largest wireless carrier, had the highest offers for four licenses with bids of $2.8 billion. The nation's biggest wireless carrier, Cingular, had 23 provisionally winning bids with offers of about $587 million.

That doesn't mean that all interest by media companies has waned. Other cable companies such as Cablevision and Cable One continued to bid on licenses that could strengthen their hand in areas where they dominate.

Cablevision also had provisional winning bids at $393 million for five licenses in the New York and New Jersey markets covering about 118 million people. Cable One had 25 provisionally winning bids of more than $5 million in areas from Boise, Idaho, to Gulfport, Miss.

The sale of 1,122 licenses already has raised more than $9.4 billion, and analysts have forecast that the sale could raise as much as $15 billion. The auction continues until there are no new bids, withdrawals or other activity.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003018626