Wasn't it great that ABC chose NOT to do the game in HD???

Heat-Lakers Game Lures TV Viewers
By THE NEW YORK TIMES December 27, 2004

The much-hyped meeting of the Miami Heat and the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday produced an 8.0 preliminary overnight Nielsen rating, a 78 percent leap from the comparable broadcast last year, when the Lakers played the Houston Rockets. With Shaquille O'Neal leading the Heat to a 104-102 overtime victory over Kobe Bryant and the Lakers, the game generated the highest rating for a regular-season game since 1998 (for a Lakers-Chicago Bulls game) and the best one for an N.B.A. game on Christmas Day since at least 1996.
Each overnight rating point equals 761,544 television households.

(Now that ESPN HD [and soon ESPN2 HD] is showing a raft of HD games, this story seems appropriate for the forum.)

Vitale Has Become the Voice of a Sport
Often-imitated college basketball commentator is as exuberant and genuine off-camera as he is on TV
By Robyn Norwood Los AngelesTimes Staff Writer Dec 26 2004

The moment arrived sometime before 2 a.m., aboard a private jet carrying an ESPN crew from Durham, N.C., to Bloomington, Ind.

For the first time since before 9 a.m., Dick Vitale fell silent.

He had fallen asleep.

College basketball season arrives quietly, with this tournament and that. But Vitale is its town crier, jolting you from the couch with his trademark bursts. "Wow! I'm all excited! Coach K and Tommy Izzo! Unbelievable! Two of the great programs in college hoops!

"It's been a Hostess special! Cupcake City! They've blown away opposition, but now it's chemistry time! You get a true evaluation! This is not Phys Ed, baby! It's Chemistry 101!"

He is adored by players otherwise too cool to care, imitated more widely than any sportscaster since Howard Cosell, and muted by many a fan who would rather not be that wide awake.

But after more than 25 years and 1,000 games, Vitale has become the face of college basketball.

It is in part because others have abdicated. Which player would you recognize on the street, the way people once knew Ralph Sampson or Patrick Ewing?

"You don't develop the household names, because as soon as they're good, they're gone [to the NBA]," Vitale said.

The coaching giants are not what they once were either.

Dean Smith — "Michelangelo!" to Vitale — and John Thompson have retired. Bob Knight — "The General! Robert Montgomery Knight!" — is in semi-exile at Texas Tech.

Mike Krzyzewski, the greatest coach of his generation, presides over the game at Duke, but he is disinclined to be the focal point and prefers not to go out with his good friend Vitale in public.

"He's going to get mobbed," Krzyzewski said.

Imagine: A coach who has won three national championships and was Kobe Bryant's choice to coach the Lakers, playing second fiddle to Vitale.

Vitale's hold on people — particularly young people — is extraordinary.

The reason? Because he is the exact opposite of what he appears.

"He's completely genuine," said Dan Shulman, one of his ESPN broadcast partners.

His shtick made him famous — phrases such as "diaper dandy" and "awesome, baby!" and "gotta get a TO!" — but his relationships with players and coaches, his ability to cut to the essence of Xs and O's and his exuberance have made it last.

"Anybody who thinks he's putting on an act is crazy," Krzyzewski said. "He does get that excited. He's speaking from his heart. He puts it out there. He's not afraid of saying something that might be controversial. He's usually right."

On the morning he would broadcast a 9 p.m. game at Duke, Vitale was tooling down a highway in Sarasota, Fla., in a Mercedes convertible, headed for his favorite breakfast joint, the Broken Egg.

"Let's try to get Howie," he said, punching a cellphone.

Howie Schwab is a coordinating producer in studio production for ESPN. He is also Vitale's lifeline. Vitale calls him at home at night to get the scores. He calls in the morning to find out when he is on "SportsCenter," to discuss statistics, to shoot the breeze. "The record has got to be, oh, 10, 12 times in one day," Schwab said. "But Dick is great. He has an amazing memory. Dick will ask me a question, and I'll answer it and think he's not listening … and two seconds later, he recites it line and verse."

In the midst of his conversation with Schwab, just before pulling into a 7-Eleven to buy a pile of newspapers, Vitale decided to dictate a website column.

His volume went up about four notches, and he was off:

"The Jimmy V Classic is always such a special evening! I tell you, what a dynamic doubleheader at Madison Square Garden! But the biggest winners of all are the cancer patients who benefit from the dollars raised to fight this dreaded disease!"

Minutes later, he had finished dissecting two games, analyzing the players and strategies.

"So just clean that up a little bit, Howie. That's basically it," he said.

At the Broken Egg, Vitale made his way to his accustomed table. The universal celebrity uniform — ball cap, dark glasses — suddenly came off. The navy ESPN sweatshirt blared his identity. And when he was approached for the first autograph, Vitale whipped out a pen.

"I keep a Sharpie, just in case," he said.

Vitale tried to order breakfast, and a new employee had trouble. "Egg Beaters, double spinach?" he said, before a waitress leaned in to help.

"Just put down the Dickie V omelet," she said.

Nine hours before game time, Vitale finally left on a private jet, a perk of his success. Vitale works 60 or so games a year, and ESPN pays for first-class commercial fare. Vitale pays the difference with money from speaking engagements.

"The only work in my work is the travel," he said. "The games are play. I can't begin to tell you how much it means to have the extra half-day at home with my family."

Vitale lives with Lorraine, his wife of 34 years, in a $4-million, nearly 13,000-square-foot home in Lakewood Ranch, Fla. Their daughters — both former Notre Dame tennis players who later earned MBAs — live nearby with their families but are often at the house. In Vitale's office, there is a large-screen TV below two smaller screens. The home theater has leather seats with cup-holders and velvet walls.

In the master bedroom, a TV rises at the foot of the bed at the touch of a button. And as he shaves, Vitale can touch the alarm-system screen in the bathroom and bring up ESPN.

But it is not entirely the house that ESPN built.

Vitale commands up to $45,000 a speech, has written seven books — "Seven more than I've read!" — and has a website where fans can buy autographed caps, balls, bobblehead dolls, even an alarm clock that will wake you to the sound of Vitale shouting his signature phrases.

He also uses his appeal for charity, particularly the V Foundation for Cancer Research, pledging $50,000 this year as he seeks to raise $1 million among 20 friends in memory of his friend Jim Valvano, the late coach and analyst. Vitale also is such a benefactor of the Boys and Girls Clubs of Sarasota that there is a statue of him outside a new facility.

Some of his gestures are more personal. Dave Woloshin, a University of Memphis broadcaster who barely knew Vitale, saw him at a game in Springfield, Mass., the night before Woloshin had to broadcast a football game in Tampa, Fla.

Woloshin asked Vitale for directions to John F. Kennedy Airport.

"Why don't you fly home with me and stay at my house?" Vitale replied.

They arrived at 3:30 a.m., and Vitale offered a tour.

"We go into the bedroom, but we don't turn on all the lights because his wife is sleeping, and he's saying, 'This is my closet,' " Woloshin said. "I never met his wife, but I was probably 20 feet from her."

Something about his absence of guile seems to draw people to Vitale.

In Bloomington, before Indiana played North Carolina, Hoosier guard Bracey Wright made a beeline when he saw him. "Dickie V!" he said.

Talking off-camera with Indiana Coach Mike Davis, Vitale got an answer without asking a question.

"There are Knight lovers and Knight haters, but you have never felt accepted here," Vitale said.

"The only time I felt accepted was the Final Four," Davis said.

Later, a crowd of students surrounded Vitale as he wrapped up a broadcast. But instead of shoving and mugging to try to get on TV, they raised camera phones to try to beam a shot of Dickie V to their friends.

In a way, Vitale owes his career, the home, the Lexus and Mercedes with vanity plates reading "ESPN 79" and "T-O BABY" to two people.

One is Detroit Piston owner Bill Davidson, who ended Vitale's coaching career in 1979 after Vitale had lost 60 of 94 games. The other was the late Scotty Connal, the ESPN executive who hired him.

"I saw Bill Davidson at an All-Star game, and he said, 'You owe it all to me,' " Vitale said. "And I said, 'Yeah, thanks for giving me the ziggy!' "

Until then, Vitale was the same "hot coach" he often glorifies.

As a Rutgers assistant, he recruited Phil Sellers, the star of a Final Four team in 1976. By then, Vitale was already head coach at the University of Detroit, which reached the Sweet 16 in 1977.

It all came apart in the NBA.

"I didn't fit. I was too emotional," Vitale said. "I always felt like a failure.

"You go to church on Sunday, and I felt like the people around me picked up the paper that morning and knew whether I failed or succeeded. It tore my insides up."

He meant that literally. More than once during his coaching career, he suffered from a bleeding ulcer.

"If I were coaching, I never would have lived past 50," he said.

Connal saw Vitale speak as a college coach and vowed to hire him for TV one day.

"He said, 'You connect,' " Vitale said. "Whether people agree or disagree, only a handful of people have that ability to hit buttons."

A nervous-looking Vitale was paid $350 to work a DePaul-Wisconsin game in 1979, ESPN's first college basketball broadcast, opening with an information-packed monologue as his partner stood by.

"ESPN changed my life," Vitale said. "It really did."

If there is a common criticism, other than his style, it is that Vitale is too much the coaches' buddy.

But his interview with Jim Harrick in 2003, when Harrick was besieged by accusations of NCAA rules violations and academic fraud at Georgia, was tough and persistent. Vitale's follow-up questions prompted Harrick to reiterate his claims, and ESPN quickly received calls from UCLA and Rhode Island, contradicting Harrick's graduation-rate numbers.

"It wasn't something I anticipated turning out as it did," Harrick said. "I went to his daughter's wedding. Both daughters. We were good friends. I haven't really talked to him since."

The most remarkable thing about Vitale is that somehow the shtick never wore out, and office politics never turned against him.

Maybe it is because he pays attention to everyone. Consider that George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN Inc. and ABC Sports, started at the bottom at ESPN's headquarters in Bristol, Conn.

"I guess my first year there, I in effect became his driver. I would pick him up at the airport. He'd buy all the papers, and fire through them looking for any reference to himself, then throw them in the back seat," Bodenheimer said with a laugh. "It was my job to keep the car clean, so I was always picking them up.

"We became friends. We talked a lot about careers and jobs. He really helped create March Madness, when ESPN started televising the early rounds of the tournament."

The world knows him as Dickie V, but Vitale's parents, second-generation Italian Americans, called him Rich, as his wife, Lorraine, does. Before he was 3, Richie injured an eye in an accident involving a pencil.

"When I lost my eye, my mother told me, 'St. Jude is the miracle worker. Carry this card with you, Richie, all the time,' " Vitale said. "I lost an eye, and my mother said, 'Don't feel sorry for yourself.' "

His wife says his eye injury is part of why Vitale developed the big personality, becoming the boy whose high school yearbook photo was captioned, "Everybody's buddy."

And inside his pocket, there is always a St. Jude card.

At 65, in the first year of a five-year contract, Vitale has no plan to quit.

Last season, he became a finalist for the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, crying on the air when he learned he was among the nominees.

"Oh, God, to see my name there," he said.

Neither Vitale nor Connecticut Coach Jim Calhoun — who won his second national title the day of the announcement — made the cut.

Because the announcement is made Monday at the Final Four and future inductees must be flown in, the nominees learn the outcome Friday.

"Guys had been telling me, 'You're a lock,' " Vitale said. "Bobby Knight said, 'I know you'll be in.' Krzyzewski, Digger Phelps. I get choked up just thinking about it.

"I was at the San Antonio zoo with my family when I got the call. We're watching the elephants, and I get a call from John Doleva at the Basketball Hall of Fame, and he tells me, 'I'm sorry to tell you, you weren't inducted.'

"My wife and kids can tell just by looking at me. You're not supposed to tell anybody until Monday, and everywhere I go, people are saying, 'Congratulations, Dick, you're going to get in.' "

Suddenly, he was the little boy with the bad eye again, the coach who got fired. All those well-wishers, and he couldn't tell them he didn't make it.

"I felt like this … this … zero," Vitale said, wiping away tears.

He remains eligible, and would be inducted if he received 18 votes from the 24-person honors committee.

But unlike some other sports halls, the Basketball Hall of Fame doesn't have a media wing. Until Chick Hearn was enshrined in 2003, no media member had ever been inducted.

Vitale has influential backers. Smith, Krzyzewski and Rick Pitino were among those who wrote letters to the Hall of Fame supporting him.

"As a contributor to the game, he deserves to be in," Krzyzewski said. "He basically has been probably the game's biggest promoter in the last decade."

"He deserves it," North Carolina Coach Roy Williams said. "You know, he always jokes, 'I was fired, I've got no hair, one bad eye.' He'd never admit it, but I think it would make him feel more a part of the game.' "

Actually, Vitale does admit it.

"I mean, enshrinement," he said. "Your kids and grandkids could go there forever.

"People say I'll ultimately get in. Who knows? The bottom line is, you want to be living. I wish Chick Hearn got in while he was living so he could have had the moment."

Moments are precious to Vitale. Mention that maybe someday he will get through a day without being asked to sign anything, and Vitale seems crestfallen. What fun would that be?

"I'd run around saying, 'Please, ask me for my autograph or to take a picture! I used to be Dickie V!' " he said.

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

[B]THE VITALE FILE

• Born: June 9, 1939, in East Rutherford, N.J.

• Personal: Vitale and his wife, Lorraine, have two daughters, Terri and Sherri.

• TV career: Joined ESPN as a college basketball analyst in 1979-80 season, just after network's September 1979 launch.

• Coaching career: Coached high school ball in New Jersey for eight seasons (1963-70), followed by two seasons as an assistant at Rutgers, five as head coach at the University of Detroit and one (1978-79) as head coach of the NBA's Detroit Pistons.

• Education: Bachelor's degree in business administration from Seton Hall and master's in education from William Paterson College in Wayne, N.J.

Source: ESPN

A Look at TV’s Year
The good, the bad and the 'Swan' ugly
By Robert Bianco, USA TODAY

Suddenly, the state of scripted television looks a lot less desperate.

All it took to banish a few years' worth of TV despair was the arrival of two big hits, Desperate Housewives and Lost. Now the attention is back on what TV has always done best: create characters and tell extended stories.

As always, the news is not all positive. No movie this year matched last December's Angels in America or even came close. And although a handful of sitcoms are worth watching —Arrested Development, Two and a Half Men, Scrubs, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Less Than Perfect and Entourage among them — the genre as a whole remains depressed.

So as we reach the end of a surprisingly good year, let's celebrate the best of TV, brush away the worst and hope for even better from 2005.

The Best

1. Lost (ABC)
How do you stretch a plane-crash castaway story into a weekly series? You do it by structuring the show so that the compelling mystery isn't where these people are but who they are. And so, under the guidance of Alias' supremely creative J.J. Abrams, Lost offers the intense pleasures of two shows in one: an exciting, grand-scale adventure married to a smart, intimate drama. Each week, 48 people face the trauma of forming a new society and each week, a happily committed fan cult joyfully gets lost in their stories.

2. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Like Lost, the season's biggest new hit is a hybrid, part twist-a-minute mystery, part fast-moving soap, part ribald sex comedy. Marc Cherry has used the comic gifts he honed on The Golden Girls to create an hour-long version of a friends-in-need sitcom. Underneath the romps, the pratfalls and the hopping from bed to bed is the story — perfectly cast and played — of four women bonding together to face the difficulties of life: the death of a friend, the collapse of a marriage, the realization that parenting is hard and sometimes unrewarding work. Housewives is great fun, but it's the poignancy behind the desperation that hooks you in.

3. Arrested Development (Fox)
Don't look for poignancy here. TV's best sitcom plays family dysfunction strictly and reliably for laughs. Where other shot-like-a-movie sitcoms have used the absence of a studio audience as an excuse not to be funny, Arrested Development uses it to crowd the screen with jokes it couldn't otherwise tell. The show gleefully bounces from elaborate sight gags (including one involving a bathtub, a camera phone and weapons of mass destruction that defies explanation here), to subtle, almost whispered insults, many of them sotto voce responses by the invaluable Jason Bateman to the fabulous Jessica Walter. ("The doctor said I couldn't be a mother now if I tried." "And that was without interviewing me.") In a medium that tends to pound every joke home, you have to love a show that's confident enough to throw a few away.

4. The Wire (HBO)
By returning to its drug-war roots, this hard-hitting, far-reaching, one-of-a-kind examination of urban decay produced its most accessible and yet least watched season. What can we say? You can, if you choose, criticize HBO for moving this extremely fragile piece of TV art to the fall, where it was crushed by the competition. Or, since it's the holidays, you can praise HBO for putting The Wire on the air for three years, even though there was never any sign of widespread public interest. If this is how it ends, The Wire can go out knowing it was the only show telling this kind of story about these kind of people and telling it almost unimaginably well.

5. Rescue Me (FX)
If you've been searching for a silver lining in the still-lamented cancellation of The Job, here it is: It freed Denis Leary and Peter Tolan to do this even better version of the show. Set in a firehouse rather than a police station, Rescue Me brings out every one of Leary's strengths as a TV star, including some we didn't know he had. With its empathy for blue-collar public servants, its mix of humor and drama and its engaging yet damaged central character, Rescue Me is the heir apparent to the departing NYPD Blue.

6. Joan of Arcadia (CBS)
TV's best family drama has only gotten better this season, as Joan's rift with God was reflected in her mother's fears for the future. Anchored by the ever-more-remarkable Amber Tamblyn, Joan gently explores life's great metaphysical questions while showing a command of metaphor that verges on the poetic. If life is a juggling act, as God told Joan, so is TV, and Joan has done a masterful job of keeping its clubs in the air.

7. 24 (Fox)
Another bad day for Jack Bauer turned into another great day for viewers of this still shockingly audacious series. Yes, the season lagged a bit in the middle during Jack's misguided Mexican holiday, but the actors and the concept pulled the show through to a terrific climax. And here's a tip for 2005: The new season looks as if it might be even better.

8. Without a Trace (CBS)
Trace may not be as cleverly plotted or sickly amusing as the best CSI episodes, but it's much better at balancing its tricky plots with character development and at doing so without making us feel as if it's fulfilling some unwanted network-imposed obligation. By pausing to explore Jack's relationship with his father, or Sam and Martin's budding romance, the show ties us even more closely to their crime-fighting efforts. Among procedurals, Trace is simply without a peer.

9. Amazing Race (CBS)
In a year littered with reality atrocities, Race is a welcome reminder of the best the genre has to offer. This expertly produced travelogue follows ordinary people as they are put to extraordinary tests in a game that rewards skill and strength instead of duplicity and bad behavior. Besides, few scripted shows had any lines as funny as Colin's whiny lament "My ox is broken" or any climaxes as exciting as Chip and Kim's Race 5 victory. Now, let's hope Race 7 is a little less loaded with models than Race 6.

10. The Ellen DeGeneres Show (syndicated)
This buoyantly amusing talk show is a relief, not only just from the divorce court/paternity test swamp that is afternoon TV, but also from the plug-my-project palsy of most celebrity interviews. Dancing her way through daytime, DeGeneres somehow seems to bring out the best in most of her guests. Before Ellen, Justin Timberlake's year was marked by his ungentlemanly behavior toward Janet Jackson and his laughable attempts to sell himself as a gangsta. DeGeneres made him dance in a foam gingerbread suit, and darn if he wasn't suddenly likable. That's talent. Tape Ellen during the day; play it at night when you need a laugh.

The Worst

1. The Swan 2 (Fox)
Leave it to Fox's Gollum-like reality division, which has sold whatever soul it had in pursuit of the next big reality hit, to confuse Frankenstein with Cinderella. What is more revolting: the assumption that there is some single standard of beauty we all can or should attain; or the idea that it's OK to carve people up like turkeys and throw them into some bogus beauty contest, just so you can tell all but one of them they still haven't made the grade? Besides, if you're going to pass judgment on the work that was done, shouldn't the show be called The Surgeon instead of The Swan?

2. Growing Up Gotti (A&E)
Growing up Gotti? That's not a title; it's a threat. The most repulsive of the hidden-camera shows, Gotti stars yet another reality-show mother who should be struggling to change her children's bad behavior rather than offering it up as entertainment fodder for an increasingly less grateful nation. Please, people. Seek help, before society forces it upon you.

3. The Benefactor (ABC)
The only show that did a worse job of copying The Apprentice than The Apprentice 2 was Mark Cuban's The Benefactor. This game show was one of the many reality mistakes that the networks had to rush to an early conclusion, like nervous hostesses herding misbehaving guests toward the door. It was apparently Cuban's belief that America would enjoy watching people toady up to him for cash. Apparently not.

4. BMOC (WB)
How do you make the networks-as-panderers dating format even smarmier? Move it to a college campus, so we can see teenagers throw themselves at some would-be stud for the privilege of being named Campus Queen. I'm assuming WB used BMOC as a title because Co-ed Call Girl was already taken.

5. The Mountain (WB)
In a neck-and-neck race, the winner of Worst Scripted Show of 2004 goes to The Mountain. Granted, Center of the Universe was a more egregious waste of talent, Listen Up more grating, Method and Red more inept, and Father of the Pride more ill conceived. Yet The Mountain wins because it was just so completely superfluous. And because you know, deep down, WB knew it was never going to make even a speed bump out of this molehill, let alone a mountain. You lose points for airing failures you know are failures.

Watching the future of TV
Analysts say 25 years down the road, sports fans will be more in tune with the action


By Mike Klingaman The Baltimore Sun Staff December 27, 2004

It's Dec. 30, 2029, and Seymour Gamz is riled. From his luxury waterfront residence in Curtis Bay, Gamz is watching the Ravens' game in his home theater when he hears a disturbing report: The team's top receiver, Todd Heap Jr., appears to be favoring the hamstring that he injured earlier in Baltimore's victory over the Seoul Train.

"No way!" shouts Gamz, a longtime fan, who grabs the remote and punches some buttons. Instantly, the television - a huge 3-D screen covering two walls - splits into a dozen smaller windows. One screen isolates on Heap in the day's contest; another displays his statistics, game by game. A third screen shows Heap's medical history; another supplies background on typical hamstring injuries.

Gamz scans the screens, and others, including one that shows recent interviews with Heap, who swears that his thigh is fine.

"I knew it," says Gamz. He picks up his cell phone and text-messages the pro football network, giving producers a piece of his mind.

Moments later, his gripe is relayed to the same sideline reporter who'd brought it all up.

"We've just heard from Mr. Seymour Gamz, in Baltimore, who doubts the veracity of our report," the sportscaster says. "But I spoke with Todd before the game, and he said that he 'tweaked' that hamstring in practice this week."

Such is the future of TV sports, industry analysts say. It has been 25 years since ESPN broke from the gate and changed the viewing landscape. But the technological advances of that era - from point-of-view cameras placed inside racecars, to football's digitally projected first-down lines - pale alongside those predicted for the next 25 years.

What's ahead? Curved TV screens the size of cycloramas. Channels for every sport imaginable. And interactive programming that allows fans to choose everything from their favorite camera angles for games to the players they want to chat with afterward.

"Viewers will be able to drill deep inside of sports and access athletes on the granular level," says Len DeLuca, vice president of programming strategy at ESPN. "The balance of power is shifting from providers to fans.

"Cameras and microphones will be everywhere. You'll see and hear what goes on in locker rooms. And, for an extra charge, you can conduct TV post-game interviews with [the next] Ray Lewis."

You're in the action

The day is nigh, say experts, when television lifts viewers out of their La-Z-Boys and puts them into the path of a blitzing linebacker or a 95-mph fastball.

"Imagine football players with mini-cameras and sensors woven into their uniforms, allowing fans to see and experience everything that they do," says Robert Johnson, chief executive officer of Black Entertainment Television. Those microchips will let viewers track anything from an athlete's heart rate to the impact of a bone-jarring tackle.

Says Johnson: "It's virtual reality except that, at home, you can't feel the hit in football - unless the TV is set to give you an electric shock."

Industry advances will also allow consumers to tailor their sports programming to suit themselves, Johnson says. It won't be long, experts agree, before viewers are choosing from among a bevy of camera shots, graphics and instant replays.

"You'll be your own director. Your living room will be like the [network] control truck outside the stadium," says Michael Davis, senior editor at TV Guide. "Fans love the 'gizmo' factor. You'll be able to isolate on anything from a Ravens wide receiver to Shaq's big butt."

The options may be limited only by the fans' imagination, Davis says. "Someday, there may be an ESPN karaoke channel, where people can be their own sportscaster."

Look for a deluge of viewing choices, analysts say. Pro football, basketball, baseball and hockey will have their own cable channels. But so will sports with niche audiences, such as lacrosse, volleyball and archery.

"Your TV universe is becoming like a magazine kiosk with boutique channels," says Ed Goren, president of Fox Sports.

But separate stations for hunting and fishing? For billiards and bowling? Why not, says Robert Thompson, professor of media and popular culture at Syracuse University.

"If you'd told me five years ago that playing cards would be one of the big TV breakthroughs, I'd have said you were crazy," Thompson says. "Poker is the most non-telegenic activity short of knitting. But they figured out how to do it, with cameras."

"We're heading toward a highly fragmented video marketplace," says Neal Pilson, a media consultant and former head of CBS Sports. "Someday, a greyhound racing fan will get an automatic e-mail reminding him of live racing tonight on TV at 8 o'clock."

Where to turn?

"There will be so many choices, it will be like FM radio," says Lesley Visser, a CBS Sports reporter who began at that network in 1984. A history buff, Visser awaits the day when she can scroll through an electronic sports video archive containing footage of every classic ever played.

"I want to be able to push a button and call up the 1985 NCAA basketball championship [Villanova 66, Georgetown 64] or some of those great Green Bay Packers-Chicago Bears games," she says. "I could watch them over and over, the same way I never get tired of reading [Ernest Hemingway's] The Sun Also Rises."

You make the call

Consumers who prefer the open-mike approach to sports could probably get a tell-it-like-it-is version.

"We might have 'discreet' pay-per-view sports channels, where the cuss words of players and coaches aren't censored," says Johnson, the BET executive and owner of the NBA's Charlotte Bobcats. "Call them full-reality channels; they'd have a parental lock."

Also in the offing: a lottery gaming channel that lets viewers vie for prizes.

"Watching the game, you'll compete with a pool of others to guess the next play," Johnson says. "Will it be a pass to the wide-out or a run by the fullback? You'd vote on your screen and collect points toward winning something - say, an island in the Caribbean."

Televisions will keep expanding in size, for those who demand to see more on their screens than simple play-by-play.

"I'd expect to see a lot of informational support, like the statistics of a particular quarterback throwing to a particular receiver in the red zone. That's the minutiae that's interesting to me," says Terry McDonnell, managing editor of Sports Illustrated.

How detailed?

Says McDonnell: "I'll order a TV big enough so that when I'm watching the game between Florida and Florida State, on one side of the screen I can call up all of the players' [college board] scores.

"You will also be able to apply fantasy gaming to TV sports. I want to know what [quarterback] Jeff Garcia does for my fantasy team, at the same time that he is passing for Cleveland."

As technology grows, say industry experts, so will the blur between reality and fantasy. Fox's Goren sees the day when NASCAR fans, watching a live race on TV, can flip a switch and project themselves on the screen, circling the track at Daytona and battling the pros.

"You'd be driving a virtual car, but in a real race, against the Dale Earnhardts and Jeff Gordons," Goren says.

And there is one more view of sports circa 2029, a somewhat jaundiced one from Rachael Church, director of ArkSports, a London-based sports consulting and technology firm:

"Sports programming is now controlled by a conglomeration owned by Rupert Murdoch who, thanks to cloning, will live for eternity.

"Because sports fans are no longer able to attend events live (due to global warming), all contact with sports is via the medium of television (which is also a computer and handy vacuum cleaner).

"Athletes participate interactively in their sports via virtual reality; they compete while plugged into super computers from their luxury hotel rooms, thus preventing potentially litigious injuries ... "

All of these innovations raise the question: Why go to games? In 25 years, why would people endure traffic jams, bad weather and $40 hot dogs when their home theater offers so much more?

"There's an enjoyment factor in being at a college football game with 90,000 others," says Pilson, the consultant. "There's a group dynamic to it.

"We are a social species."

Fast National ratings for Sunday, Dec. 26, 2004
CBS Nips ABC Reruns on Sunday

(zap2it.com)--So it turns out that all CBS has to do to win Sunday nights again is have ABC go with reruns across the board. Of course, that formula may work overall, but it can't deliver a demographic win.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
CBS 7.3/13
ABC 6.7/12
NBC 5.3/9
Fox 4.1/7
WB 1.2/2

Adults 18-49
ABC 4.3
CBS 3.4
Fox 2.9
NBC 2.1
WB 0.8

At 7 PM, CBS started on top with the 7.9/14 for "60 Minutes." FOX road NFL runover and "King of the Hill" to second place with a 6.2/11. ABC's "America's Funniest Home Videos" was third. NBC started things in fourth with the 4.4/8 for "Dateline." The WB was last with "Steve Harvey's Big Time," which actually delivered the network's best ratings of the night with a 1.4/2.

At 8 PM, CBS stayed on top with the 7.3/13 for "Cold Case". ABC was second with the first hour of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which had a 5.7/10, just better than the results for a second hour of NBC's "Dateline." FOX was back down to fourth with "The Simpsons" and "Arrested Development" averaging a 3.5/6. The WB's "Charmed" was good for last.

At 9 PM, ABC grabbed first with the 7.8/13 for the second part of "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." On CBS the first hour of the movie "Ocean's 11" was second with a 7.2/12. NBC's "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and FOX's two episodes of "Malcolm in the Middle" were third and fourth. Despite being one of the night's only new programs, The WB's "The Mountain" delivered a robust 0.8/1.

At 10 PM, The pilot of "Desperate Housewives" reaired to the tune of an 8.2/15, giving ABC the night's final hour. CBS was second with the last hour of "Ocean's 11." "Crossing Jordan" did a 5.1/9 to put NBC in third.

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

CEA Keeping Up Pressure on Set-Tops
By Ted Hearn 12/27/2004 Multichannel.com 5:17 PM ET

Cable operators are exaggerating the costs and complications associated with opening the digital set-top-box market in a way that would allow consumers to buy units from Best Buy Co. Inc. and Circuit City Stores Inc., according to the Consumer Electronics Association.

MSOs are facing a July 2006 deadline to deploy new digital boxes that function with CableCards. But the industry is resisting, saying that the cost to lease boxes would rise without any offsetting benefits.

The CEA -- members of which want to stock their shelves with cable set-tops -- continued to question cable’s motives and the logic of the industry’s position. The trade group, for example, believes that the mass production of CableCard-enabled boxes will drive prices down, not up.

The National Cable & Telecommunications Association’s “misguided belief that prices will remain high even after full-scale production defies the laws of economics, the marketplace and common sense,” the CEA said in a Dec. 21 letter to the Federal Communications Commission.

The NCTA, Comcast Corp. and Charter Communications Inc. want the FCC to either eliminate the ban on integrated boxes or to postpone the July 2006 deadline.

Cable wants the FCC to make a decision soon because if the ban is not lifted, MSOs would need to begin placing orders for CableCard boxes in the months ahead to ensure a ready inventory by July 2006.

Soccer tops for viewing in 2004
Olympics Opening Ceremony second in viewers
By BOBBIE WHITEMAN Variety.com

The final of the Euro 2004 soccer championship beat the Opening Ceremony of the Olympic Games as the most watched sporting event of the year, according to a study of global sports.

The final between Portugal and Greece was seen by 153 million TV viewers, thanks to a big jump in the number of Asian viewers.

The Olympics Opening Ceremony in Athens attracted 127 million viewers to come in at No. 2, while the Closing Ceremony, which attracted 96 million, came in third.

Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction during the Super Bowl in which the New England Patriots beat the Carolina Panthers was seen by 95 million people to grab fourth place, according to the ViewerTrack report from media agency Initiative Worldwide. The NBA Finals between the L.A. Lakers and the victorious Minnesota Timberwolves came in ninth with 25 million.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Tuesday, Dec 27, 2004, at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Monday Ratings:
ABC Opens the Week on a Winning Note

Metered Market Ratings
Note: The following ratings exclude the Miami, Cincinnati, Memphis, Raleigh and Richmond markets.

Household Rating/Share
ABC: 10.7/17
CBS: 8.2/13
NBC: 5.3/ 8
Fox: 3.4/ 5
WB: 2.5/ 4
UPN: 2.1/ 3

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday 12/29/03):
ABC: +62
NBC: - 4
CBS: - 6
Fox: - 9
WB: -14
UPN: -22

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
ABC: 14.23 million
CBS: 12.05
NBC: 7.28
Fox: 4.64
WB: 3.01
UPN: 2.31

Adults 18-49:
ABC: 5.2/14
CBS: 3.7/10
NBC: 2.7/ 7
Fox: 1.9/ 5
WB: 1.2/ 3
UPN: 1.0/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
Monday Night Football: Philadelphia vs. St. Louis (ABC)

Yesterday's Losers:
Considering only Monday Night Football was an original telecast last night, we'll avoid listing any losers.

Ratings Breakdown:
With Monday Night Football at the helm (and CBS in all repeats), the Philadelphia versus St. Louis match-up led ABC to victory, with an advantage over second-place CBS of 30 percent in the overnights, 2.18 million viewers and 41 percent among adults 18-49 according to the fast affiliate ratings. Leading out of a 6.8/10 in the overnights for repeat special, ESPN's Blunderful World of Sports at 8 p.m., Monday Night Football averaged an 11.3/19 in the overnights from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., with 15.46 million viewers and a 5.8/16 among adults 18-49 in primetime (from 9-11 p.m. EST). Note: On the comparable year-ago evening, part two of made-for Dream Keeper aired on ABC in place of football.

Repeats of CBS' Still Standing (#2: 5.8/ 9; A18-49: #3, 2.8/ 8), Listen Up (#2: 5.2/ 8; A18-49: #3, 2.5/ 7), Everybody Loves Raymond (#2: 9.8/15; A18-49: #2, 4.6/12), Two and a Half Men (#2: 8.7/13; A18-49: #2, 4.2/11) and CSI: Miami (#2: 9.8/16; A18-49: #2, 4.1/11) were on par with typical non-original holiday levels. As a reminder, adults 18-49 is based on the fast affiliate ratings. As for the painfully generic Listen Up, Yes Dear - we miss you!

Over at NBC, a repeat of the tired Fear Factor (#3: 4.8/ 8; A18-49: #2, 2.9/ 8) led into a repeat of a Monday edition of Crossing Jordan (#3: 5.4/ 9; A18-49: #3, 2.4/ 6), and a 10 p.m. repeat of Las Vegas (#3: 5.7/ 9; A18-49: #3, 2.7/ 7). Two repeat episodes of underrated Fox drama House from 8-10 p.m. ranked fourth overall for the evening in the overnights (3.4/ 5), total viewers (4.64 million) and adults 18-49 (1.9/ 5).

On the WB, repeats of 7th Heaven (#5: 3.1/ 5; A18-49: #5, 1.4/ 4) and Everwood (#6: 2.0/ 3; A18-49: #5t, 1.0/ 2) out-rated repeat UPN sitcoms One On One (#6: 2.0/ 3; A18-49: #6, 0.9/ 3), Half and Half (#6: 2.2/ 3; A18-49: #6, 1.0/ 3), Girlfriends (#5: 2.3/ 4; A18-49: #5, 1.1/ 3) and Second Time Around (#5: 2.0/ 3; A18-49: #6, 0.8/ 2) by an average of 19 percent in the overnights and 20 percent among adults 18-49. With the start of the New Year this Saturday, unfortunately 'tis the season for repeats!

Source: Nielsen Media Research data


Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not

TNT and TBS to Conclude 2004 on a High Note:
For the third consecutive year, TNT has ranked No. 1 overall among all ad-supported cable networks in primetime among adults 18-49 (1.14 million through Dec. 19, 2004) and adults 25-54 (1.23 million), while also finishing first in households (1.86 million) and total viewers (2.45 million) for two straight years. Comparatively, TNT delivered more households in primetime and adults 25-54 in total day than any other cable network in history. Sister network TBS, meanwhile, has ranked first overall among adults 18-34 (513,000) in primetime, building year-to-year by double-digit percentages in adults 18-34 and adults 18-49 since launching its "very funny" brand in June. Also since the new launch, TBS' median age has dropped from 40 to 38.

Cartoon Network Soars:
Cartoon Network will end 2004 with its best performance ever in both kids' total day and primetime delivery. Based on total day, the home of animation's finest will reach a new zenith among kids and boys 2-11 and 6-11, increasing across-the-board in all key demo groups year-to-year. Based on primetime, Cartoon Network will reach a new high among kids 6-11 (655,000), building 3 percent over the comparable year-ago period. The older skewing Adult Swim block is also on the rise, with a record delivery in adults 18-34 (450,000) and adults 18-24 (248,000), and a first-place time period finish among all ad supported cable in adults 18-34, adults 18-24 and men 18-24.

Food Network Cooks Up Solid Ratings in 2004:
Based on ratings through Dec. 20, Food Network is up 5 percent year-to-year in total day rating (.44 in households), with growth of 18 and 15 percent, respectively, among adults 18-49 and 25-54. Particularly impressive was the cable net's In the Kitchen Saturday/Sunday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. block, which increased by 20 percent (to a .67 household rating) from 2003.

200 Straight Weekly Wins for NBC's Meet the Press:
Public service program Meet the Press on NBC hit a milestone by scoring its 200th straight weekly victory. Based on ratings for Sunday, Dec. 19, Meet the Press averaged a hefty 4.3 million viewers, beating competitors Face the Nation on CBS (3.2 million) and This Week on ABC (2.3 million) by 1.1 and 2.0 million viewers, respectively.

On the Air Tonight: Primetime Programming Options

Tuesday 12/28/04

ABC
My Wife and Kids (R), George Lopez (R), According to Jim (R), Rodney (R), 20/20 Special Edition

CBS
NCIS (R), The Amazing Race 6, Judging Amy (R)

NBC
Father of the Pride (three episodes), Scrubs (R), Law & Order: SVU (R)

Fox
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best, House

UPN
All of Us (R), Eve (R), Veronica Mars (R)

WB
Gilmore Girls (R), High School Reunion

CBS' NFL Games Score
By John Consoli Mediaweek.com December 28, 2004

The NFL on CBS national pair of games on Sunday, Dec. 26 --the New England Patriots' win over the New York Jets and the Indianapolis Colts' last-minute victory over the San Diego Chargers (a game that saw Colts quarterback Peyton Manning break a longstanding NFL record for touchdowns thrown in a season)-- produced a 13.9 metered-market rating and a 29 share.

The national games were CBS' highest-rated since the NFL returned to CBS in 1998 and were up 38 percent from the comparable Sunday national games last year (10.1/21).

CBS, ABC Celebrate Christmas Week Ratings Wins

(zap2it.com)--Christmas joy equaled Nielsen apathy as viewers turned away from their favorite shows and turned toward thoughts of family, Santa Claus and that obnoxious-looking belated sequel to "Meet the Parents." As result, ratings were down across the board for the week ending Sunday, Dec. 27, 2004.

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
CBS 6.4/11 10.02 million viewers
ABC 6.0/11 9.65 million viewers
NBC 4.6/8 6.98 million viewers
Fox 3.6/6 5.81 million viewers
UPN 1.9/3 2.77 million viewers
WB 1.6/3 2.31 million viewers

Adults 18-49
ABC 3.4
CBS 3.0
Fox 2.5
NBC 2.4
UPN 1.1
WB 0.9

It should serve as some indication of how slow the week was that the most watched program for the frame was a Monday repeat of CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond," enthralling 16.99 million viewers and doing a 10.5/16 to earn the week's No. 2 rating. Fellow Monday offerings "CSI: Miami" (10.1/17, 3rd) and "Two and a Half Men" (9.8/15, 5th) also had strong weeks.

Sunday also yielded a trio of hits for CBS with "60 Minutes" leading the way at No. 9 with a 7.6/14 and "Cold Case" (7.2/12) and a screening of "Ocean's 11" (7.2/13) tying for No. 13. Even in a slow week, the network's powerhouse Thursday still delivered "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" (10.0/17, 4th) and "Without a Trace" (8.5/15, 6th).

Also making the Top 20 for CBS was Wednesday's "CSI: NY," which had a 7.1/12 for No. 15.

ABC had the week's top rated show with Miami's upset "Monday Night Football" victory over New England. "MNF" did a 10.9/19 and the seven-minute pre-show was No. 7 with an 8.3/13.

ABC ended up with an impressive eight entries in the Top 20 spread across several nights. The network's rejuvenated Sunday was led by a repeat of "Desperate Housewives" (8.1/14, 8th) and "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (6.6/11, 19th), while Wednesday saw consecutive encores of "Lost" come in at No. 11 with a 7.5/13 and No. 15 with a 7.1/12. Playing well on Tuesday were "NYPD Blue" (6.9/12, 17th) and "According to Jim" (6.6/11, 19th).

It was a dismal week for NBC, which only had "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (7.3/12, 12th) and "Law & Order" (6.9/12, 17th) in the Top 20.

Fox was led by Sunday NFL overrun at No. 10 with a 7.6/14. The network's most watched piece of regular programming was the finale of the second season of "The Swan," which did a 4.6/7 for No. 45.

"WWE Smackdown!" paced UPN's week with a 2.9/5 and the No. 65 position, better than The WB's best, which was "7th Heaven" at No. 79 with a 2.4/4.

What The WB lacked in quality, the network made up for in dreck. The five lowest rated programs on any of the networks last week were on The WB. Worst of all was "The Mountain" at No. 104 with a 0.8/1 and fewer than 1.1 million viewers.

Fox News Tops Combined Competition
By Linda Moss multichannel.com 12/28/2004

In a stunning showing, Fox News Channel outperformed its four cable-news rivals combined -- Cable News Network, MSNBC, CNBC and CNN Headline News -- in primetime this year, Fox News officials said Tuesday.

Fox News averaged 1.668 million viewers in primetime in 2004, according to Nielsen Media Research data supplied by the network. CNN averaged 855,000 viewers in primetime, while MSNBC had 374,000, CNBC had 161,000 and Headline had 212,000. The four networks’ combined averages totaled 1.602 million, less than Fox News.

The victory is the first such win for Fox News, which was also the only news network to rank in basic cable’s top 10 in primetime and total day.

Nielsen Ratings for Week Ending Sunday, Dec. 26th
A mixed holiday for Fox
Associated Press Dec 29 2004

A holiday week in which TV networks essentially took a vacation provided stark evidence of who's hot and who's not this season.

Of the 30 most popular prime-time shows last week — most of them reruns — 13 were on CBS and 12 on ABC, Nielsen Media Research said Tuesday. "Everybody Loves Raymond," approaching its victory lap, topped the list with 17 million viewers.

Struggling NBC had four. Only one NBC prime-time show, a "Law & Order: SVU" rerun, topped 10 million viewers.

It was even worse at Fox. The network's only top 30 entrant came by accident, when a Sunday football game went long and crept into prime time. The top-rated Fox entertainment show, "The Swan 2," ranked No. 43 for the week.

Fox News Channel celebrated a ratings milestone, with its average prime-time viewership topping that of CNN, MSNBC, CNBC and CNN Headline News combined for the first time, Nielsen said. News viewership was generally flat or down from last year, when the Iraq war began. Barring any sudden change in the last few days of the year, Fox News will also log 11 of the top 12 cable news shows, led by "The O'Reilly Factor." The only non-Fox show to crack that list is CNN's "Larry King Live."

For the week, CBS averaged 10 million viewers. ABC had 9.7 million and won convincingly among viewers ages 18 to 49. NBC averaged 7 million; Fox had 5.8 million; UPN, 2.8 million; the WB, 2.3 million; and Pax, 560,000.

NBC's "Nightly News" won the evening news ratings race, averaging 10.6 million viewers. ABC's "World News Tonight" had 10.3 million and the "CBS Evening News" had 7.9 million.

Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Dec. 20-26) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 277.93 million potential viewers in the U.S. ages 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions.

Program Net Viewers
1 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS 16.99
2 Monday Night Football ABC 16.18
3 CSI CBS 15.83
4 Two and a Half Men CBS 15.47
5 CSI: Miami CBS 14.84
6 Without a Trace CBS 13.06
7 Desperate Housewives ABC 12.89
8 NFL Monday Showcase ABC 12.49
9 60 Minutes CBS 12.37
10 "NFL Sunday Post-Game" FOX 12.03
11 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ABC 11.88
12 Cold Case CBS 11.62
13 "Ocean's Eleven" CBS 11.58
14 Lost ABC 11.27
15 Lost (9 p.m.) ABC 10.92
16 CSI: NY CBS 10.77
17 Amazing Race: 6 CBS 10.72
18 Law & Order: SVU NBC 10.68
19 According to Jim ABC 10.58
20 NYPD Blue ABC 10.38
21 Wonderful World of Disney (Thu.) ABC 10.37
22 Biggest Loser NBC 9.69
23 Still Standing CBS 9.66
24 Law & Order NBC 9.64
24 NCIS CBS 9.64
26 Rodney ABC 9.32
27 Listen Up CBS 9.24
28 Law & Order: Criminal Intent NBC 9.11
29 America's Funniest Home Videos ABC 9.08
30 Wife Swap ABC 8.66
31 "Kennedy Center Honors" CBS 8.48
32 Fear Factor NBC 8.25
33 Primetime Live ABC 8.24
34 Crossing Jordan NBC 7.86
35 The West Wing NBC 7.83
36 George Lopez ABC 7.79
37 America's Funniest Home Videos (Fri.) ABC 7.72
38 King of Queens CBS 7.65
39 My Wife and Kids ABC 7.64
40 Dateline: NBC (Sun.) NBC 7.48
41 Will & Grace (Wed.) NBC 7.47
42 Las Vegas NBC 7.44
43 The Swan 2 FOX 7.20
44 "My Dog Skip" CBS 7.14
45 Joey NBC 7.10
46 Will & Grace (Thu., 9 p.m.) NBC 7.08
47 "Funniest Holiday Moments" FOX 7.03
48 Nanny 911 FOX 6.99
49 Wonderful World of Disney (Sat.) ABC 6.90
50 The Simpsons FOX 6.87
51 "TV Guide: Greatest Moments" ABC 6.82
52 House FOX 6.73
53 Center of the Universe CBS 6.59
54 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Fri.) NBC 6.50
55 Will & Grace (Thu., 8:30 p.m.) NBC 6.34
56 Las Vegas (10 p.m.) NBC 6.33
57 48 Hours Mystery (Sat.) CBS 6.20
58 King of the Hill FOX 6.19
59 Father of the Pride NBC 6.16
60 Scrubs NBC 6.09
61 That '70s Show FOX 6.05
62 Wonderful World of Disney (Fri.) ABC 5.94
63 ER NBC 5.91
64 Cops (8:30 p.m.) FOX 5.79
65 JAG CBS 5.53
66 48 Hours Mystery (Fri.) CBS 5.30
67 "Home for the Holidays" CBS 5.26
68 Cops FOX 4.93
69 WWE Smackdown! UPN 4.85
70 Quintuplets FOX 4.84
71 Malcolm in the Middle (9:30 p.m.) FOX 4.52
72 "It's a Wonderful Life" NBC 4.43
73 "Christmas Carol" NBC 4.38
74 Arrested Development FOX 4.37
75 Malcolm in the Middle FOX 4.34
76 Joan of Arcadia CBS 4.24
77 The O.C. FOX 4.14
78 "Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" FOX 3.96
79 7th Heaven WB 3.70
80 The O.C. (9 p.m.) FOX 3.54
81 Blue Collar WB 3.17
82 Reba WB 3.16
83 Gilmore Girls WB 3.00
84 Smallville WB 2.97
85 Rebel Billionaire FOX 2.82
86 High School Reunion WB 2.81
87 One on One UPN 2.78
88 Girlfriends UPN 2.61
89 Half and Half UPN 2.60
90 Everwood WB 2.58
91 "Nora's Hair Salon" UPN 2.47
92 Eve UPN 2.38
93 All of Us UPN 2.31
94 Second Time Around UPN 2.16
95 Kevin Hill UPN 2.12
96 Steve Harvey's Big Time WB 2.09
97 Charmed WB 2.07
98 Kevin Hill UPN 1.90
99 Grounded WB 1.80
100 What I Like About You WB 1.79
101 Veronica Mars UPN 1.65
102 BMOC WB 1.60
102 "Crazy/Beautiful" WB 1.60
104 Mountain WB 1.10

Network averages

Here is the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.

Net Last wk Season avg
CBS 10.02 13.04
ABC 9.65 10.18
NBC 8.98 9.96
FOX 5.81 8.73
UPN 2.77 3.54
WB 2.31 3.67

Bottom Five Shows By Network Week Ending Dec. 26
(viewers in millions)
ABC
36 George Lopez 7.79
39 My Wife and Kids 7.64
49 Wonderful World of Disney (Sat.) 6.90
51 "TV Guide: Greatest Moments" 6.82
62 Wonderful World of Disney (Fri.) 5.94

CBS
53 Center of the Universe 6.59
57 48 Hours Mystery (Sat.) 6.20
66 48 Hours Mystery (Fri.) 5.30
67 "Home for the Holidays" 5.26
76 Joan of Arcadia 4.24

Fox
75 Malcolm in the Middle 4.34
77 The O.C. 4.14
78 "Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle" 3.96
80 The O.C. (9 p.m.) 3.54
85 Rebel Billionaire 2.82

NBC
59 Father of the Pride 6.16
60 Scrubs 6.09
63 ER 5.91
72 "It's a Wonderful Life" 4.43
73 "Christmas Carol" 4.38

UPN
93 All of Us 2.31
94 Second Time Around 2.16
95 Kevin Hill 2.12
98 Kevin Hill 1.90
101 Veronica Mars 1.65

WB
99 Grounded 1.80
100 What I Like About You 1.79
102 BMOC 1.60
102 "Crazy/Beautiful" 1.60
104 Mountain 1.10
Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Top Five Shows By Network Week Ending Dec. 26
(Six Shows for Fox: So shoot me, I like “House”)
(viewers in millions)
ABC
2 Monday Night Football 16.18
7 Desperate Housewives 12.89
8 NFL Monday Showcase 12.49
11 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 11.88
14 Lost 11.27

CBS
1 Everybody Loves Raymond 16.99
3 CSI 15.83
4 Two and a Half Men 15.47
5 CSI: Miami 14.84
6 Without a Trace 13.06

Fox
10 "NFL Sunday Post-Game" 12.03
43 The Swan 2 7.20
47 "Funniest Holiday Moments" 7.03
48 Nanny 911 6.99
50 The Simpsons 6.87
52 House 6.73

NBC
18 Law & Order: SVU 10.68
22 Biggest Loser 9.69
24 Law & Order 9.64
28 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 9.11
32 Fear Factor 8.25

UPN
69 WWE Smackdown! 4.85
87 One on One 2.78
88 Girlfriends 2.61
89 Half and Half 2.60
91 "Nora's Hair Salon" 2.47

WB
79 7th Heaven 3.70
81 Blue Collar 3.17
82 Reba 3.16
83 Gilmore Girls 3.00
84 Smallville 2.97
Source: Nielsen Media Research data

'Monday Night Football' Ratings Not as Dandy
By THE NEW YORK TIMES December 29, 2004

ABC's "Monday Night Football" concluded its 35th season with an 11.0 Nielsen rating, down 4 percent from last season and the lowest in its history.

Viewership fell to 16.4 million from 16.9 million.

But the program is ranked seventh in prime time, and it consistently wins its time slot.

"The most valid way to determine the success of a program is against its competition," Mark Mandel, a spokesman for ABC Sports, said. " 'Monday Night Football' has been in the top 10 for 15 straight years, and any implication that it is not doing well is just not right."

In its attractiveness to important male demographics, "Monday Night" had its rating increase 1 percent among men 18 to 34, and the rating fell 2 percent among men 18 to 49. Among all adults, the rating fell 3 percent.

Despite the appeal to the type of viewers that advertisers covet, "Monday Night" - which is headed into the final year of its contract - is losing as much as $200 million annually. CBS and Fox have extended their Sunday afternoon National Football League deals through the 2011 season, but ABC and ESPN have deferred their renewals. It is possible, despite the importance of "Monday Night," that ABC may not retain it.

It was a somewhat bumpy year for the "Monday Night" franchise. It drew a mixed reaction for a steamy opening skit to one game in which Nicollette Sheridan, one of the stars of ABC's "Desperate Housewives," appeared to leap naked into the arms of Terrell Owens, and for a series of juvenile halftime pranks pulled by players on their unsuspecting teammates.

A Merry Christmas for ABC
The Week’s Winners and Losers
By Lisa de Moraes The Washington Post Wednesday, December 29, 2004; Page C07

CBS snagged the most viewers during Christmas week, but really, how much is there to say about four variations on the procedural crime drama and "Ocean's Eleven"? ABC, meanwhile, snapped CBS's six-week winning streak among 18-to-49-year-olds with a grab bag that included a campy suburban sendup, a home makeover reality show and "Monday Night Football." ABC also clocked the highest rating in four years of any network in that demographic group during a Christmas week and took the week among 25-to-54-year-olds, teens and kids.

Here's a look at the week's cheer and humbug:

WINNERS
"Ocean's Eleven." Defying conventional wisdom, the most watched theatrical movie of the TV season aired the night after Christmas (when the number of homes using television is supposed to be low, low, low), bagging nearly 12 million viewers for CBS.
"Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." The rebroadcast of the ABC reality series season debut, in which a widowed father of six gets the treatment, was the week's most watched program among teens.
Christmas night flicks. ABC's "Sound of Music," CBS's "My Dog Skip" and NBC's "It's a Wonderful Life" collectively averaged nearly 19 million viewers Saturday.
The Jerry Bruckheimer drama factory. "CSI," "CSI: Miami," "Without a Trace" and "Cold Case" were the top-ranked drama series, catapulting CBS into first place Christmas week. Ho, ho, ho, hum . . .

LOSERS
NBC. The GE-owned network had a rough holiday week, finishing fourth in its target 18-49 demographic group for the second time this season. NBC hadn't placed fourth in the demo during a week since 2001. Overall, it averaged 7 million viewers, the network's smallest audience during an official TV season in at least seven seasons. "Law & Order: SVU" was the only NBC show to top 10 million viewers last week.
"The Swan" had an audience for the second-season finale on Fox that came in 3.5 million viewers slimmer than the first-season finale, which, in this case, is not a good thing.
"The Rebel Billionaire." The week's least-watched show among the Big Four broadcast networks had a scrawny 2.8 million viewers. That's also the smallest audience Fox has garnered in the Tuesday 8 p.m. hour since the network started programming it in 1993.
Kennedy Center Honors. CBS's frozen-in-time tribute special settled for its second smallest audience in seven years -- about 8.5 million viewers -- even though the network had moved it to a stronger pre-Christmas time slot. This year's honorees were Warren Beatty, Elton John, Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee, Joan Sutherland and John Williams. Last year the Honors show scored more than 11 million viewers the night after Christmas, but then ratings-magnet Carol Burnett was among the honorees. In 2002, the show suffered its smallest audience, 7.2 million viewers, when honoring James Earl Jones, James Levine, Chita Rivera, Paul Simon and Elizabeth Taylor. Previous ratings spikes include '98 (12.6 million viewers), when TV star Bill Cosby was among those feted, and '93 (12.5 million), when the list included late-night TV great Johnny Carson. Sense a trend?
2004 Nobel Peace Prize Concert. It's unclear where the news service reports of this event -- mostly about hosts Oprah Winfrey and Tom Cruise -- got that 450-million-viewer estimate, but given that in the United States the telecast attracted an average of just 227,000 viewers, the concert would have had to average around 4 million viewers in each of the other 100-ish countries in which it was shown, which seems unlikely. E!, which telecast the concert domestically, did better in the time slot the previous four weeks with such classics as "101 Most Sensational Crimes of Fashion" and "Diary of an Affair."

Ratings Notes
'Race' slips past 'Loser'
By Gary Levin, USA TODAY

•Reality race. In a duel of original reality episodes, CBS' Amazing Race (10.7 million) edged out NBC's The Biggest Loser (9.7 million), though it marked Race's season low. NBC's Father of the Pride, which has been caged since late October, returned to burn off remaining original episodes, averaging a typical 6.2 million viewers.

•Kennedy kudos dip. Tuesday's Kennedy Center Honors on CBS slipped 24% to 8.5 million viewers from last year's edition, which aired Dec. 26.

•NBC ranks third on Thursday. Tim Allen holiday perennial The Santa Clause averaged 10.4 million viewers Thursday, giving usual also-ran ABC its best performance in that 8 p.m.-to-10 p.m. ET/PT slot in more than a year. NBC's repeat lineup slumped to third place as a Without a Trace rerun (13.1 million) doubled the audience of an ER repeat (5.9 million).

•Holiday movie slugfest In the battle of Christmas Day movies, CBS' second airing of My Dog Skip (7.1 million viewers) narrowly edged the 25th run of ABC's The Sound of Music (6.9 million), and both trounced NBC's It's a Wonderful Life, which delivered 4.4 million viewers.

•Housewivesredux. A repeat of Desperate Housewives' pilot episode in a special 10 p.m. ET/PT time slot Sunday averaged 12.9 million viewers, outscoring CBS' broadcast premiere of Ocean's Eleven. With last week's results, Housewives eclipsed CSI as TV's top series among young adults, although the crime drama continues to lead comfortably among viewers of all ages.

•House home. Fox's critically praised but low-rated medical drama House took advantage of the slow week. A new episode ranked as the series high among young adults with a still-modest 6.7 million total viewers. Meanwhile, Monday's finale of plastic-surgery beauty pageant The Swan 2, which was moved up from January, notched 7.2 million, making it Fox's top show of the week.

•Skipper, too. TBS' The Real Gilligan's Island jumped back to 3.8 million viewers Tuesday from the prior week's 2.5-million turnout.

Sad news. Jerry Orbach succumbed to cancer. He will be missed.

http://www.cnn.com/2004/SHOWBIZ/TV/12/29/obit.orbach/index.html

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2004, at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Tuesday Ratings:
CBS Leads the Troops--
Tuesday 12/28/04
Note: The following overnights exclude the Philadelphia, Miami, Tampa, Columbus, Richmond, Memphis, Greenville-Spartanburg, San Antonio, Oklahoma City, Albuquerque and Binghamton markets.

Metered Market Ratings

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 6.8/11
ABC: 5.4/ 9
NBC: 5.2/ 8
Fox: 3.8/ 6
WB: 2.6/ 4
UPN: 2.0/ 3

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Tuesday 12/30/03):
ABC: +12
WB: + 8
CBS: + 5
UPN: - 9
NBC: -16
Fox: -41

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
CBS: 10.26 million
ABC: 8.09
NBC: 7.34
Fox: 5.38
WB: 3.12
UPN: 2.37

Adults 18-49:
CBS: 3.2/ 9
ABC: 3.1/ 8
NBC: 2.9/ 8
Fox: 2.1/ 6
WB: 1.4/ 4
UPN: 0.8/ 2

Yesterday's Winners:
NCIS R (CBS)
According To Jim R (ABC)
The Amazing Race 6 (CBS)
House (Fox)
Law & Order: SVU R (NBC)

Yesterday's Losers:
Father of the Pride (NBC)
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (Fox)
High School Reunion (WB)

Ratings Breakdown:
With 57 percent of the schedule in repeats, CBS posted a three-tier Tuesday victory, finishing first in the overnights, total viewers and adults 18-49. As a reminder, viewers and adults 18-49 are based on the fast affiliate ratings. A repeat of CBS' underrated NCIS (8.7/14; Viewers: 12.86 million; A18-49: 3.5/10) and The Amazing Race 6 (6.9/11; Viewers: 10.44 million; A18-49: 3.9/10) ranked first in all three categories from 8-10 p.m., followed by a repeat of Judging Amy third in the overnights (5.0/ 8) and adults 18-49 (2.1/ 6) behind a repeat of NBC's Law & Order: SVU (#1: 8.4/14; A18-49: #1, 4.4/12) and a Tuesday edition of ABC's 20/20 (#2: 5.2/ 9; A18-49: #2, 2.6/ 7) at 10 p.m. As good as The Amazing Race 6 is (good luck next week, Lori and Bolo - you'll need it!), there is something missing without plucky Charla from season five in the mix.

In series burn-off news, three consecutive episodes of NBC's canceled Father of the Pride averaged a miniscule 3.4/ 5 in the overnights with a 2.1/ 5 among adults 18-49 from 8-9:30 p.m. The next time a network is looking for an animated comedy that has absolutely no appeal to kids, here's some advice: don't do it! At 9:30 p.m., a repeat of Scrubs was fourth in the overnights (3.8/ 6) and adults 18-49 (2.5/ 6). Next week, look for the premiere of comedy Committed at 9:30 p.m., with Scrubs moving into the 9 p.m. half-hour on Jan. 11. For more on Committed, see TV Tidbits below.

Over at ABC, repeats of My Wife and Kids (#2: 5.2/ 8; A18-49: #1t, 3.1/ 9), George Lopez (#2: 5.2/ 8; A18-49: #2, 3.2/ 9), According To Jim (#2: 6.3/10; A18-49: #1, 4.0/10) and Rodney (#3: 5.1/ 8; A18-49: #2, 3.2/ 8) were at typical non-original levels from 8-10 p.m. Considering According To Jim out-rated the first half of the competing Amazing Race by 5 percent among adults 18-49 (4.0/10 to 3.8/10), it's off to the winner's circle for Jim Belushi and company.

On Fox, reality dud Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best opened the evening with a typically lackluster (and fourth-place) 2.7/ 4 in the overnights, 3.84 million viewers and a 1.6/ 4 among adults 18-49. Lead-out House picked up typical steam, building to a third-place 5.0/ 8 in the overnights, 6.92 million viewers and a 2.6/ 7 among adults 18-49. Considering House has no lead-in support, that's worthy of accolades.

On the WB, a repeat of Gilmore Girls (#4: 3.1/ 5; A18-49: #5, 1.5/ 4) followed by an original installment of High School Reunion (#5: 2.1/ 3; A18-49: #5, 1.2/ 3) outdelivered repeats of UPN's All of Us (#6: 2.0/ 3; A18-49: #6, 0.8/ 2), Eve (#6: 2.2/ 4; A18-49: #6, 1.0/ 3) and Veronica Mars (#6: 2.0/ 3; A18-49: #6, 0.8/ 2) by an average of 30 percent in the overnights and 75 percent among adults 18-49.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data


National Ratings in Primetime - Week of Dec. 20:
ABC and CBS Split Leadership

Although judging any network's performance at the height of holiday repeat season is always questionable, it could be a tough 2005 for NBC given the declining network plummeted to the No. 4 spot in adults 18-49 and adults 18-34, while finishing a distant third in households, total viewers and adults 25-54. Tied for first for the week of Dec. 20 were ABC and CBS, with the growing Eye net No. 1 in households and total viewers, and the growing alphabet net holding the top spot in adults 18-49, adults 18-34 and adults 25-54. ABC's win among adults 18-49 was the highest rating for any network in the demo during a Christmas week in four years.

Fox was close to year-ago levels, finishing second among adults 18-34, third among adults 18-49, and fourth in households, total viewers and adults 25-54. Of note on Fox was the two-hour season, or series, finale of The Swan with a lackluster 7.2 million viewers (No. 41 overall) and a 3.3/ 9 among adults 18-49 (No. 20 tie) on Monday. UPN, which was also on par with the year-ago week, pulled ahead of the declining WB, with an average advantage of 19 percent in households, 460,000 viewers, and as much as 22 percent in the three surveyed demo groups.

What follows are the final national ratings for the week of Dec. 20 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses):

Households:
CBS: 6.4/11 (+ 3)
ABC: 6.0/11 (+18)
NBC: 4.6/ 8 (- 2)
Fox: 3.6/ 6 (- 3)
UPN: 1.9/ 3 (+ 6)
WB: 1.6/ 3 (-11)

Total Viewers:
CBS: 10.01 million (+ 3)
ABC: 9.65 (+19)
NBC: 6.98 (- 5)
Fox: 5.81 (- 4)
UPN: 2.77 (+ 4)
WB: 2.31 (-15)

Adults 18-49:
ABC: 3.4/10 (+21)
CBS: 3.0/ 9 (+15)
Fox: 2.5/ 7 (no change)
NBC: 2.4/ 7 (- 4)
UPN: 1.1/ 3 (+10)
WB: 0.9/ 3 (-10)

Adults 18-34:
ABC: 2.5/ 9 (+19)
Fox: 2.4/ 8 (+ 4)
CBS: 2.2/ 8 (+22)
NBC: 1.9/ 6 (- 5)
UPN: 1.0/ 3 (no change)
WB: 0.9/ 3 (-10)

Adults 25-54:
ABC: 3.9/10 (+15)
CBS: 3.6/10 (+ 9)
NBC: 2.9/ 8 (- 3)
Fox: 2.5/ 7 (- 4)
UPN: 1.1/ 3 (no change)
WB: 0.9/ 2 (-10)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data


TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest

Give Me a Break!:
Has anyone noticed the tasteless promos NBC is running for new sitcom Committed, which features jokes about a paraplegic? This is obviously no cure for the current sitcom drought, which has hit NBC particularly hard.

Ebert & Roper Announce Their Top Picks of 2004:
Film critics Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper have announced their top 10 movie picks of the year, which will be unveiled this weekend in annual Buena Vista special, Ebert & Roeper: The Best of 2004. Their choices are:


Roger Ebert
1. Million Dollar Baby
2. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
3. Vera Drake
4. Spiderman 2
5. Moolade
6. The Aviator
7. Baadasssss!
8. Sideways
9. Hotel Rwanda
10. Undertow

Richard Roeper
1. Hotel Rwanda
2. Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
3. The Aviator
4. Sideways
5. House of Flying Daggers
6. Million Dollar Baby
7. The Terminal
8. Kill Bill: Vol. 2
9. Spanglish
10. Collateral



On the Air Tonight: Primetime Programming Options

Wednesday 12/29/04

ABC:
Lost (two repeats), Wife Swap (R)

CBS:
60 Minutes, King Of Queens (R), Center of the Universe (R), CSI: NY (R)

NBC:
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R), The West Wing (R), Law & Order (R)

Fox:
That '70s Show (R), Quintuplets (R), Nanny 911 (R)

UPN:
2004 Vibe Awards (R)

WB:
Smallville (R), Big Man on Campus

Yes he will. He was an original.

sad news indeed.

wow... extremely sad news. i have missed him on L&O and was excited to learn of the new L&O spinoff he would be staring in... sad day.

'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies

The 69-year-old actor succumbs to prostate cancer.
NEW YORK The Associated Press — Actor Jerry Orbach, who played a sardonic, seen-it-all cop on TV's "Law & Order" and scored on Broadway as a song-and-dance man, has died of prostate cancer at 69, a representative of the show said today.


Orbach died Tuesday night in Manhattan after several weeks of treatment, Audrey Davis of the public relations agency Lippin Group said.


When his illness was diagnosed, he had begun production on NBC's upcoming spinoff "Law & Order: Trial By Jury," after 12 seasons playing Detective Lennie Briscoe in the original series. His return to the new show had been expected early next year.


On Broadway, the Bronx-born Orbach starred in hit musicals including "Carnival," "Promises, Promises" (for which he won a Tony Award), "Chicago" and "42nd Street."


Earlier, he was in the original cast of the off-off-Broadway hit "The Fantasticks," playing the narrator. The show went on to run for more than 40 years.


Among his film appearances were roles in "Dirty Dancing," "Prince of the City" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors."


Orbach is expected to appear in early episodes of "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," for which he continued as Briscoe in a secondary role, when the series premieres later this season, Davis said.


"I'm immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th Century show business," said Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the "Law & Order" series, in a statement. "He was one of the most honored performers of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable."


In a 2000 Associated Press interview, Orbach said the role in the acclaimed "Law & Order" brought him "wonderful security" rare in the life of an actor.


"All my life, since I was 16, I've been wondering where that next job was gonna come from," he explained. "Now I take the summer off, relax, and I know that at the end of July we're gonna start another season."


He said he didn't know "where I stop and Lennie starts, really. ... I know he's tougher than me and he carries a gun. And I'm not an alcoholic."


"I know I wouldn't want to be him," Orbach sums up. "I guess THAT'S where I stop and he starts."


In 1987-88, he starred in the series "The Law and Harry McGraw," a spinoff featuring a character he created in "Murder, She Wrote." In 1990, a shot on "The Golden Girls" brought him an Emmy nomination as best guest actor in a comedy series.


"There's a pace in TV I like," he said in a 1993 interview. "I like to work fast. I don't like to dwell all day over one scene as you do in a big feature. Big feature films are another world."

Many people don't know that Orbach was a big time Broadway musical theater star before he got famous on Law & Order. His breakthrough performance was as El Gallo in the original off Broadway production of "The Fantastiks." He was later nominated for three Tony Awards and won the Best Actor in a Musical Tony for "Promises, Promises" in 1969. He was the first Billy Flynn in the original 1976 Broadway production of "Chicago." He was nominated for that performance, too.

Jerry Orbach was a talented fellow, indeed.

And for those that like to hear Jerry sing, he also was the voice of 'Lumiere' in the Disney's Animated Beauty and the Beast in 1991.

He was a fine actor.

He played a lot of good parts, but one of my favorite Orbach roles was as the allegedly whacked mobster in "F/X."

He was also the father of "Baby" from the movie Dirty Dancing.

(Nobody puts Baby in the corner.)

Sad news.

The best line ever from him was "Brewster's Millions". He was the manager.
"Tinker to Evers to ****."

Made my mouth gape open.

Very sad to hear.

Topics merged.

NBC UNIVERSAL STATEMENT ON JERRY ORBACH

thefutoncritic.com--NEW YORK -- December 29, 2004 -- On behalf of NBC Universal, Chairman & CEO Bob Wright issued the following statement today:

We are saddened by the passing yesterday of the legendary Jerry Orbach, who had an unforgettable presence on stage and screen for more than forty years. He was a man of extraordinary talents and personal grace. Suzanne and I and all of us at NBC Universal will miss him, as will his countless fans. Our hearts go out to Jerry's wife, Elaine, and to his family and friends on their loss.

(An updated obit, with more information)

Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order,' Dies
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS December 29, 2004 Filed at 4:45 p.m. ET


NEW YORK (AP) -- Actor Jerry Orbach, who played a sardonic, seen-it-all cop on TV's ``Law & Order'' and scored on Broadway as a song-and-dance man, has died of prostate cancer at 69.

Orbach died Tuesday night in Manhattan after several weeks of treatment, Audrey Davis of the public relations agency Lippin Group said Wednesday.

When his illness was diagnosed, he had begun production on NBC's upcoming spinoff ``Law & Order: Trial By Jury,'' after 12 seasons playing Detective Lennie Briscoe in the original series.

On Broadway, Orbach starred in hit musicals including ``Carnival,'' ``Promises, Promises'' (for which he won a Tony Award), ``Chicago'' and ``42nd Street.''

Earlier, he was in the original cast of the off-off-Broadway hit ``The Fantasticks,'' playing the narrator. The show went on to run for more than 40 years.

Lights on Broadway marquees were expected to be dimmed for one minute at curtain time Wednesday night in Orbach's memory.

Among his film appearances were roles in ``Dirty Dancing,'' ``Prince of the City'' and ``Crimes and Misdemeanors.'' In the animated ``Beauty and the Beast,'' he voiced the role of the candlestick and sang ``Be Our Guest.''

Orbach still is expected to appear in early episodes of ``Law & Order: Trial by Jury,'' for which he continued as Briscoe in a secondary role, when the show premieres later this season, Davis said.

``I'm immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th century show business,'' said Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the ``Law & Order'' series. ``He was one of the most honored performers of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable.''

With his hangdog face and loose-limbed gait, Orbach was adept at playing the street-smart tough guy, but could also hoof and carry a tune. The lifelong New Yorker personified the city's well-worn but implacable edge, embodying the Big Apple like few other actors.

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani called Orbach ``a devoted ambassador of the city.''

Orbach was the son of a vaudeville-performer father and a radio-singer mother. He acted in school plays, then attended Northwestern University's prestigious drama school, though he couldn't swing the money to finish. In 1955, he returned to New York to hit the stage.

In a 2000 interview with The Associated Press, Orbach remembered those days fondly. Money was tight, even with his early successes: In 1960 he was earning just $45 a week in ``The Fantasticks,'' but ``even married, with a son, we lived all right.''

He then began an association with producer David Merrick, appearing in three of his biggest musical successes, starting in 1961 with ``Carnival,'' in which he played an embittered puppeteer opposite Anna Maria Alberghetti's winsome Lili.

Orbach won a Tony for his performance in Merrick's ``Promises, Promises,'' the Neil Simon-Burt Bacharach-Hal David musical based on the film ``The Apartment.'' He played Chuck Baxter, the role originated in the movie by Jack Lemmon.

Yet his biggest hit for Merrick was ``42nd Street,'' which opened on Broadway in 1980 and ran for more than 3,400 performances. In the show, based on the classic backstage movie, Orbach played hard-boiled producer Julian Marsh, who brings the young hoofer out of the chorus to replace the show's ailing star.

Orbach also was in the original production of ``Chicago'' in 1975, which also starred Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera. He played Billy Flynn, the role Richard Gere inherited in the 2002 film.

``It was a gift to work with him,'' recalled actress Brenda Smiley, who co-starred with Orbach in the Off-Broadway hit ``Scuba Duba,'' a dark comedy by Bruce Jay Friedman, in 1967-68. ``He was a master at that kind of performing and he made it so easy for everyone else.''

From early, obscure films like ``Cop Hater'' and ``Mad Dog Coll,'' Orbach rose to appearances in Woody Allen's ``Crimes and Misdemeanors'' and the 1981 crime drama ``Prince of the City,'' in a cop role that presaged his ``Law & Order'' character.

In 1987-88, he starred in the series ``The Law and Harry McGraw,'' a spinoff featuring a character he created on ``Murder, She Wrote.'' It flopped, but five years later he struck gold, following Paul Sorvino as a detective in ``Law and Order.''

In the 2000 interview, Orbach said ``Law & Order'' brought him ``wonderful security'' rare in the life of an actor.

``All my life, since I was 16, I've been wondering where that next job was gonna come from,'' he explained. ``Now I take the summer off, relax, and I know that at the end of July we're gonna start another season.''

He said he didn't know ``where I stop and Lennie starts, really. ... I know he's tougher than me and he carries a gun. And I'm not an alcoholic.''

``I know I wouldn't want to be him,'' Orbach summed up. ``I guess THAT'S where I stop and he starts.''

Orbach is survived by his second wife, Elaine, whom he met doing ``Chicago'' and married in 1979, and sons Chris and Tony from his first marriage.

(And another wth more remembrances)

Jerry Orbach of 'Law & Order' Dies at 69
By FRAZIER MOORE AP Television Writer Dec 29, 6:10 PM EST

NEW YORK (AP) -- Jerry Orbach had a gift for charming audiences his entire career - first as a song-and-dance man who starred in musicals on and off Broadway, then for 12 years as a sharp-tongued cop on TV's "Law & Order." Along the way, he made films as varied as the gritty crime drama "The Prince and the City" and the smash romance "Dirty Dancing."

Orbach, who died of prostate cancer Tuesday in Manhattan, was beginning another chapter at age 69: He had taken his signature role as Detective Lennie Briscoe to NBC's upcoming spinoff "Law & Order: Trial By Jury."

With his hangdog puss and loose-limbed gait, Orbach was unmatched at playing the street-smart tough guy. A quintessential New Yorker, he personified his city's well-worn but implacable edge, embodying the Big Apple like few other actors.

Former Mayor Rudolph Giuliani called Orbach "a friend to all New Yorkers" and "a devoted ambassador of the city."

Orbach's long-time "Law & Order" co-star, S. Epatha Merkerson, remembered him as "as a real good guy who knew everything and everybody. He had a real lust for life and the work he did, and it permeated throughout the set."

Of course, he presented quite a different picture as the world-weary, recovering alcoholic Briscoe. But even as Briscoe drooped from the burden of everything he'd encountered, both on and off the job, he sized up life with sarcastic asides. For instance, standing over a fresh body on which a receipt from a fancy restaurant was found, he muttered: "Dinner for two? Hope he enjoyed it."

Orbach had announced in early December that he had prostate cancer. His manager said at the time that he had been receiving treatment since spring, but declined to disclose any particulars about the seriousness of his condition.

Orbach is expected to appear in early "Trial By Jury" episodes when the show premieres in March.

"I'm immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th-century show business," said Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the four "Law & Order" series. "He was one of the most honored performers of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable."

Orbach started his career as a hoofer who also could carry a tune. Beginning in the 1960s, he starred on Broadway in hit musicals including "Carnival," "Promises, Promises" (for which he won a Tony Award), "42nd Street" and "Chicago."

"He was an anchor who brought style, security and razzle-dazzle to our original `Chicago' company," said Chita Rivera, Orbach's co-star in that 1975 production. "He was a swell guy."

It was his cop role in the 1981 drama "Prince of the City" that inspired his "Law & Order" character.

Born in the Bronx in 1935, Orbach was the son of a vaudeville-performer father and a radio-singer mother. He acted in school plays, then attended Northwestern University's prestigious drama school in suburban Chicago, though he couldn't swing the money to finish. In 1955, he returned to New York to hit the stage.

In a 2000 interview with The Associated Press, Orbach remembered those days fondly. Money was tight, even with his early successes: He was earning just $45 a week in "The Fantasticks," but "even married, with a son, we lived all right."

He then began an association with producer David Merrick, appearing in three of Merrick's biggest musical successes, starting in 1961 with "Carnival," in which he played an embittered puppeteer opposite Anna Maria Alberghetti's winsome Lili.

In "Promises, Promises," the Neil Simon-Burt Bacharach-Hal David musical based on the film "The Apartment," he played Chuck Baxter, the role originated in the movie by Jack Lemmon.

His biggest hit for Merrick was "42nd Street," which opened on Broadway in 1980 and ran for more than 3,400 performances. In the show, based on the classic backstage movie, Orbach played hard-boiled producer Julian Marsh, who brings the young dancer out of the chorus to replace the show's ailing star.

In "Chicago," Orbach played money-loving lawyer Billy Flynn, the role Richard Gere inherited in the 2002 film. It was also in that show that he met dancer Elaine Cancilla, whom he married in 1979.

She survives him, as well as sons Chris and Tony from his first marriage.

Orbach's first shot at series television was a flop. In "The Law and Harry McGraw," he played a wily but irascible private eye. The show lasted only the 1987-88 season. But four years later he struck gold, succeeding Paul Sorvino at Manhattan's 27th Precinct as "Law & Order" entered its third season.

"People adored him," said Merkerson, who plays Lt. Van Buren. She recalled sharing lunch one day with Orbach and co-star Benjamin Bratt, when several fans approached the table. "Jerry stopped eating to talk to them. But after a while, I whispered to him, `Your food is getting cold.'

"`Kid,' he replied with a big smile, 'these are the people that keep us going!'"

The New York Times obituary:

Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order,' Dies at 69
By BEN BRANTLEY and RICHARD SEVERO The New York Times December 29, 2004

Jerry Orbach - who won fame on the New York stage as one of the last bona fide leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television as a New York detective on NBC's "Law & Order" - died on Tuesday night. He was 69. The cause was prostate cancer, according to his agent, Robert Malcom.
In performances that spanned half a century, the Bronx-born Mr. Orbach came to embody two beloved New York archetypes: the musical matinee idol, to which he gave a refreshingly modern spin with his rugged and idiosyncratic persona, and the shrewd, irascible cop, a role he honed to a razor's edge as Detective Lennie Briscoe on "Law & Order."

After playing that role for 12 seasons, Mr. Orbach left the show at the end of last season with plans to star in "Trial by Jury," a spinoff that is scheduled to have its debut on NBC in the spring. His illness, which he first disclosed earlier this month, figured in the switch; Dick Wolf, the creator of the "Law & Order" programs, said the new program, on which Mr. Orbach was to appear only occasionally, was less taxing.

Whether singing "Try To Remember" as the dashing narrator of "The Fantasticks" in 1960 or trading barbs with fellow detectives and reluctant witnesses on television in recent years, Mr. Orbach exuded a wry, ragged masculinity that was all his own. As a star of musicals, he created a new kind of hero who was leagues away from suave, swaggering Adonises like John Raitt, Howard Keel and Alfred Drake (though like them, he sang in a resonant baritone). And he flourished at a time when the Broadway musical hero was fast becoming an endangered species.

In shows like "Promises, Promises," Neil Simon and Burt Bacharach's 1968 adaptation of the movie "The Apartment," and "42nd Street" in 1981, Mr. Orbach registered as a musical answer to the shaggier leading men who had begun to emerge on American movie screens, actors like Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson. His rough-edged individuality may account for his endurance on the Broadway stage in an era when other promising musical actors - including Larry Kert, Robert Goulet and Robert Morse - proved unable to follow through on their breakthrough successes.

Mr. Orbach may indeed have been the last of a breed: no male star since has matched the breadth and continuity of his career in musicals. Though he originated the part of the corrupt, silver-tongued lawyer Billy Flynn in Bob Fosse's 1975 production of the musical "Chicago," Mr. Orbach was at his best as a tough cookie with a melting center.

Writing in The New York Times of "Promises, Promises," the critic Clive Barnes said of Mr. Orbach's portrayal of the haplessly ambitious, morally bewildered hero: "He makes gangle into a verb because that is just what he does. He gangles. He also sings most effectively, dances most occasionally, and acts with an engaging and perfectly controlled sense of desperation."

Yet he was equally persuasive in 1981 as the dictatorial director in David Merrick's Broadway version of the movie "42nd Street," in which he managed to instill new vitality into the hoariest of show-biz clichés. When, at the conclusion of the show's opening night performance, Merrick shocked the audience and cast by announcing that its director, Gower Champion, had died, it was Mr. Orbach who had the taste and authority to request that the curtain come down.

Mr.. Orbach's other important roles on stage included Mack the Knife in the landmark off-Broadway production of "The Threepenny Opera" in the late 1950's and El Gallo, the benevolently interactive narrator in "The Fantasticks," which was staged at the Sullivan Street Playhouse in 1960 and went on to become the longest-running musical in New York. Walter Kerr, writing about that performance in The New York Herald Tribune, said, "Mr. Orbach is no doubt on his way."

He also appeared as the misanthropic puppeteer in "Carnival" in 1961 and was nominated for a Tony award for playing Sky Masterson in the 1965 revival of "Guys and Dolls." He won the Tony for best actor in a musical for "Promises, Promises."

His film work was less gratifying, though he appeared to good advantage as Gus Levy in "Prince of the City," Sidney Lumet's biting 1981 movie about corruption in the New York City Police Department, and as Jack Rosenthal in Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" in 1989. (His work in film also led to an unlikely friendship with the mobster Joey Gallo, after Mr. Orbach portrayed a character modeled on Gallo in the 1971 movie "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.")

It wasn't until the 1990's, when he started appearing as Lennie Briscoe in "Law and Order," that Mr. Orbach became a familiar name throughout the country. The rough edge that distinguished him on Broadway eased his transition to character roles like Briscoe, the recovering alcoholic who seemed to greet the discovery of each episode's crime with a world-weary shrug.
Mr. Orbach died at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in Manhattan, said Esther Carver, a spokeswoman for the hospital.

Jerome Bernard Orbach was born in the Bronx on Oct. 20, 1935, the only child of Leon Orbach, a restaurant manager with some experience in vaudeville, and the former Emily Olexy.

The Orbachs moved to Waukegan, Ill., when Jerome was in the seventh grade. In 1952, after graduating from Waukegan High School, where he was on the football and swimming teams, he enrolled at the University of Illinois but stayed only a year. He transferred to Northwestern, where he studied drama. He remained there until 1955 but left without earning a degree.

Mr. Orbach did menial work for stock companies before being awarded small parts; later, he said that the stock experience helped him control his voice and "not to do too much with my eyebrows."

In 1955, Mr. Orbach headed to New York and found a job almost immediately as the understudy for the role of the Street Singer in an acclaimed off-Broadway production of "The Threepenny Opera." He remained with the company for three years, eventually taking on Scott Merrill's role of Mack the Knife. He studied acting with Herbert Berghof, Mira Rostova and Lee Strasberg and took singing lessons with Hazel Schweppe. After leaving "Threepenny" in 1959, he worked with stock companies in Ohio, appearing in "Mr. Roberts," "The King and I" and "Harvey."

But it was the now fabled "Fantasticks," which opened at the Sullivan Street Playhouse on May 3, 1960, that established Mr. Orbach as a star. Soon after, he moved on to Broadway in "Carnival" Frances Herridge, writing in the Mirror, called him a "rare combination of powerful male actor and singer." She continued, "Once you've seen him, you're not likely to forget him."

Mr. Orbach remained busy with varied stage work in New York: "The Cradle Will Rock" (1964), revivals of "Carousel" and "Annie Get Your Gun" in the mid-1960's; Bruce Jay Freidman's comedy of neurosis "Scuba Duba" (1967) and "6 Rms Riv Vu" (1972), among others. His films include "Brewster's Millions" (1985); "Dirty Dancing"(1987); "Last Exit to Brooklyn" (1989); and "The Adventures of a Gnome Called Gnorm" (1993). On television, he appeared on "The Shari Lewis Show," "The Jack Paar Show," "The Nurses" and "Bob Hope Presents."

Mr. Orbach married Marta Curro in 1958. They were divorced in 1975. In 1979, he married Elaine Cancialla, who survives him. He is also survived by his two sons by his first marriage, Anthony, of New Jersey, and Christopher, of Manhattan, and two grandchildren.

After appearing in "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight," Mr. Orbach received a call from Gallo. "A cop that he knew had met us and told him that he'd met the guy who supposedly played him in the movie, that he was a nice guy, not like an actor," Marta Orbach recalled shortly after Gallo was gunned down in 1972. Through the Orbachs, Gallo briefly became one of the stranger fixtures of the show-biz social scene in Manhattan and was working on a memoir with Marta Orbach at the time of his death. Gallo lived in the Orbachs' Chelsea brownstone for a month and was married there a month before his murder.

With his portrayal of Lennie Briscoe on "Law and Order," Mr. Orbach achieved a worldwide fame that had previously eluded him. He became the face and frame of a typical New York cop, and the police liked what they saw. Mr. Orbach took the role seriously, so much so that he appeared in 2001 at a demonstration where police demanded higher wages from the Giuliani administration.

"All I can do is try and represent you guys on a TV screen and make you look as good as I can," Mr. Orbach was quoted as saying in Newsday. "I could never go out and not know if I'm coming home that night the way you do."
(Carla Baranauckas contributed reporting for this article.)

From the Los Angeles Times:

'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies
By Dennis McLellan Los Angeles Times Staff Writer 4:16 PM PST, December 29, 2004

NEW YORK — Jerry Orbach, the Tony Award-winning Broadway musical star who achieved his widest fame on television playing sardonic New York City police detective Lennie Briscoe for 12 years on NBC's acclaimed series "Law & Order," has died. He was 69.

The Bronx-born Orbach, whose film and television work earned him a reputation for playing the quintessential New Yorker, died of prostate cancer Tuesday night in a Manhattan hospital, said his agent, Robert Malcolm.

Although the New York Daily News reported Dec. 2 that Orbach had been receiving treatment for prostate cancer since spring, Malcolm told The Times today that the actor had been fighting the disease for more than 10 years.

"He's obviously been working through bad times and good times," said Malcolm. "He was a tremendous fighter."

Malcolm said Orbach, who began a new round of chemotherapy in the spring, told the cast and crew of "Law & Order" that he had prostate cancer in April before leaving the show to play Briscoe in an upcoming spinoff series, "Law & Order: Trial By Jury."

The new show, featuring an ensemble cast that includes Bebe Neuwirth, is to debut next year. Orbach will appear in some of the early episodes.

"I'm immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th century show business who was a star of screen, stage and television," Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the "Law & Order" series, said in a statement. "He was one of the most honored performers of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable."

Orbach began his rise in New York theater in 1960 playing El Gallo in the original cast of the long-running off-Broadway hit "The Fantasticks," in which he introduced the standard "Try to Remember."

He went on to costar in a string of hit Broadway musicals, "Carnival!," "Promises, Promises" (which earned him a Tony Award in 1969), "Chicago," "42nd Street" and "Annie Get Your Gun," starring Ethel Merman.

"Jerry's strong spirit will be with me forever," Chita Rivera, who starred with Orbach in the 1975 Broadway production of "Chicago," said in a statement. "He was an anchor who brought style, security and razzle-dazzle to our original 'Chicago' company."

Among Orbach's film credits were "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight," "Prince of the City," "Postcards from the Edge," "Crimes and Misdemeanors" and "Dirty Dancing." He also sang in the Oscar-winning Disney animated feature "Beauty and the Beast," as the voice of the charming French candlestick Lumiere (complete with Orbach's droopy eyes).

For his television work, he earned three Emmy nominations - in 2000 for "Law & Order," in 1992 for an ABC production of Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound," and in 1990 for an episode of "The Golden Girls."

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

As a tribute to the esteemed actor, the lights on Broadway were to dim tonight.

An only child, Orbach was born in the Bronx on Oct. 20, 1935. His restaurant manager father was a former vaudeville actor and his mother was a radio singer. The family moved frequently while he was growing up, settling in Waukegan, Ill. when Orbach was 12. By then, he was already displaying a flair for show business.

"They always picked me for the class play and this and that from the time I was about 9," he told the New York Daily News in 1997. "And I always sang, sang with my mother, sang in the choir. I won the state singing contest in the baritone division without really any training; didn't know what I was doing."

After graduating from high school at 16, he landed a summer stock apprentice job at the Chevy Chase theater in Wheeling, Ill. Unable to afford tuition in his junior year in Northwestern University's prestigious drama school, he dropped out and moved to New York City in the fall of 1955.

That December, he received his first break in a major off-Broadway revival of "The Threepenny Opera."

Orbach, who studied acting with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio, said it took years to convince producers that he was more than a musical comedy performer. Even fellow actors, he said in a 1993 Los Angeles Times interview, thought he was only a song-and-dance man. "When I would get a straight play like 'Six Rms Riv Vu' or 'Scuba, Duba,' they would get shocked."

Orbach starred in the short-lived 1987-88 series "The Law and Harry McGraw," a spinoff featuring a character he played on the popular Angela Lansbury series "Murder, She Wrote."

In 1992, the producers of "Law & Order" asked Orbach to replace series regular Paul Sorvino, who was leaving the show. Orbach relished the role of the rule-bending, old-school detective, a twice married recovering alcoholic. He played the part with a distinct New York edge.

Standing over a corpse on which a receipt for an upscale restaurant was found, Orbach's Briscoe muttered, "Dinner for two? Hope he enjoyed it."

And to a homeless man who claimed he had spoken to St. Francis of Assisi, he said, "Been there, pal."

On the streets of New York City, where "Law & Order" is shot, the sight of Orbach would literally stop traffic, drivers shouting out his name or complimenting him on the show.

Among Orbach's biggest fans were members of the New York City Police Department.

"The police treat me very nicely," Orbach told the Philadelphia Inquirer last December. "If it's raining and I can't get a cab, sometimes a squad car will come by and they'll say, 'Where are you going?' I say, 'I don't want to get you guys in trouble.' They say, 'Get in the back. We'll pretend you're under arrest."

Orbach is survived by his wife, Elaine, whom he met in 1976 while they were both in the cast of "Chicago"; two sons by a previous marriage, Tony and Chris; two grandchildren; and his mother, Emily.

A memorial service is pending.

The Washington Post's obit:

'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies at 69
By Adam Bernstein Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, December 30, 2004; Page B07

Jerry Orbach, the versatile stage and film actor whose portrayal of the wry Detective Lennie Briscoe helped make NBC's long-running "Law & Order" show a hit for a dozen seasons, died of prostate cancer Dec. 28 at a New York hospital.

The 69-year-old actor filmed his last episode of the show in the spring and was scheduled to start production of a spinoff, "Law & Order: Trial By Jury."

A Tony Award-winning stage star -- his résumé includes landmark productions of "The Threepenny Opera," "The Fantasticks," "Carnival!" "Promises, Promises," "Chicago" and "42nd Street" -- he was best known in recent years for "Law & Order."

For that program, Mr. Orbach used his wit and extensive knowledge of New Yawkese -- as well as his friendship with doomed mobster Joseph "Crazy Joe" Gallo -- to shape the script when problems arose. He told the New York Daily News: "We had a line where I said, 'Well, it's your job to break the guy's balls, right?' Well, I couldn't say that because of censors."

When a writer changed it to "gumballs," Mr. Orbach grew flustered. "I looked and I said 'gumballs!' 'Who the . . . says gumballs? So I changed it to breaking chops . . . which is another nice New Yorky, Brooklynese thing. So whoever was in California writing 'gumballs,' I mean, that's just silly!"

Jerome Bernard Orbach was born Oct. 20, 1935, in the Bronx, N.Y., the son of a restaurant manager who had some vaudeville experience and a mother who had sung on the radio. As a child, he showed great talent as a mimic of radio voices, from Al Jolson to the Lone Ranger, and his early stage ambitions were encouraged by his family.

Raised in Waukegan, Ill., where his family had settled, Mr. Orbach excelled in sports and was mentored by a high school speech teacher.

He said his goal was to become a rebel acting icon in the mold of James Dean and Marlon Brando, a dream that frustrated him later when he was unable to find such anti-hero leading man parts.

After high school, he worked in regional theater, learning, he once said, "how not to do too much with my eyebrows . . . and not to do too many 'takes' " when performing comedy. He attended Northwestern University briefly, worked as a personal driver for Mae West and then moved to New York in 1955.

Within months, he became understudy for Tige Andrews as the Streetsinger, in essence the narrator, of Theatre de Lys's legendary production of "The Threepenny Opera." He later played Mack the Knife, a leading role opposite Lotte Lenya.

"I was so young for it, it was a joke," he said, "but I had the saber scar, the hair and everything. It worked."

He stayed with the show four years while taking acting classes with Herbert Berghof and Lee Strasberg.

In 1960, he turned down a large salary from a Broadway producer to take a leading role in an off-off-Broadway production called "The Fantasticks." The pay was $45 a week, but the show, in which Mr. Orbach played the all-knowing narrator, became one of the mainstays of New York theater, running for more than 40 years.

Praised for his "controlled voice and clear intelligence" by Walter Kerr in the New York Herald Tribune, the show led to an offer in 1961 to appear in the Gower Champion-directed musical "Carnival!" The musical was an adaptation of the film "Lili," about an orphaned girl who joins a traveling carnival. He played a bitter puppeteer who wins Lili's love over a suave magician. For his role, Mr. Orbach studied puppetry and mastered a character who must convey some degree of romantic charm.

After a lackluster attempt at film acting, including the low-budget gangster flick "Mad Dog Coll" (1961), Mr. Orbach launched into a series of revivals, earning a Tony nomination as Sky Masterson in a 1965 production of "Guys and Dolls" with the New York City Center Light Opera Co.

Critical raves continued for his roles in Bruce Jay Friedman's "Scuba Duba" (1967), as a social liberal whose bigotry arises when his wife runs away with a black man, and the Neil Simon-Burt Bacharach musical "Promises, Promises" (1968).

The Simon-Bacharach show was an adaptation of Billy Wilder's film "The Apartment," about an insurance company clerk who advances his career by making his pad a trysting place for his bosses. Mr. Orbach played the clerk, Chuck Baxter, whom Jack Lemmon had portrayed in the 1960 film. He received a Tony Award for best actor in a musical.

Around that time, he played one of his more notable television roles, in "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight" (1971), based on Jimmy Breslin's book about gangsters.

Impressed with Mr. Orbach's performance, Gallo called up the actor, who was stunned by the mobster's command of literature, including Sartre and Camus. Mr. Orbach took Gallo to chic Broadway parties, and Gallo reciprocated with invitations to nightclubs. Mr. Orbach and his wife were with Gallo at the Copacabana nightclub on April 7, 1972, and left the party just hours before Gallo was gunned down while eating scungilli at Umberto's Clam House in Manhattan.

"That's just kind of a sad subject," he told an interviewer years later. "One of those things that's been sensationalized so much over the years that I prefer to let it rest. . . . Some interviewer up in Toronto I was doing a TV thing said, 'What was it like for you when Joey Gallo got killed?' 'I don't know, what's it like for you when a friend of yours gets killed? You want to tell me about it?' "

In 1975, Mr. Orbach landed the part of Billy Flynn, a smooth-talking lawyer, in "Chicago," the hit Bob Fosse-Fred Ebb-John Kander musical about celebrity criminals. He received a Tony nomination for best actor in a musical.

His final Broadway appearance was as the tyrannical director Julian Marsh in "42nd Street" (1980), the David Merrick-produced megahit about the making of a musical during the Depression. When Gower Champion, the show's director and choreographer, died just before opening night, Merrick withheld the news until the last curtain call to get the most reaction possible in the next day's reviews. Mr. Orbach was furious at such tastelessness and shouted to bring down the curtain.

Mr. Orbach made film appearances in Sidney Lumet's police drama "Prince of the City" (1981), in "Dirty Dancing" (1987) as Jennifer Grey's father and in Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors" (1989). His television offers also mounted, from the short-lived "The Law and Harry McGraw" to "Law & Order."

In his private life, he was a noted golfer and skilled billiards player.

His marriage to actress Marta Curro ended in divorce.

Survivors include his wife, actress Elaine Cancilla, whom he married in 1979; and two sons from his first marriage.

Dick Clark remains hospitalized

BURBANK, Calif. [B(Associated Press) — [/B]American Bandstand icon Dick Clark plans to watch his New Year's Eve show from the hospital bed where he is recovering from a stroke.

Clark, 75, suffered what was described as a mild stroke and has been hospitalized since Dec. 6. Regis Philbin is filling in for America's oldest teenager on ABC-TV's Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve 2005 on Friday.

"Even though I won't be in New York this year, I will be watching New Year's Rockin Eve' on TV and there's one tradition I intend to maintain," Clark said in a statement Wednesday.

"As I always have in the past, at midnight I plan on kissing my wife Kari and wishing her a happy new year," Clark continued.

Clark has been "doing some rehab," publicist Paul Shefrin said without elaborating. He wouldn't give any details about the impact of the stroke or discuss whether there was paralysis or impaired speech, as reported in the supermarket tabloids.

"I will neither confirm nor deny what's in the tabloids but there are things in the tabloid reports that are false," Shefrin said, noting, "I talked with him last night."

The spokesman insisted there is no cause for alarm and said doctors are thrilled with Clark's progress. For privacy reasons, the name of the hospital has been withheld.

"He's still in the hospital and there's nothing definite on when he will be released," Shefrin said Wednesday. "He will be there through the new year. It's all up to the doctors when he'll get out."

Clark's wife and children have been visiting the entertainer at the hospital and there has been a huge outpouring of support from friends and fans, Shefrin said.

Clark, who went from hosting American Bandstand,Bloopers and game shows to producing awards ceremonies, has been a television New Year's Eve tradition for 32 years with his shows from Times Square.

Clark also produces the American Music Awards, Academy of Country Music Awards and Golden Globe Awards.

Mid Season Replacement Season
Enter swimsuit models, interns and ex-cons

USA Today---Aloha, Hawaii. The Clubhouse doors are closed. And The Mountain is really a molehill in the ratings. So the networks begin the customary January ritual, deploying a crop of midseason replacements in the hopes they'll do better than fall's early casualties.
USA TODAY's Gary Levin offers this look at newcomers (and some returning favorites) due in the coming weeks.

•Medium (NBC, Monday at 10 p.m., all times ET/PT): Patricia Arquette stars as Allison DuBois, a Phoenix mother with visions of the dead. The series, from Glenn Gordon Caron (Moonlighting, Now and Again), combines elements of family drama with crime-solving: She works with the local district attorney.
•Committed (NBC, Tuesday at 9:30 p.m.): Josh Cooke and Jennifer Finnigan star as a newly dating neurotic New York couple in this romantic comedy, a new companion for Scrubs (which moves to 9 p.m.).
•Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search (NBC, Wednesday at 8 p.m.): No explanation needed. The finale of this reality competition coincides with the magazine's eagerly awaited swimsuit issue.
•The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott (UPN, Wednesday at 8 p.m.): American Idol, Misdemeanor-style, as 13 wannabe singers and rappers compete for the title (and $100,000) while living together on a tour bus.
•Alias (ABC, Wednesday at 9 p.m.): Jennifer Garner returns for a fourth season in J.J. Abrams' stylish and twisty spy thriller, which now follows his bigger hit, Lost.
•Wickedly Perfect (CBS, Jan. 6, Thursday at 8 p.m.): A new reality competition that seeks "the next great style makers of tomorrow" (read: Martha Stewart) by pitting "perfection-obsessed contestants" in a contest of wills — as well as party planning, floral arranging and sewing. Fills Survivor's slot between seasons, without the big ratings.
•The Will (CBS, Jan. 8, Saturday at 8 p.m.): Yet another reality-fest, with a most unusual premise. Ten "potential heirs" to a wealthy patriarch's estate compete in challenges to prevent elimination and win his inheritance.
•24 (Fox, Jan. 9, 8 p.m.; Jan. 10, 8 p.m.; then Monday at 9 p.m. starting Jan. 17): Fox's hit counter-terrorism thriller returns for a fourth season on a new night and with a nearly all-new cast. Kiefer Sutherland is joined by new CTU leader Alberta Watson and William Devane (Knots Landing) as the imperiled secretary of defense.
•Extreme Makeover: How'd They Do That? (ABC, Jan. 10, Monday at 8 p.m.): Behind-the-scenes specials about TV's newest reality hit become a weekly series anchoring ABC's post-football Monday. The Bachelorette, with returning Jen Scheft, follows at 9.
•Jonny Zero (Fox, Jan. 14, Friday at 9 p.m.): Franky G plays Jonny Calvo, an ex-con turned crime-fighter, in this latest drama from ER producer John Wells. Follows The Bernie Mac Show, which returns from a two-month hiatus in a new 8 p.m. slot.
•Supernanny (ABC, Jan. 17, Monday at 10 p.m.): Based on a British series and already ripped off as Fox's Nanny 911, this reality series stars a "modern-day, tough-love Mary Poppins" who straightens out families with child-rearing issues.
•American Idol (Fox, Jan. 18, Tuesday at 8 p.m.): The singing contest and all-round reality champ returns for a fourth cycle to rescue Fox's season. A two-hour premiere, with one-hour episodes on Wednesdays at 9 p.m. through February.
•Point Pleasant (Fox, Jan. 19, 9 p.m., then Thursday at 9 p.m. starting Jan. 20): The O.C. meets Buffy in a drama thriller set at a New Jersey beach town, where a mysterious girl washes ashore, captivates a lifeguard and turns the town upside down. Turns out she is the devil's spawn.
•Numb3rs (CBS, Jan. 23 at 10 p.m., then Friday at 10 p.m. starting Jan. 28): CBS' latest crime drama stars Rob Morrow (Northern Exposure) as an FBI agent who enlists his math-genius brother (David Krumholtz) to help solve crimes with a numerical bent.
•The Simple Life 3: Interns (Fox, Jan. 26, Wednesday at 8:30): Just when you thought it was safe to hit the road, Paris and Nicole are back, this time cruising in a Greyhound bus across the Northeast while performing comically menial jobs.
•American Dad (Fox, Feb. 6, Sunday at 10:30 p.m. — time approximate after a post-Super Bowl Simpsons —then returning in spring): Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane's latest animated spoof of a half-baked family, this time led by a CIA agent.
•The Contender (NBC, Feb. 21, 9:30 p.m., then Tuesday at 8 starting March 1): The Next Great Champ proved a chump, but Mark Burnett and DreamWorks have high hopes for this delayed "dramality" series that crowns a boxing champ.
•Blind Justice (ABC, March 8, Tuesday at 10 p.m.): Ron Eldard (ER) stars as a detective blinded in the line of duty in this new drama from Steven Bochco, who retains his NYPD Blue time slot.

Coming up on cable
Unscripted (HBO, Jan. 9, Sunday at 10 p.m.); Dramedy from George Clooney and Steven Soderbergh about three aspiring actors and their teacher/mentor, played by Frank Langella, with star cameos. (Carnivale returns for a second season at 9).
Queer Eye for the Straight Girl Bravo. Jan. 12, Wednesday at 10 p.m.): Spinoff of the channel's "make-better" show, this time with feminine subjects and a new Fab Four.
Fat Actress (Showtime, March 7, Monday at 10 p.m.); Ample tabloid fodder Kirstie Alley's "real life" is chronicled and ridiculed in this six-episode comedy series.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Thursday, Dec. 30, 2004, at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Wednesday Ratings:
ABC and NBC Split Leadership

Note: The Programming Insider will not be published tomorrow. Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!
Note: The following ratings exclude the Philadelphia, Miami, Cincinnati, Memphis, San Antonio, Richmond, Greenville, Raleigh, Albuquerque and San Antonio markets.

Metered Market Ratings

Household Rating/Share
NBC: 7.3/12
ABC: 6.8/11
CBS: 5.9/10
Fox: 4.2/ 7
UPN: 2.2/ 4
WB: 1.8/ 3

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday 12/31/03):
Fox: +83
ABC: +58
UPN: +47
NBC: +20
CBS: +16
WB: -25

(Note: The year-ago night was New Year's Eve)

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers
ABC: 9.19 million
NBC: 8.97
CBS: 8.96
Fox: 5.93
UPN: 2.88
WB: 2.44

Adults 18-49
ABC: 3.2/ 9
CBS: 2.9/ 8
Fox: 2.7/ 8
NBC: 2.6/ 7
UPN: 1.1/ 3
WB: 1.0/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
Nothing of note on this repeat drenched Wednesday.

Yesterday's Losers:
Quintuplets (Fox)
Big Man on Campus (WB)

Ratings Breakdown:
With only 23 percent of the schedule in originals, ABC and NBC shared the top spot, with NBC first in the overnights, and ABC No. 1 in total viewers and adults 18-49. As a reminder, viewers and adults 18-49 are based on the fast nationals.

At 8 p.m., a Wednesday repeat of NBC's Law & Order: Criminal Intent (7.3/12; A18-49: 2.8/ 8) was first in the hour, followed by a repeat of ABC's Lost (6.1/10; A18-49: 2.7/ 8). Third based on the overnights was CBS' 60 Minutes (5.8/ 9), followed by Fox comedies That '70s Show R (4.1/ 7) and Quintuplets (3.1/ 5), a repeat of The WB's Smallville (2.3/ 4), and a repeat of the 2004 Vibe Awards on UPN (2.1/ 3 from 8-9 p.m.; 2.2/ 4 from 8-10 p.m.). Although the That '70s Show repeat was tied for first among adults 18-49 (2.8/ 8) in the 8 p.m. half-hour, lead-out Quintuplets, an original episode, sunk to third in the demo with a 2.3/ 7 at 8:30 p.m. It looks like Andy Richter isn't controlling this universe.

At 9 p.m., although another repeat edition of ABC's Lost and a repeat of NBC's The West Wing were first in the overnights with a 6.3/10 each, Lost tied repeats of CBS comedies King of Queens (#3: 5.8/ 9; A18-49: #1, 3.3/ 9) and Center of the Universe (#4: 4.8/ 7; A18-49: #2, 2.8/ 7) for No. 1 overall among adults 18-49. The West Wing was fourth in the demo with a 3.1/ 9. Also in the 9 p.m. hour was a repeat of Fox's Nanny 911 (#4: 4.7/ 7; A18-49: #3, 2.8/ 8), the second hour of The 2004 Vibe Awards repeat on UPN (#5: 2.4/ 4; A18-49: #5, 1.1/ 3), and WB reality clinker Big Man On Campus (#6: 1.3/ 2; A18-49: #6, 0.8/ 2), which is anything but big in the ratings.

At 10 p.m., leadership was mixed as follows:

Law & Order R (NBC)
Overnights: 8.4/14 (#1), Viewers: 9.56 million (# 3), A18-49: 2.8/ 8 (#3)

Primetime Special (ABC)
Overnights: 7.8/13 (#2), Viewers: 10.31 million (#1), A18-49: 3.9/11 (#1)

CSI: NY R (CBS)
Overnights: 6.8/11 (#3), Viewers: 10.01 million (#2), A18-49: 3.7/10 (#2)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data


The Best and Worst of 2004: Mr. TV's Picks

As we prepare to say goodbye to 2004, here are my picks for the best and worst in television this year.

THE BEST

1. Lost (ABC)
Although Lost creator J.J. Abrams personally told me that the look and feel of this non-stop action/adventure roller coaster will be considerably different in season two, let's hope there is still some familiarity for clearly the best series of 2004. After 11 episodes, the twists, turns, surprises and shocks on Lost continue to leave this fan gasping for more.

2. Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Not only does this satirical soap rank second overall behind CSI with an average 22.62 million viewers per week, Desperate Housewives has done something that earlier shows in the genre like Dallas and Knots Landing were never able to do, and that's have the critics buzzing. With five Golden Globe nominations (in the category of Comedy or Musical), look for the ladies of Wisteria Lane to rack up a double-digit number of Emmy nominations. Word of advice for Marcia Cross: get your acceptance speech ready.

3. The Sopranos (HBO)
TV's best-acted drama reached a new zenith courtesy of the haunting departure of Drea de Matteo and the addition, and ultimate departure as well, of bad-boy Steve Buscemi. It doesn't get much better than this.

4. State of Play (BBC)
In a sea of forensic crime solving, State of Play was the ultimate six-hour mystery about a team of reporters and editors who crack a puzzling case of murder and intrigue. Apparently, no one has bothered to tell the BBC the miniseries format is dead.

5. Everybody Loves Raymond (CBS)
Although Fox's Arrested Development will likely lead the list of best comedies, after 9 seasons no show keeps you laughing louder than the ageless Everybody Loves Raymond. Barones...you will be missed.

6. Sex and the City (HBO)
Yes -- Sarah Jessica Parker's independent Carrie being saved by Chris "Big" Noth was indeed a cope-out conclusion for the six-year-old Sex and the City. Even so, the too early departure of TV's sauciest quartet leaves a void that will be difficult, if not impossible, to fill.

7. Rescue Me (FX)
After the success of The Shield and Nip/Tuck, who knew that the growing house of hits, FX, had yet another A-lister about a brawling, alcoholic, emotional wreck of a firefighter (Denis Leary), who in addition to other things is wrestling with the guilt of his cousin's death on 9/11.

8. Survivor (CBS)
Although The Amazing Race came thisclose to being my ultimate reality pick, even a diluted Survivor (and that includes the unnecessary All-Star edition) is still the best of the reality genre.

9. Without A Trace (CBS)
While CSI may get the lion's share of attention, there is a reason why underrated procedural gem Without A Trace is the first show to deliver more viewers than NBC's competing ER. It's damn good!

10. Gilmore Girls (WB)
Although moving past flirtation is often risky (remember what happened to Moonlighting after Maddie and Dave jumped into the sack?), linking Lauren Graham's energetic Lorelai to Scott Patterson's cranky Luke has put the underrated Gilmore Girls back on the quality map. Now, if they could only find a real love interest for Alexis Bledel's no longer icky-sweet Rory the show would really be cooking. Dean and Jess - stay away.

Runner-ups:
The Amazing Race (CBS), American Idol (Fox), The Apprentice (NBC), Arrested Development (Fox), CSI (CBS), Curb Your Enthusiasm (HBO), Deadwood (HBO), Entourage (HBO), Jack & Bobby (WB), Nip/Tuck (FX), The Shield (FX), Veronica Mars (UPN), Wife Swap (ABC), The Wire (HBO)

THE WORST

1. The Surreal Life 3 (VH1)
Although I managed to get through the likes of Gabrielle Carteris, Emmanuel Lewis, Corey Feldman and Tammy Faye Messner on seasons one and two of The Surreal Life on the WB, Brigitte Nielsen and Flavor Flav on the latest edition, now on VH1, was just plain gross. The WB was wise to unload this atrocity.

2. Father of the Pride (NBC)
The current sitcom drought sunk considerably deeper courtesy of this idiotic animated tale of Siegfried & Roy's famous performing cats. Who thinks of these things?

3. Drew Carey's Green Screen (WB)
Please Drew, and I'm begging...take a well-earned break.

4. dr. vegas (CBS)
Never trust a show that has no caps in the title.

5. Listen Up (CBS)
Rumor has it Webster's Dictionary will be adding Listen Up next to its description of the word
generic.

6. Hope & Faith (ABC)
With two well-paid gigs, you would think Kelly Ripa could afford to take acting lessons. If I were Faith Ford I would sit down and watch an old episode (or two) of Murphy Brown as a reminder that a sitcom is supposed to be funny.

7. Quintuplets (Fox)
Hey Andy Richter, maybe that sidekick gig on The Late Show With Conan O'Brien wasn't so bad after all.

8. The Player (UPN)
As a classic 1980s Valley Girl might say...gag me with a spoon! Even the ultimate fan of relationship reality ran for the remote when The Player began.

9. LAX (NBC)
Hey Heather Locklear...you should be out saving struggling shows, not headlining brand new clinkers.

10. The Benefactor (ABC) and The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best (Fox):
Note to Mark Cuban and Richard Branson: There is only one Donald Trump.

Runner-Ups:
Hawaii (NBC), Joey (NBC), The Mountain (WB), Renovate My Family (Fox), The Simple Life (Fox)


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

-More Primetime Growth for Court TV:
Court TV ended 2004 on yet another high note, with its sixth consecutive year of primetime growth since re-launching in 1999. With an average of 868,000 viewers in primetime, that's more than five times as large as the 171,000 viewers in 1999. In addition, coverage of the Scott Peterson verdict on Nov. 12th averaged a record 2.7 million viewers, with the sentencing one day later at an almost equally impressive 2.4 million viewers.

-Ellen Reaches a New Zenith:
Based on ratings for the week of Dec. 13, Warner Bros. talker The Ellen DeGeneres Show averaged a record high 2.4 household rating. Comparably, that was an increase of 9 percent from one week earlier, and 50 percent from the year-ago week.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data


Remembering Jerry Orbach

Although I have used The Programming Insider to honor many noted entertainers, I must say no passing over the last six years has netted the type of feedback I received in memory of the beloved Jerry Orbach, who passed away last Tuesday from prostate cancer at the age of 69. Born in the Bronx on Oct. 20, 1935 with show business in his blood (his father was a vaudevillian actor and mother a radio singer), Tony Award winner Jerome Bernard Orbach made his Broadway debut at the age of 20 in Threepenny Opera in 1955. Subsequent musical roles on Broadway included Carnival!, Guys and Dolls, Annie Get Your Gun, Promises, Promises, Chicago and, most recently, 42nd Street.

While Orbach was making a name for himself on the Great White Way, the small screen came calling with early appearances on shows like Love, American Style, Medical Center, Kojak and Trapper John, M.D. Best remembered, of course, as the levelheaded Det. Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order from 1992 to 2004, Orbach also headlined short-lived Murder, She Wrote spin-off The Law and Harry McGraw in 1987-88. He was also one of the principal stars of 1987 theatrical classic Dirty Dancing. At the time of his death, Orbach was filming episodes of upcoming spin-off, Law & Order: Trial By Jury, which NBC has announced will stay in production.

According to Law & Order creator Dick Wolf:

"I am immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th Century show business who was a star of screen, stage and television. From Chicago to 42nd Street, from Prince of the City to Law & Order he was one of the most honored actors of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable."

According to Law & Order star Sam Waterston:

"Jerry loved his life and his work and we loved him right back. He was a wonderful actor and an extraordinarily good man. He made us laugh every day. I will miss him."


TV Tidbits:
Notes of Interest

-Super Tournament on Jeopardy:
Mega-hit game show Jeopardy is hoping to keep the Ken Jennings momentum going with a 15-week Super Tournament featuring all previous winners of the annual Tournament of Champions, College Championship and Teen Tournament, and over 100 of the top-scoring, undefeated, five-time champions in the show's 21-year history. Approximately 150 players will compete in a series of games that will narrow the field to two players, who will compete against Jennings in the finals. Beginning in early 2005 and ending in May, the grand prize will be $2 million.


On the Air Tonight: Primetime Programming Options

Thursday 12/30/04

ABC:
Movie: My Best Friend's Wedding, Primetime Live

CBS:
Cold Case (R), CSI (R), Without A Trace (R)

NBC:
Joey (three repeat episodes - just what we need!), Will & Grace (R), ER (R)

Fox:
The O.C. (two repeats)

UPN:
WWE Smackdown!

WB:
Movie: Heathers (R)

Cox, Cable One Face Retrans Fight
By Linda Moss Multichannel.com 12/30/2004

In what could be a harbinger of retransmission-consent battles to come -- over cash for carriage -- a broadcaster was set to pull signals for a half-dozen TV stations from Cox Communications Inc. and Cable One Inc. systems on New Year’s Eve.

At press time, the two operators and Nexstar Broadcasting Group Inc. were at an impasse -- in disputes marked by a flurry of nasty ads -- that seemed unlikely to be resolved by the end of the day Dec. 31.

The issue at the center of the standoffs is one looming as many retransmission-consent pacts expire at the end of 2005: Broadcasters are now seeking cash from MSOs in exchange for carrying their TV stations.

The Irving, Texas-based broadcaster wants cash compensation for Cable One to continue carrying NBC affiliate KTAL in Texarkana, Texas, and ABC affiliate KODE and NBC affiliate KSNF in Joplin, Mo.

Cable One had given away 1,500 rabbit ears in Joplin as of late last week, and it had more coming in to pass out, according to Tom Basinger, vice president of the MSO’s central division.

Nexstar is asking Atlanta-based Cox for cash to continue carrying NBC affiliate KRBC in Abilene, Texas, and two San Angelo, Texas, stations: KLST, a CBS affiliate, and KSAN, an NBC affiliate.

Cox contended that its carriage of only two, and not three, Texas stations is involved in the dispute. The MSO claimed that according to its lawyers, its current retransmission deal for KSAN doesn’t expire until the end of 2005, spokeswoman Amy Cohn said.

Cable One has about 22,000 subscribers in the Shreveport-Texarkana DMA and 34,000 in Joplin. Roughly 40,000 Cox subscribers are involved in Abilene and another 32,000 in San Angelo.

“There are no discussions going on,” Nexstar chief operating officer Duane Lammers said Thursday. “I think we’re going to go off, and I think we may go off forever.”

Both Phoenix-based Cable One and Cox are refusing to pay Nexstar cash, saying that as a policy, they don’t pay broadcasters license fees for retransmission consent.

Cable One claimed that it would have to fork over more than $1 million to Nexstar during the next four years under the agreement the broadcaster has on the table. “The issue is money,” Basinger said. “We refuse to pay cash compensation for a service that has historically been free. This is an important case for us.”

Cox first contacted Nexstar in November about the expiring retransmission-consent deals and it didn’t get a response, Cohn said. It wasn’t until Thursday that the broadcaster notified Cox in writing that it wanted a 30-cent license fee for its TV stations, according to Cohn.

“We have not paid them for retrans in the past,” she said. “We’re trying to protect our customers from higher cable bills and, if we’re forced to pay every broadcaster in the market, cable bills are going to rise. We think it’s unreasonable to pay the broadcasters for free, over-the-air TV.”

Apart from cash, Cox is willing to negotiate “some reasonable compensation,” Cohn said.

Many cable operators have said they won’t pay cash for retransmission consent, as it would set a costly precedent, encouraging hundreds of TV stations across the country to demand similar payment.

The broadcaster’s position is that DirecTV Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. are paying to carry its TV stations, and Cable One should do the same.

The standoff between Nexstar, Cable One and Cox is unusual in that it is coming earlier than most, because many retransmission-consent pacts between broadcasters and MSOs are three-year deals that expire at the end of 2005.

'Trial by Jury' Continues Without Orbach

(zap2it.com)--Production on NBC's latest "Law & Order" spinoff, "Trial by Jury," will continue despite the death of one of its stars, Jerry Orbach.

Six episodes of the midseason series have been completed, with Orbach, who died Tuesday (Dec. 28) of prostate cancer, appearing in three of them, according to news reports. The long-time star of the original "Law & Order" was reprising his character from that show, Detective Lennie Briscoe, in the new series.

Orbach, 69, left "Law & Order" at the end of last season, seeking a lighter workload after 12 seasons playing the sardonic, seen-it-all Briscoe. His role on "Trial by Jury" did not require him to be on set every day.

The show's producers, while "deeply saddened" by the loss of Orbach, say the series will go on.

"While Jerry is irreplaceable, 'Law & Order: Trial by Jury' is an ensemble and will continue in production," the producers say in a statement. "A new cast member will join the company. Announcements will be forthcoming."

"Trial by Jury" focuses on the prosecution of criminal cases and stars Bebe Neuwirth ("Cheers"), Amy Carlson ("Third Watch") and Kirk Acevedo ("Oz") as lawyers and investigators with the Manhattan district attorney's office. Orbach's Briscoe, after leaving the NYPD, works as an investigator for the DA in the show.

NBC hasn't said yet when "Trial by Jury" will premiere.

Thanks to all for the kind holiday wishes and words of encouragement.

They are much very much appreciated.

And thanks to sangs for the first posting of Jerry Orbach's death yesterday -- I certainly didn't mean to hijack his thread!

To all, have a very happy New Year!

ESPN Jumps Through Hoops for Weekly Cable Win

(zap2it.com)--The combination of a pair of late season NFL games and a tension-filled NBA holiday rematch helped ESPN to a strong cable ratings performance for the week ending Sunday, Dec. 26, 2004.

Overall, ESPN averaged an impressive 3.75 million viewers per night in primetime, far ahead of second place USA's 2.57 million viewers. TBS was in third with 2.41 million viewers, just beating the 2.23 million for fourth place TNT. Lifetime rounded out the Top Five with 1.96 million viewers.

The week's two most watched cable programs were ESPN's Saturday football and ESPN's Sunday football. The game between the Broncos and Titans drew 8.42 million viewers on Saturday night and even the awful matchup between the Browns and Dolphins was good for 7.61 million on Sunday. That game also helped push the night's highlight package "NFL Primetime" to No. 4 with 4.43 million viewers and the evening's "SportsCenter" to No. 15 with 3.12 million viewers.

ESPN also got solid results from the NBA game between the Pacers and Pistons. The first meeting between the teams since the Motown Meltdown was No. 5 on the week with 4.33 million Christmas Day viewers.

USA's second place performance was fueled by episodes of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" at No. 11 with 3.52 million viewers and at No. 12 with 3.51 million. Dick Wolf dramas also helped pace TNT as three episodes of "Law & Order" came in as high as No. 8 with 3.84 million viewers and as low as No. 14 with 3.34 million.

Nickelodeon had four episodes of "SpongeBob SquarePants" among the Top 15 shows of the week. The yellow pineapple dweller peaked at No. 3 with 4.81 million viewers and only went as low as No. 9 with just under 3.7 million.

Also proving listworthy was Spike TV's "WWE Raw," which was No. 10 with 3.54 million viewers.

On the HBO-dominated premium cable list, the network's premiere screening of "Welcome to Mooseport" was on top with 1.92 million viewers. An encore of "The Sopranos" was second with 1.51 million and another "Sopranos" episode was fourth with 1.44 million. Episodes of the porn documentary "Pornucopia" were third (1.49 million) and fifth (1.24 million).

A Star Is Gone
With Jerry Orbach's Death, a Light Dims On Broadway and TV
By Tom Shales Washington Post Staff Writer Thursday, December 30, 2004; Page C01

On television, he was Detective Lennie Briscoe, one of the hardest-boiled characters ever to populate a cop show. On the off-Broadway stage, he introduced a sentimental ballad whose lyrics included the very soft-boiled line: "Try to remember when life was so tender that no one wept, except the willow."

Jerry Orbach was a prodigiously versatile actor who could slip comfortably into roles so tough that, as Bob Hope once said of a movie mobster, he could crack walnuts with his eyelids -- and then just as comfortably play a sentimental song-and-dance man who radiated authority and sincerity when issuing the musical invitation "Come along and listen to / the lullaby of Broadway."

Broadway's lights were to dim at curtain time last night in Orbach's honor. He died Tuesday night at 69 of prostate cancer even as plans continued for him to star in a spinoff of the hit NBC crime series "Law & Order," the show on which Orbach made Detective Briscoe immortal over 12 hard-charging TV seasons.

He will appear in a few episodes of the new series "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" when it premieres next year, still in the role of Briscoe. As Orbach played the part, Briscoe had a rumpled aura even though fastidiously dressed; he was, if such a thing is possible, inwardly rumpled. The look in his eyes suggested a man who'd seen more tragedy and anguish than most people could ever handle.

Skeptical but not cynical, Briscoe made quips even at murder scenes, but as a defense mechanism to keep from becoming emotionally involved. Viewers became emotionally involved with Briscoe, however. They loved him and his wry, wisecracking attitude. "Law & Order" is so plot-driven that viewers know little if anything about the private lives of the recurring characters, but Briscoe, a recovering alcoholic, went through his own wrenching ordeal when facing the murder of his own daughter even as he investigated a different crime on the same episode.

A tragedy befalling one of the regulars was a rare event for the show, and Orbach made it memorable for viewers -- especially the faithful who felt they knew Briscoe as a friend.

Singing "Lullaby of Broadway" in David Merrick's musical smash "42nd Street" (based on the Depression-era Warner Bros. film) came naturally to Orbach because New York knew him as a friend, too. Having been born in the Bronx, Orbach could walk the streets of Manhattan exchanging greetings with fellow New Yorkers like a regular guy. He was presumably forgiven for also starring in the musical "Chicago," about New York's perennial second fiddle, and also appeared in "Carnival!" with Anna Maria Alberghetti (based on the MGM film "Lili") and "Promises, Promises," where he sang songs by Burt Bacharach and Hal David and won a Tony Award for the performance.

Orbach personified the city he adored -- rough-and-tumble, brash and bold, but with a big fat pulsating heart, just as innumerable cliches would have it.

Fans of "Law & Order" familiar with the Briscoe persona might be surprised that Orbach was the man to introduce the unashamedly sentimental "Try to Remember" in the intimate off-Broadway musical "The Fantasticks," which went on to run for 40 years and become more a tourist attraction than a mere show. As the narrator in the musical, the story of two young lovers, Orbach sang, "Try to remember the kind of September when you were a tender and callow fellow."

Orbach found time to make movies, too. He played the rigid father who opposed his daughter's summer romance in "Dirty Dancing" and also appeared in Sidney Lumet's grim "Prince of the City" and Woody Allen's "Crimes and Misdemeanors." For the last two, he didn't even have to leave New York. In a 1993 interview with Frasier Moore of the Associated Press, Orbach said he liked working in television more than films: "There's a pace in TV I like. I like to work fast. I don't like to dwell all day over one scene as you do in a big feature. Big feature films are another world."

The beauty of a weekly series wasn't lost on him either: "All my life, since I was 16, I've been wondering where that next job was going to come from. . . . Now I take the summer off, relax, and I know that at the end of July, we're going to start another season."

He was also asked to compare himself to the character he played on "Law & Order." Orbach said he wasn't sure "where I stop and Lennie starts" but that "I'm not an alcoholic" and that Briscoe was "tougher than me and he carries a gun."

"I know I wouldn't want to be him," Orbach said. "I guess that's where I stop and he starts."

"Law & Order" is generally considered a star-proof show. Actors who go diva on producer Dick Wolf and demand extravagant raises after a season or two can find their characters simply written out of the series, with new actors brought in to replace them in new roles -- whether in the police department where the first half of the show is set or in the district attorney's office, whose staff dominates the second half.

Orbach, however, had grown to be indelibly part of the scheme of things. Even Wolf said, in a statement, "His loss is irreplaceable." Wolf also called Orbach "a legendary figure of 20th-century show business" and "one of the most honored performers of his generation."

"Deep in December, it's nice to remember, although there's snow, the spring will follow," Orbach sang in that brave little musical. "Deep in December, it's nice to remember, without a hurt, the heart is hollow."

Orbach found a place in the hearts of tens of millions of viewers. Today, those hearts are hurting, too.

Fox Reality Channel Plans
(When you can’t get enough of reality)
By DON KAPLAN New York Post December 30, 2004

FOX, the mother of TV's wildest reality shows, is just a few months away from launching a new reality show channel.

"We have thousands of hours of shows," says Fox Networks Group chief Tony Vinciquerra. "Fox has been airing reality programming in one form or another for more than 15 years."

The new "Fox Reality Channel," run by the exec responsible for overseeing the production company that launched "American Idol," will offer reality shows 24 hours a day, seven days a week and is slated to launch sometime around May or June.

Former "Idol" honcho David Lyle, the channel's general manager, has already rejected the notion of running repeats of "Idol" due to fears of overexposure.

Instead, the channel will feature repeats of Fox's entire library of reality series, from "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiance," "The Simple Life," and "Temptation Island" to "Celebrity Boxing" and "When Animals Attack."

Reality shows that never made it on the air and specials like "Magic's Biggest Secrets Finally Revealed!" will also be included in the mix.

Vinciquerra says that the channel will also try to come up with original programming tied to reality shows. "We may have the people who appeared on the show talking about what they were thinking when certain things happened," he says.

Other programming is likely to come from Fox World, which has produced international versions of popular reality shows. Potential candidates include a European version of "Joe Millionaire" or an Australian version of "Temptation Island."

Sources at the network are not ruling out trying to buy programming that aired on rival networks, such as repeats of "The Bachelor."

Ratings for Basic Cable Networks
the top 15 programs
Rankings for the top 15 programs on basic cable networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Dec. 20-26. Each ratings point represents 1,096,000 households. Day and start time (EST) are in parentheses.

1. NFL Football: Cleveland vs. Miami (Sunday, 8:28 p.m.), ESPN, 5.0, 5.46 million homes.
2. NFL Football: Denver vs. Tennessee (Saturday, 8:28 p.m.), ESPN, 4.9, 5.35 million homes.
3. ``NFL Prime Time'' (Sunday, 7:30 p.m.), ESPN, 2.9, 3.17 million homes.
4. NBA Basketball: Detroit vs. Indiana (Saturday, 12:30 p.m.), ESPN, 2.9, 3.13 million homes.
5. ``Law & Order'' (Monday, 9 p.m.), TNT, 2.8, 3.05 million homes.
6. ``SpongeBob SquarePants'' (Monday, 5 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.7, 2.96 million homes.
7. ``SpongeBob SquarePants'' (Monday, 4:30 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.7, 2.95 million homes.
8. ``Law & Order: SVU'' (Wednesday, 9 p.m.), USA, 2.5, 2.76 million homes.
9. ``SpongeBob SquarePants'' (Tuesday, 5 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.4, 2.67 million homes.
10. ``Law & Order'' (Monday, 10 p.m.), TNT, 2.4, 2.65 million homes.
11. ``Law & Order: SVU'' (Tuesday, 9 p.m.), USA, 2.4, 2.64 million homes.
12. ``Law & Order'' (Monday, 8 p.m.), TNT, 2.4, 2.58 million homes.
13. ``SpongeBob SquarePants'' (Monday, 4 p.m.), Nickelodeon, 2.3, 2.57 million homes.
14. ``WWE Raw'' (Monday, 9 p.m.), Spike, 2.3, 2.54 million homes.
15. ``Sportscenter'' (Sunday, 11:35 p.m.), ESPN, 2.3, 2.50 million homes.

Cable Ratings 2004 Wrap-Up
Many Nets Lower Viewer Median Age
By Megan Larson mediaweek.com December 30, 2004

For ad-supported cable networks, 2004 was about attracting younger viewers. From Lifetime to ABC Family, the majority of networks that could be defined as general entertainment channels increased their viewer delivery among the 18-49 and 18-34 demographics by re-programming and re-scheduling in ways that helped lower their median age.

Lifetime was down 5 percent among viewers 18-49 to deliver 684,000, but by programming fresh original movies beginning in September, the network grew its delivery of viewers 18-34 by 6 percent to 263,000 in primetime.


ABC Family delivered the most viewers 18-49 in its history, thanks in part to acquiring younger-skewing series like Gilmore Girls and offering original movies such as December's Snow. The network grew its primetime delivery 31 percent to 481,000 viewers 18-49.

A&E, which had a lot of success among younger viewers with reality series Growing Up Gotti, also had big viewer gains in 2004. The network increased its delivery of the 18-49 demo by 34 percent to 426,000. Its base among the 18-34 group was low, but new and improved programming helped boost the demographic 76 percent to 150,000 viewers.

Comedy Central was up 23 percent among viewers 18-49, delivering 562,000. Returning hit Chappelle's Show, combined with the recent success of Drawn Together, helped the network build on what was already a record-making 2003.

Turner Broadcasting System's TNT was for the third time the No. 1 network for the year among the 18-49 and 25-54 demos, growing its delivering in these two categories by 3 percent and 4 percent, respectively.

MTV, though down a percentage point, held the top post among 18- to 34-year-olds.

USA grew its delivery of adults 18-49 by 14 percent in primetime to deliver an average of one million viewers (2.2 million persons 2-plus).

TBS was up 6 percent for the year with an average of 956,000 viewers (1.7 million people 2-plus), thanks in part to acquired product like Sex & The City and multiple new, original reality series.

FX increased its delivery 20 percent to 644,000 (1.1 million viewers 2-plus), and Discovery was up 12 percent for the year with 663,000 but down 5 percent in fourth quarter.

With its eye on getting younger through broadcasting new specials and series, Court TV increased it delivery of persons 18-49 in primetime by 19 percent to 352,000 viewers. Hallmark also gained 26,000 viewers in primetime, due to subscriber gains and original movies.

ESPN also was up for the year with 932,000 viewers 18-49. Its audience delivery fell a few percentage points during fourth quarter primetime from the same period in 2003, but the network remained the top-rated ad-supported cable network in the 8-11 p.m. time period among all adult demographics for the last three months of the year.

MTV Networks' Spike TV was up 36 percent among the 18-49 group during fourth quarter primetime to deliver 825,000 viewers and increased its delivery of the demo by 9 percent during the year to 651,000.

Discovery Networks' TLC continues to lose audience, falling 25 percent to average 535,000 viewers for the year. BET and E! are each down about 9 percent to deliver 292,000 and 248,000 viewers, respectively.

We're back.

Good deal.

Glad it's back.

Thanks for all the messages of encouragement, and special thanks to Ken H for his support and to the main man, David Bott, for sticking with HOTP.
There will be some changes, though not in content, which will become apparent shortly.

Thank goodness this thread is back! I was a bit worried.

Paul

fredfa, thanks for updating this!

What ever happened to the visual guide that had the channels across in columns, time slots in rows, and respective TV shows in the slots?

That was posted by dstarlin back in September and not updated.
If I knew about formatting (and you can tell by this thread I know almost nothing) I would have kept it updated.

This season, 'Alias' and '24' ratings may hold the real suspense

By MELANIE MCFARLAND SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER TELEVISION CRITIC
Tuesday, January 4, 2005

It's always about the timing in Fox's "24" and ABC's "Alias." Every minuscule detail is planned to the second, making the stories explode whenever covers are blown and plans are derailed.

Premiering both in midseason also may be a case of perfect timing. This way, each airs without repeats through May, a favor to viewers who shun reruns and ache over every pause.

All the more reason, the networks are hoping, to keep an eye on Jack Bauer's ever-more-destructive efforts to halt terrorism, and track the number of wigs and micro-miniskirts Sydney Bristow slinks into in the line of duty.

They're going to need all of this because, in case you haven't been keeping up with things, this could be make-or-break time for both shows, especially "Alias."

It's not as if the series lack fans. They are addicted, and they have critics on their side. But last season, only about 10 million on average regularly watched "24," off by about a million from the previous season. That's still more than the 8 million "Alias" addicts tuning in throughout 2003-2004. Slimmer numbers are less a problem for Fox than for ABC, a network that stood by its little spy drama because its audience was reliable during several seasons when little else was working and tended to be skewed heavily toward the prized 18-to-49 demographic.

That was before "Alias" was shown up by its old time slot's new occupant, "Desperate Housewives." The Wisteria Lane coffee klatch raked in more than three times the audience when a major character was murdered during fall sweeps. Attractive though our nubile spy is, a move was inevitable.

Fortunately, "Alias" creator J.J. Abrams found a home for it on Wednesdays after his new monster hit "Lost." A nice coup for Abrams, as well as a wager that fans who love "Lost," a hit that looks like a cult show, will carry that love over to "Alias," a cult show that, considering the high profile of star Jennifer Garner, should have been a hit.

"Alias" returns with a two-hour premiere tomorrow, beginning at 9:01 p.m. on KOMO/4. Last season left Sydney (Garner) with a lot of questions, foremost being whether her father, Jack (Victor Garber), allowed the CIA to run her life as an experiment, if she can ever reconcile with Vaughn (Michael Vartan), and what kind of relationship she can build with her half-sister, Nadia Santos (Mia Maestro).

That brief summary doesn't even begin to explain what's going on to newcomers. How about this attempt -- "Alias" is primarily about a droolworthy, globe-trotting spy who often seduces her targets while wearing lingerie or fetish wear, then physically punishes them for enjoying the show.

Thick layers of conspiracy (much of it concerning the prophecies and inventions of Milo Rambaldi, a 15th-century visionary) on top of an encyclopedia's worth of tangential characters are the series' greatest obstacle to winning over a wide audience. But they're also what endears "Alias" to its fan base. To remedy this, the show has been overhauled a couple of times during its run, and it may happen again to keep as many of "Lost's" 17 million-plus viewers from defecting between that show's end credits and "Alias's" opening caper.

Tomorrow's premiere takes no chances, opening with Syd strutting around in a peignoir, each bounce highlighted by the wonders of slow-motion editing. Amazingly, a little shake and giggle is all that's required to coax a scientist, a man who's a genius in any other situation, to open his briefcase and hand over a valuable substance. (Which leads us to ponder whether the world wouldn't be safer if Heidi Klum were tracking al-Qaida.)

Turns out this is Syd's first mission in her new job, placing her in the deepest covert operations. Work would be ideal if not for her boss, assigned to her by CIA Director Chase (guest star Angela Bassett). Guess what? It's her hated enemy Sloane (Ron Rifkin). But she also has a new partner -- well, actually a familiar one -- to smooth the chop. Along the way, Syd has to hunt down an assassin who styles himself as a samurai, and ends up finding out some distressing news about her duplicitous mother, Irina Derevko (played by Lena Olin).

It's quite a bit to take in by way of introduction -- too much for some, we're guessing. Should "Alias" lose a large portion of "Lost's" millions, that doesn't necessarily sign its execution order. A transitional ABC could decide it's more worthwhile to keep working with Garner, especially if her upcoming theatrical release, "Elektra," has legs.

Fox, meanwhile, will continue to protect "24" as long as it and Kiefer Sutherland keep racking up award nominations. But it, too, has time-slot concerns. Since it first premiered, "24" has always held onto 9 p.m. Tuesdays. After Day 4's two-day, four-hour debut Sunday and Monday from 8 to 10 each night on KCPQ/13, the series settles into Mondays at 9, a time shift pitting it against CBS's powerful "Everybody Loves Raymond," ramping up to a series finale ripe for hoopla, and NBC's "Las Vegas," a reliable ratings hitter.

And in spite of all the raving over "24," the gloss has worn off somewhat -- hence, this season's reboot.

Jack is three for three in foiling terrorism. Such an impressive score does not go unnoticed by the stubborn new Counter Terrorist Unit head Erin Driscoll (Alberta Watson), who fired Jack almost immediately after her hire. Eighteen months after Jack secured last season's virus threat and magically kicked heroin, he works for Secretary of Defense James Heller (William Devane) and is having an affair with Heller's still-married daughter, Audrey (Kim Raver). His life becomes even more exciting when an explosion on a commuter train leads to Heller's kidnapping.

In a nauseatingly familiar scenario, the terrorist kidnappers intend to execute Heller on the Internet. Jack sets out to find his boss against the wishes of Driscoll and CTU, which also employs Marianne Taylor (Aisha Tyler), a suspicious-acting systems analyst. Start the clock.

Prior to "24's" fourth-season premiere, it already has sparked outrage from the Council on American-Islamic Relations over the Araz brood, this season's early villains. Businessman Navi (Nestor Serrano), his wife, Dina (Shohreh Aghdashloo), and their son, Behrooz (Jonathan Ahdout), turn out to be a sleeper cell, a factor the council says casts suspicion on all American Muslim families.

But this is "24," OK? Anyone who watches it knows the show borrows aspects of real nightmares to drive its plots, paying little attention to political correctness. Besides, Aghdashloo's Dina is the most compelling character by far. She's a mesmerizing predator fond of using her cooing, smoky voice and flashing eyes to create a singularly unnerving effect.

Most attention will be on Sutherland's Jack, who somehow manages to become at once more sensitive and more ruthless with each pass. Yet early on, you can't help wonder if series creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran have gone over the top a few too many times. Four seasons in, the writers continue to insist upon making up part of the story as it's going, a practice that is at times both effective and foolish. It leads to hair-raising twists, certainly. But it also makes viewers expect a frustrating slump in the season's center, held up by a taut premiere on one end and a few electric episodes leading up to the finale.

"24," like "Alias," trades in storytelling devices that are just plain ridiculous the more you think about them. But they're precisely what keeps the devoted curious enough to stick around for the next episode. Fans refuse to give up on them. And first-timers? Only ratings will indicate whether they've finally seen fit to join in at last.

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/206343_tv04.html

fredfa,

Here's an updated premieres/cancellation list; you'll have to do the coorect colors and correct bold/underline though: All (i think all; but not positive I marked every update i made) changes have this next to them: CHANGE MADE

Mid Season Replacements

ABC
Alias HD (two-hour premiere) January 5 9PM ET
The Bachelorette January 10 (two-hour premiere) 9PM ET
Extreme Makeover Home Edition: How'd They Do That? January 10 8PM ET
Supernanny January 17 10pm ET
Blind Justice HD Tuesday March 8 10PM ET
Grey's Anatomy HD (March?)
Eyes HD (March?)
Jake in Progress HD (John Stamos' new show) (March?) CHANGE MADE

CBS
NUMB3RS HD January 23 10PM ET (then Fridays at 10PM ET, starting January 28.)
Survivor: Palau 8PM ET Thursdays, February NEW CHANGE MADE
Wickedly Perfect 8PM ET Thursdays starting January 6
The Will 8PM ET Saturdays starting January 8 (90-minute premiere) CHANGE MADE, 90-min part added

Fox
24 HD 8 PM ET January 9, 2005 (special 2-hour premiere episodes Jan 9 and 10 at 8 PM ET; regular time slot Mondays at 9 PM ET, starting January 17th. The 1/9 episode conflicts with Desperate Housewives, so check your DVRs. It also follows the NFL NFC Wild Card Game, so add time to the recording to ensure you tape all of it.)CHANGE MADE
Bernie Mac HD (Resuming first-run shows) 8PM ET January 14 (repeats follow at 8:30PM except for 1/14 when a new episode will air too at 8:30PM)CHANGE MADE
Jonny Zero HD 9 PM ET January 14
American Idol HD 8-10 PM ET January 18
Point Pleasant HD 9PM ET January 19 (regular time slot 9 PM Thursdays starting January 20th)
The Simple Life 3: Interns 8:30 PM ET January 26
American Dad Sunday 9:30PM ET, starts February 6 (After Super Bowl)
The Inside HD March?
Life On A Stick HD MarchCHANGE MADE
Kelsey Grammer Presents: The Sketch Show March?
Tru Calling HD 2005? (13 planned episodes cut back to six, show is likely cancelled beyond these six episodes.)

NBC
CHANGE MADE, Medium already premiered
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search 8PM ET Wednedsay January 5 (special episode on Thursday at 10 PM ET January 6)
Committed HD 9:30PM ET (Tuesday) January 4 9:30 PM ET (also Thursdays 8:30 PM January 6 and 13)
The Apprentice 3 January 20 (9PM ET?)
The Contender 90-minute premiere February 21 (then Tuesday 9PM ET starting March 1)
Revelations HD (mid season)
Law and Order: Trial By Jury HD The late Jerry Orbach returns for 3 episodes (March?)CHANGE MADE
The Office: An American Workplace (March?)CHANGE MADE

UPN
The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott (10 episode series) January 5 8PM ET
Bad Girl's Guide
Cuts HD? (show is a spin-off an HD show)CHANGE MADE

The WB
Summerland HD Mondays, starting February 28 9 PM ET
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

HD Shows in Ratings Trouble

American Dreams NBC HD
life as we know it ABC HD
North Shore Fox HD
The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best Fox HD SHOW ADDED

Non HD Shows in Ratings Trouble

All of Us UPN
Big Man on Campus WBSHOW ADDED
Eve UPN

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

Shows "On Hiatus"

Yes, Dear CBS HD (mid season?)CHANGE MADE, "CBS" added
Drew Carey's Green Screen Show WB (spring?)CHANGE MADE
Carnivale HBO HD (January 9)
Curb Your Enthusiasm HBO (March)
Deadwood HBO HD (March?)
The Sopranos HBO HD (January 2006?)
One Tree Hill WB HD (March?)
Jack & Bobby WB HD (January 26)
The L Word Showtime HD (February 20)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Cancelled Shows

A B C
The Benefactor (To be rebroadcast in HD on HDNet)

C B S
Clubhouse HD (7 unaired episodes)
dr. vegas HD (5 unaired episodes)2 CHANGES MADE

Fox
Method & Red HD (4 unaired episodes)
My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss (? unaired episodes)CHANGE MADE
The Next Great Champ
The Complex: Malibu

N B C
Father of the Pride HD (2 unaired episodes)SHOW ADDED; CHANGE MADE
Hawaii HD (1 unaired episode)
LAX HD (3 unaired episodes; will air beginning in January, prob. 1/22/05) CHANGE MADE
Last Comic Standing

UPN
Second Time Around HD (3 unaired episodes to air in January)

The WB
Grounded For Life (6 episodes left to air, all will air, series finale 1/28/2005)CHANGE MADE
The Mountain HD (run completed, very doubtful to return) CHANGE MADE

I too am very glad "you are back". I don't know how you find the time to post all the news that you do but I sure appreciate your contribution.

Mark
Altadena, CA

Glad to see the column back!

i'm wondering why a date hasn't been set for Revelations...

nbc's site says january..you'd think that they would have a firm date or at least promos running for the show

New Year Begins with CBS on Top

(zap2it.com)--CBS won the first week of 2005, just as the network dominated most of 2004. However, perhaps hinting at a future rivalry, ABC was a close and competitive second overall and actually topped CBS in the key young adult demographics.

Overall, CBS led the way for the week ending Sunday, Jan. 2 with a 6.6 rating/11 share, averaging 10.22 million viewers per night in primetime. ABC was right behind with a 6.2/11 and 9.65 million viewers. NBC was well off the pace in third with a 5.6/10, pulling in only 8.5 million viewers per night. FOX was a non-factor in fourth with a 3.4/6 and 5.47 million viewers. UPN led the netlets with a 1.9/3 and 2.74 million viewers, with The WB trailing with a 1.5/3 and 2.27 million.

Among adults 18-49, though, ABC captured the week with a 3.4 rating. CBS wasn't far off with a 3.1 rating, followed by NBC's 2.8 rating. FOX was fourth with a 2.3 rating. UPN again had a leg up with a 1.1 rating, compared to The WB's 0.9 rating.

The week's most watched show was CBS' Thursday "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation" episode, which drew 18.32 million viewers and an 11.5/19. The network also got good Thursday performances from "Without a Trace" (9.4/16, 5th) and a special airing of "Cold Case" (6.8/12, 18th). The week's regularly scheduled "Cold Case" was No. 11 with an 8.3/13, joining fellow Sunday entry "60 Minutes" (10.5/17, 3rd) in the Top 20.

CBS had a trio of Monday programs on the Nielsen list, led by "Everybody Loves Raymond" at No. 4 with a 9.5/15 and with "CSI: Miami" (8.9/15, 9th) and "Two and a Half Men" (8.8/14, 10th) also placing. CBS' other listworthy shows were Tuesday's "NCIS" (8.0/13, 13th) and Wednesday's "CSI: NY" (6.7/12, 20th).

The "Monday Night Football" game between the Rams and the Eagles was ABC's top show for the week with a 10.6/18 in the No. 2 position overall, while the seven-minute pregame was No. 8 with a 9.0/15. On the collegiate football level, ABC also did well with the Fiesta Bowl, as the matchup pitting Utah against Pittsburgh did a 7.4/13 for No. 16. "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition" (7.1/11, 17th) and "Primetime" (6.8/12, 18th) also made the Top 20 for ABC.

With the other networks airing repeats and unsuccessful movies on Sunday, NBC took advantage with a trio of new shows. That strategy helped "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (9.3/14, 6th), "Crossing Jordan" (9.2/15, 7th) and "Dateline" (8.3/14, 11th) all reach unusually high ratings positions. NBC also had a Saturday airing of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" at No. 14 with a 7.6/13, while the network's normal Tuesday "SVU" airing was No. 15 with a 7.5/13.

FOX's dismal week peaked with a 4.3/7 for "America's Most Wanted," which was No. 54 for the frame.

"WWE Smackdown!" led the way for UPN with a 2.9/5 for No. 77, as The WB's best was "7th Heaven" at No. 84 with a 2.5/4.

Once again, The WB's "The Mountain" was network television's least watched program. The freshman dud was No. 109 with a 1.0/2, hooking only 1.36 million viewers, fewer than an "America's Funniest Home Videos" repeat on PAX. So much for the show the New York Post called the fall's word-of-mouth hit.

"while the seven-minute pregame was No. 8 with a 9.0/15."

They have ratings for pregame??? They might as well have ratings for the injury timeouts...

If you have more than 7 1/2 minutes of sponsored programming, you can qualify for a rating. You just need a half (or more) of a quarter hour.

Any ratings in for the premiere of "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" on CBS? thefutoncritic didn't have it.

New Year Begins with CBS on Top
Bowl games draw young adults to ABC
By Scott Collins,Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Helped along by college bowl games, not to mention Regis Philbin, ABC scored with young adults in last week's holiday-impacted prime-time TV ratings. CBS, relying heavily on repeats of regular series such as "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," narrowly won among total viewers.

ABC's Fiesta Bowl between Utah and Pittsburgh dominated prime time on New Year's Day, with an average of 12.2 million viewers, according to figures from Nielsen Media Research. The telecast was clearly boosted by its lead-in, the Rose Bowl between Texas and Michigan (20.5 million), which dribbled over into prime time in the Eastern and Central time zones. Still, the Fiesta Bowl slipped 11% in total viewers compared to the Jan. 2, 2004, Fiesta matchup between Kansas State and Ohio State (13.7 million).

On Friday, Philbin stepped in for the ailing Dick Clark on ABC's "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" (7.9 million). The program delivered its biggest audience in three years, while NBC fizzled with its rival program, "New Year's Eve With Carson Daly" (4.5 million).

Even with the bowl games luring football fans, TV viewing levels were predictably low because of the holidays. For the week overall, CBS led among total viewers (10.2 million), trailed by ABC (9.7 million), NBC (8.5 million) and Fox (5.5 million). Among young adults, ABC took the crown for the second straight week, winning five nights (Tuesday was a tie with CBS).

Tsunami coverage lifted NBC's "Dateline" to its best Sunday ratings in a year (12.8 million viewers), while ABC bombed with its made-for-TV movie, "Dynasty: The Making of a Guilty Pleasure" (5.5 million).

Prime-time TV rankings

Here are the rankings for national prime-time network television last week (Dec. 27-Jan. 2) as compiled by Nielsen Media Research. They are based on the average number of people who watched a program from start to finish. Nielsen estimates there are 277.93 million potential viewers in the U.S. ages 2 and older. Viewership is listed in millions.
Program Network Viewers
1 CSI CBS 18.32
2 60 Minutes CBS 16.44
3 Monday Night Football ABC 16.36
4 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Sun.) NBC 14.85
5 Everybody Loves Raymond CBS 14.76
6 Without a Trace CBS 14.33
7 NFL Monday Showcase ABC 14.17
8 Crossing Jordan NBC 14.13
9 Two and a Half Men CBS 13.53
10 CSI: Miami CBS 13.40
11 Dateline: NBC (Sun.) NBC 12.82
12 Cold Case CBS 12.75
13 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition ABC 12.39
14 NCIS CBS 12.34
15 Fiesta Bowl ABC 12.22
16 Law & Order: SVU NBC 11.59
17 Law & Order: SVU (Sat.) NBC 11.33
18 Cold Case (Thu.) CBS 10.57
19 Primetime Special Edition (Wed.) ABC 10.30
20 According to Jim ABC 10.25
21 CSI: NY CBS 10.18
22 Amazing Race: 6 CBS 10.14
23 Law & Order NBC 9.55
24 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Wed.) NBC 9.26
25 Still Standing CBS 9.03
26 "Behind Enemy Lines" CBS 8.87
27 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Sat.) NBC 8.76
28 King of Queens CBS 8.50
29 Lost (9 p.m.) ABC 8.47
30 60 Minutes (Wed.) CBS 8.43
31 Listen Up CBS 8.39
32 Lost ABC 8.31
33 Without a Trace (Fri.) CBS 8.28
34 American Dreams NBC 8.25
35 Rodney ABC 8.21
36 George Lopez ABC 8.18
37 Law & Order (Sat.) NBC 8.17
38 My Wife and Kids ABC 8.13
39 "ESPN Blunderful World of Sports" ABC 8.00
40 "New Year's Rockin' Eve '05" ABC 7.92
41 The West Wing NBC 7.90
42 Fear Factor NBC 7.78
43 ER NBC 7.55
44 Judging Amy CBS 7.47
45 "My Best Friend's Wedding" ABC 7.43
46 48 Hours Mystery CBS 7.40
46 Center of the Universe CBS 7.40
48 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (7 p.m.) ABC 7.24
49 Dateline: NBC (Fri.) NBC 7.15
50 Las Vegas NBC 7.12
51 America's Most Wanted FOX 7.06
52 "True Lies" FOX 7.04
53 Crimetime Saturday CBS 6.92
54 House (Tue.) FOX 6.90
55 Crossing Jordan (Mon.) NBC 6.88
56 20/20 ABC 6.85
57 Cops (8:30 p.m.) FOX 6.71
58 Nanny 911 FOX 6.59
59 Joey NBC 6.39
60 Joey (8:30 p.m.) NBC 6.35
61 Primetime Live ABC 6.21
62 Joey (9 p.m.) NBC 6.10
63 Cops FOX 6.03
64 Will & Grace NBC 5.79
65 8 Simple Rules ABC 5.76
66 "Andy Griffith Show Reunion" CBS 5.59
67 "Dynasty: Making of a Guilty Pleasure" ABC 5.52
68 That '70s Show FOX 5.51
69 JAG CBS 5.48
70 Scrubs NBC 5.32
71 Father of the Pride NBC 5.21
72 Quintuplets FOX 4.92
73 Hope & Faith ABC 4.86
74 Father of the Pride (9 p.m.) NBC 4.71
75 Father of the Pride (8:30 p.m.) NBC 4.68
76 Joan of Arcadia CBS 4.65
77 Less Than Perfect ABC 4.60
78 House (Mon., 8 p.m.) FOX 4.55
79 "New Year's Eve With Carson Daly" NBC 4.49
80 WWE Smackdown! UPN 4.47
81 Complete Savages ABC 4.44
82 "Bait" FOX 4.30
83 House (Mon., 9 p.m.) FOX 4.25
84 The O.C. FOX 3.90
85 The O.C. (9 p.m.) FOX 3.78
86 Rebel Billionaire FOX 3.76
87 7th Heaven WB 3.70
88 Gilmore Girls WB 3.34
89 Smallville WB 3.04
90 "Vibe Awards" UPN 2.85
91 High School Reunion WB 2.70
92 Girlfriends UPN 2.65
93 Half and Half UPN 2.49
94 Steve Harvey's Big Time WB 2.38
95 Reba WB 2.35
96 Everwood WB 2.33
97 One on One UPN 2.25
98 Blue Collar WB 2.19
99 Second Time Around UPN 2.12
99 Eve UPN 2.12
101 All of Us UPN 2.03
"The Best Man" UPN 2.03
103 What I Like WB 1.95
104 Charmed WB 1.94
105 Veronica Mars UPN 1.89
106 Grounded WB 1.73
107 BMOC WB 1.69
108 "Heathers" WB 1.46
109 Mountain WB 1.36

Network averages

Here is the number of viewers (in millions) that each network averaged per hour of prime time, for last week and for the season.
Net Last wk Season
CBS 10.22 12.85
ABC 9.65 10.14
NBC 8.50 9.86
FOX 5.47 8.52
UPN 2.74 3.48
WB 2.27 3.58

Tuesday's ratings are posted in Latest News

Credit to thefutoncritic.com,

nbc swaps thursday's new 'medium' for pilot repeat

MEDIUM (1/6; EPISODE CHANGE)
Air Date: 1/6/05 (THURSDAY)
Time Slot: 10:00 PM-11:00 PM EST on NBC
Episode Title: "PILOT"

Thursday January 6, 2005
10:00 PM 1.0 MEDIUM
PILOT

PATRICIA ARQUETTE STARS IN CHILLING NEW SERIES INSPIRED BY A REAL STORY -- In this haunting drama series from executive producer Glenn Gordon Caron ("Moonlighting") inspired by real life research medium Allison DuBois, Patricia Arquette ("Stigmata," "Flirting with Disaster") stars as a strong-willed mother of three who has struggled since childhood to make sense of her visions of dead people. Hoping to prove to Allison that her dreams are stress induced, her scientist husband, Joe (Jake Weber, "U-571"), sends descriptions of Allison's visions to a number of law enforcement agencies, expecting nothing to come of it. To his surprise, one of Allison's dreams bears an eerie similarity to a Texas homicide case involving a 17-year-old murder suspect. The case pits Allison against Capt. Kenneth Push (guest star Arliss Howard), a cynical Texas Ranger who is suspicious of her psychic abilities. By the end of the investigation, Capt. Push has a new respect for Allison - and she makes a life-altering decision of her own. Miguel Sandoval stars as series regular D.A. Devalos. Sofia Vassilieva and Maria Lark also star as the DuBois children.

************************

Summary: Medium is a repeat on thursday night. They're repeating the pilot

Originally posted by f44
Any ratings in for the premiere of "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" on CBS? thefutoncritic didn't have it.

I can't post an official source because i don't remember where i read it

but off the top of my head, it said something to the effect of -

"cbs puts a positive spin on ratings of late late show with craig ferguson saying numbers are up across the board while nbc puts a negative spin saying conan repeat breezes past late late show"

re tec1271:
...What ever happened to the visual guide that had the channels across in columns, time slots in rows, and respective TV shows in the slots?

Try the futoncritic's continually updated grid at:

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/gofuton.cgi?action=charts&id=primetime_grid

Wednesday, January 05, 2005
*NBCU SETTING GOALS FOR 2005 By James Hibberd, Television Week, 1/3/2005
Marking the first new year since the merger of NBC and Vivendi Universal Entertainment, NBCU is seeking ways to take its networks to greater heights. The first goal on the list: rebranding campaigns for USA Network and Bravo. Jeff Gaspin, president of cable entertainment and cross-platform strategy for NBC Universal, said the rebrandings are not designed to provide quick ratings increases, but to strengthen the channels for the years to come.

"The reason for a brand is much more important for the long term," Mr. Gaspin said. "As the marketplace gets more crowded, the best and strongest brands will stand out. Five years from now, the brands that are the strongest are the ones that are going to survive."

Mr. Gaspin, along with Bonnie Hammer, president of USA Network and Sci Fi Channel, and Lauren Zalaznick, president of Bravo and Trio, laid out their collective plans for the cable empire, which merged NBC's Bravo with Universal's USA, Sci Fi and Trio last year. Since the merger, the channels have cross-aired select programs, cross-promoted brands and tried to keep from stepping on each other's toes during scheduling.

Though the networks enjoyed a successful year in 2004 (with the exception of Trio, which is in developmental limbo while NBC contemplates its fate), the biggest ratings waves were made by USA. Its miniseries/back-door pilot "The 4400" was the highest-rated basic cable debut of the year, attracting an average of 5.9 million viewers. "The 4400" was a rising tide that floated all of USA's series boats last summer and gave NBC something akin to a sixth broadcast network. USA's dual revenue stream, NBC sources said, is arguably more profitable than the Peacock Network itself.

In 2005 USA, which has long taken a broadcast-style general-interest approach to crafting its image, will have its first-ever branding campaign. Though executives are coy about specifics, a brand has been chosen and the network will switch over in July. Ms. Hammer admitted the prospect of branding a network amid a winning streak is unnerving.

"It's sort of scary to rebrand a network that's never really had a brand," Ms. Hammer said. "Right now we're on a great roll, but the network doesn't have a personality. We've never had a single [brand] other than a hit show or a hit movie. Though I can't give it away, we're not going to figure out a niche. We're not going to say we are comedy, we are drama, we are for men. If successful, it will be perfect for the channel."

For Bravo's rebranding, the goal is a little different. Bravo burst from the gate after NBC took over with the twin pop hits "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" and "Celebrity Poker Showdown." Following up on those successes and maintaining the initial ratings jump of the brightly burning "Queer Eye" has been more difficult. Add persistent questions about what exactly Bravo's brand is nowadays, and an image polish is in order.

Starting in January with the launch of "Queer Eye for the Straight Girl," Bravo will feature a new logo and tagline-"Bravo: Watch What Happens"-supported by a marketing campaign. The slogan reflects Bravo's efforts to have hits like "Queer Eye" and "Celebrity Poker" that tap into the cultural zeitgeist.

"Bravo's success has come from capitalizing on mass trends that have not been popularized for television," Ms. Zalaznick said.

Meanwhile, Sci Fi Channel is in the unique position of having exactly the opposite branding problem as USA Network and Bravo. While USA and Bravo are too fuzzy, Sci Fi is a bit too narrow. The channel launched two successful new series this year-"Stargate: Atlantis" and "Ghost Hunters"-and two miniseries, "Earthsea" and "Battlestar Galactica." "Ghost Hunters," a paranormal reality show, and "Earthsea," a fantasy epic, were aimed at helping expand the network's brand beyond hardcore science-fiction fans, a trend that will continue next year.

"Sci Fi is a model channel. They've doubled their audience in five years and there's no competition in their category," Mr. Gaspin said. "We know there's a broad audience for the sci-fi genre. [But] their brand is so clear they have to fight to get new people in the door."

The relationship between Ms. Hammer and NBC got off to an awkward start when news broke of a Sci Fi Channel hoax promoting "The Village," in which the channel misled reporters in an attempt to fake a scandal involving director M. Night Shyamalan. News of the hoax broke in July-one month after the merger in which NBC expanded Ms. Hammer's duties to include USA Network and days before her first Television Critics Association appearance.

Looking back, Ms. Hammer said, "The timing was bizarre and brutal."

"[The hoax was] a guerrilla marketing stunt, which Sci Fi grew up on since we never had much marketing money," she said. "Had it happened earlier, nobody else would have been involved or hurt by it. But when you get connected to an organization that has a news division or a whole entertainment division that wasn't involved, everybody reacted like, `What is this and who is she?"'

Ms. Hammer said her willingness to take responsibility for the hoax helped the situation settle quickly.

As for future network launches, NBC Universal has been rumored to be considering several possible brands-including a horror channel to pair with Sci Fi. Though Mr. Gaspin couldn't confirm that the company will target any specific niche, he did say NBC Universal will likely launch new channels-but only as video-on-demand channels, not as stand-alone cable networks. Launching new digital networks, he said, is no longer economically feasible.

"[The new channels are] going to be VOD and SVOD," Mr. Gaspin said. "There's plenty of niches left, but there's no financial model for full channels. The cable operators want SVOD, VOD and HD; they want new revenue streams. Adding another digital channel isn't going to add another subscriber."

Originally posted by f44
Any ratings in for the premiere of "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" on CBS? thefutoncritic didn't have it.

In latenight, the premiere of "The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson" improved upon the net's seasonal time period averages in both adults 18-49 (0.8 rating vs. 0.7) and total viewers (2.1 million vs. 1.8m), according to preliminary Nielsen nationals ordered by CBS.

A repeat of NBC's "Late Night With Conan O'Brien" beat Ferguson's show in metered-market households (2.4 rating/8 share to 1.8/6), with the Peacock entry matching its highest Monday rating in eight months.

fredfa, how come you didn't use the updates I provided for premieres/cancellations?

"It's sort of scary to rebrand a network that's never really had a brand," -I like how USA doesn't have a brand. It's more like a network and better than being a "The ___ Channel" like many others.

Latest HD technology update from Broadcast Engineering
http://broadcastengineering.com/newsletters/hd_tech/20050105/#format

Crossfire Dies
CNN lets Tucker Carlson go (to MSNBC?)

CNN says it is not renewing Tucker Carlson’s contract.
And the long-running “Crossfire” program is being shelved, too.
The move presumably allows Carlson to begin work at rival MSNBC, where he has been rumored to be headed for some weeks now.
CNN says it has asked other “crossfire” hosts (Robert Novak, James Carville and Paul Begala to stay at the news network and work as commentators.

f44...I have been swamped...thanks for the updates, I will post them when I get a chance in the next day or so.
(After a few blissful days off, it is hard to get back in the swing of things!)

George Thompson: thanks for the great broadcastengineering post.
(And was there any farewell party for Don Pardo?)

Here is what I found out about Don. He did indeed retire from NBC. SO he is no longer hanging out in the ann booth. However, his gig with SNL and other VO jobs is separate from his employment with NBC. I'll let you know when he hangs everything up for good.
GT

Top Five Shows By Network Week Ending Jan. 2
(viewers in millions)
ABC
3 Monday Night Football 16.36
7 NFL Monday Showcase 14.17
13 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition 12.39
15 Fiesta Bowl 12.22
19 Primetime Special Edition (Wed.) 10.30

CBS
1 CSI 18.32
2 60 Minutes 16.44
5 Everybody Loves Raymond 14.76
6 Without a Trace 14.33
9 Two and a Half Men 13.53

Fox
51 America's Most Wanted 7.06
52 "True Lies" 7.04
54 House (Tue.) 6.90
57 Cops (8:30 p.m.) 6.71
58 Nanny 911 6.59

NBC
4 Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Sun.) 14.85
8 Crossing Jordan 14.13
11 Dateline: NBC (Sun.) 12.82
16 Law & Order: SVU 11.59
17 Law & Order: SVU (Sat.) 11.33

UPN
80 WWE Smackdown! 4.47
90 "Vibe Awards" 2.85
92 Girlfriends 2.65
93 Half and Half 2.49
97 One on One 2.25

WB
87 7th Heaven 3.70
88 Gilmore Girls 3.34
89 Smallville 3.04
91 High School Reunion 2.70
94 Steve Harvey's Big Time 2.38

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Bottom Five Shows By Network Week Ending Jan. 2
(viewers in millions)
ABC
65 8 Simple Rules 5.76
67 "Dynasty: Making of a Guilty Pleasure" 5.52
73 Hope & Faith 4.86
77 Less Than Perfect 4.60
81 Complete Savages 4.44

CBS
44 Judging Amy 7.47
46 48 Hours Mystery 7.40
46 Center of the Universe 7.40
53 Crimetime Saturday 6.92
66 "Andy Griffith Show Reunion" 5.59

Fox
82 "Bait" 4.30
83 House (Mon., 9 p.m.) 4.25
84 The O.C. 3.90
85 The O.C. (9 p.m.) 3.78
86 Rebel Billionaire 3.76

NBC
70 Scrubs 5.32
71 Father of the Pride 5.21
74 Father of the Pride (9 p.m.) 4.71
75 Father of the Pride (8:30 p.m.) 4.68
79 "New Year's Eve With Carson Daly" 4.49

UPN
99 Second Time Around 2.12
99 Eve 2.12
101 All of Us 2.03
101 "The Best Man" 2.03
105 Veronica Mars 1.89

WB
104 Charmed 1.94
106 Grounded 1.73
107 BMOC 1.69
108 "Heathers" 1.46
109 Mountain 1.36

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Fading in Ratings, Fox Bets on a Late Surge
By BILL CARTER The New York Times January 6, 2005

For the Fox network, the television season so far has amounted to a limbo contest: how low can they go?

That question relates both to the network's ratings, which have dropped precipitously, and its program content, which may have hit a new bottom this week with "Who's Your Daddy?," a reality series that featured a contestant, who turned out to be a one-time actress in a soft-core pornographic film, trying to identify her birth father in a quest for $100,000. (It too bombed in the ratings.)

But as has been the case consistently in recent years, the apparently beleaguered Fox network may have its competitors right where it wants them. Even with a prime-time schedule that has seen almost nothing work from September to January, Fox can still contend for some version of first place in the annual ratings race when the results are released in May.

This almost mind-boggling turn of events is a function of several factors, beginning with the general closeness of the network ratings, but mainly based in the quirks of Fox's program schedule. That lineup is backloaded with blockbuster attractions like the Super Bowl and the next edition of "American Idol," a runaway reality hit.

The Super Bowl is not an annual Fox property, of course, but the network needs it especially now, because of the pit it dug for itself in the past four months. "It is a deeper hole because we didn't have a six-game World Series this year; we only got four games," said Preston Beckman, the executive vice president of program planning for Fox.

The baseball reference is central to Fox's circumstances. Baseball gives Fox's entertainment executives a difficult challenge because it interrupts the fall launches of new series for three weeks in October. But at the same time, Fox's postseason baseball coverage has provided ratings that have kept the network from sliding totally into the abyss.

Consider Fox's current position. The network has lost about 8 percent of its viewers from a year ago (8.5 million, down from 9.2 million), but Fox, like NBC and ABC, cares most about viewers between ages 18 and 49 because advertisers pay a premium to reach that group. There, Fox is off even more: 11 percent, dropping to a 3.3 rating from 3.7. A rating point in the 18-to-49 category is worth about 1.3 million viewers.

In reality (and that word cuts several ways in Fox's case), the picture is considerably worse. Of all the prime-time shows on Fox this fall, only one, the 16-year-old hit "The Simpsons," has a rating well above the network's average, a 4.6 in that 18-to-49 category. One reality series, "Nanny 911," has a 3.4, and another, "Trading Spouses," has a 3.3.

Every other show Fox has put on this fall is below the network's own average rating.

That is a woeful overall performance, though to be fair, there are a few bright spots. "The O.C." has established a beachhead on hyper-competitive Thursday nights. A new drama, "House," has scored passable ratings despite a puny lead-in from a reality flop, "The Rebel Billionaire."

That last point has largely been the story for Fox this season. The network has paid a heavy price for overloading on reality shows, most of which have misfired badly.

"We obviously miscalculated the appetite for unscripted shows," Mr. Beckman said.

At least some of that change in appetite may have had to do with the type of reality Fox has specialized in: humiliation shows.

"It certainly seems like the viewers have gravitated to the feel-good shows this fall and rejected the humiliation shows," said Steve Sternberg, senior vice president at Magna Global USA, a media buying firm.

It is not as if no reality series worked this fall. ABC has a breakthough hit with "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," which features down-on-their-luck families receiving swank new homes (accompanied by many tears). And NBC's "Biggest Loser," which celebrates the efforts of the overweight to change their lives, has also been a success.

But Fox, which captured the nation's nasty imagination in the past with "Temptation Island," "Joe Millionaire" and "My Big Fat Obnoxious Fiancé," hit the skids this year with the "Daddy" show, "The Swan 2" and "My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss." Obnoxiousness seems out of favor.

Fox also saw its boxing reality series, "The Next Great Champ," fail, and the "Billionaire" series with the entrepreneur Richard Branson has been a ratings albatross.

But instead of facing a reckoning for these missteps, Fox again seems poised to wreak a little havoc.

Beyond "Idol" and football, Fox is also counting on a strong comeback for "24," the much-admired drama, which returns Sunday and Monday with the first four of 24 hours of original episodes, as well as new episodes of "The Simple Life," featuring Paris Hilton and Nicole Ritchie taking on various jobs as interns.

But "American Idol" is still the network's ticket to ride. This time Fox is conceding the show, which starts its multinight (as many as three hours a week) run on Jan. 18, could soften ever so slightly, given how other reality hits have fared.

The other networks expect Fox to splatter "Idol" all over its schedule in a desperate effort to get back in the ratings game. But while Fox will use "Idol" a lot - more than 40 hours' worth - its executives say they will not expand the number of total hours of "Idol" this season.

Besides, Mr. Beckman asked, how is it different for Fox to rely on 40-plus hours of its top franchise, while CBS and NBC rely on more than 60 hours each of "CSI" and "Law & Order" editions.

Mr. Sternberg noted that Fox is indeed still within hailing distance in the 18-to-49 race. CBS, which is winning in that category too, has locked up the competition for total viewers. No matter what Fox does, CBS is going to have the lion's share of bragging rights this season.

But the Super Bowl alone is likely to push Fox past ABC and NBC into second place in early February in that 18-to-49 competition.

"Fox got a break," Mr. Sternberg said. "The network that was below it last season, ABC, has improved rather than the network that was above it, NBC, which has declined. If it was NBC that improved, Fox would have no chance to catch up."

The rub for Fox is that its overall schedule still looks like patchwork. Few or none of the shows that it will ride to its expected comeback will be back in the fall. The Super Bowl won't be back. "Idol" and "24" will be off again until January.

And Fox's competitors have noted that much of the network's ratings strength comes from sporting events. So, they argue, an upset Fox victory in prime time, should it occur, would be based largely on an audience rented - at very high rates - from its sports division.

Would such a win mean anything? It certainly would not mean as much as it will to CBS, which expects a financial bonanza. Leslie Moonves, the CBS chairman, has said his network should realize hundreds of millions in additional revenues thanks to its performance this season.

Those are the numbers that count most in the television business. But Fox will likely have a lot of points on the board from another fourth-quarter comeback to brag about.

CNN Will Cancel 'Crossfire' and Cut Ties to Commentator
By BILL CARTER The New York Times January 6, 2005


CNN has ended its relationship with the conservative commentator Tucker Carlson and will shortly cancel its long-running daily political discussion program, "Crossfire," the new president of CNN, Jonathan Klein, said last night.

Mr. Carlson said he had actually quit "Crossfire" last April and had agreed to stay on until his contract expired. He said he had a deal in place for a job as the host of a 9 p.m. nightly talk program on MSNBC, CNN's rival.

One NBC News executive said that no deal had been completed between MSNBC and Mr. Carlson. "Tucker is a great journalist and we are exploring options with him for a 9 p.m. job," said Jeremy Gaines, a spokesman for MSNBC.

"I don't know what CNN is saying," Mr. Carlson said. "But I have no dispute with CNN."

Mr. Klein said the decisions to part company with Mr. Carlson and to end "Crossfire" were not specifically related, because he had decided to drop "Crossfire" regardless of whether Mr. Carlson wanted to stay on.

Mr. Klein said, "We just determined there was not a role here in the way Tucker wanted his career to go. He wanted to host a prime-time show in which he would put on live guests and have spirited debate. That's not the kind of show CNN is going to be doing."

Instead, Mr. Klein said, CNN wants to do "roll-up-your-sleeves storytelling," and he said that was not a role he saw for Mr. Carlson. "There are outlets for the kind of show Tucker wants to do and CNN isn't going to be one of them," he said.

Mr. Klein said he wanted to move CNN away from what he called "head-butting debate shows," which have become the staple of much of all-news television in the prime-time hours, especially at the top-rated Fox News Channel.

"CNN is a different animal," Mr. Klein said. "We report the news. Fox talks about the news. They're very good at what they do and we're very good at what we do."

Mr. Klein specifically cited the criticism that the comedian Jon Stewart leveled at "Crossfire" when he was a guest on the program during the presidential campaign. Mr. Stewart said that ranting partisan political shows on cable were "hurting America."

Mr. Klein said last night, "I agree wholeheartedly with Jon Stewart's overall premise." He said he believed that especially after the terror attacks on 9/11, viewers are interested in information, not opinion.

"Crossfire" may be continued "in small doses" as part of the political coverage on CNN's other programs, Mr. Klein said.

Mr. Klein said he intended to keep CNN's highest-rated program, "Larry King Live," much as it is because Mr. King does not do "head-butting debate" but "personality-oriented television."

The rest of CNN's prime-time lineup will be moving toward reporting the day's events and not discussing them, he said.

Mr. Klein said he had no intention of changing that approach, but he added a caveat. "Not unless the first batch of things we're trying to do don't turn out well," he said.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Thursday, Jan. 6, 2005004, at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Wednesday Ratings:
”Lost” and the Solid Return of “Alias” Lead ABC to Victory

Wednesday 1/05/05 Metered Market Ratings
Note: The following overnights exclude the Philadelphia, Dallas, Miami, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Birmingham, Richmond, Salt Lake City, Dayton, San Antonio and Austin markets.

Household Rating/Share
ABC: 12.1/17
NBC: 9.0/13
CBS: 7.7/11
Fox: 5.4/ 8
UPN: 2.4/ 3
WB: 2.1/ 3

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Wednesday 1/07/04):
ABC: +102
UPN: + 9
CBS: -11
NBC: -15
Fox: -24
WB: -32

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
ABC: 17.85 million
CBS: 11.61
NBC: 11.07
Fox: 8.03
UPN: 2.94
WB: 2.58

Adults 18-49:
ABC: 7.3/18
CBS: 3.7/ 9
NBC: 3.6/ 9
Fox: 3.5/ 8
UPN and WB: 1.2/ 3 each

Yesterday's Winners:
Lost (ABC)
Alias (ABC)
Law & Order (NBC)

Losing Steam:
Kevin Hill (UPN)
CSI: NY (CBS)

Yesterday's Losers:
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search (NBC)
The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott (UPN)
Quintuplets (Fox)
Big Man on Campus (WB)

Ratings Breakdown:
As a reminder, the following overnight results are based on (at most) only 44 of the 56-metered markets. Total viewers and adults 18-49 are a reflection of the fast affiliate ratings.

In more positive news for ABC, Lost (#1: 13.8/20; Viewers: #1: 21.46 million; A18-49: #1: 8.4/21 at 8 p.m.) and the two-hour fourth-season premiere of Alias (#1 overall: 11.3/16; Viewers: #1 overall, 16.05 million; A18-49: #1 in every half-hour, 6.7/16 from 9-11 p.m.) led the network to Wednesday victory. Comparably, ABC's advantage over the No. 2 network (NBC in the overnights, CBS in total viewers and adults 18-49) was an average 34 percent in the overnights, 6.24 million viewers and 97 percent among adults 18-49. Although ratings for Alias declined as the evening progressed (overnight track - 9 p.m.: 13.1/18 - 9:30 p.m.: 11.7/16 - 10 p.m.: 10.5/15 - 10:30 p.m.: 9.8/15), this still could very well be spy drama's best performance in over three years. Welcome back, Jennifer Garner - ABC finally found the right time period for you.

In series-premiere news, UPN's The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott was no America's Next Top Model, with a last-place finish in the overnights (2.3/ 3), total viewers (3.15 million) and adults 18-49 (1.3/ 3) at 8 p.m.. Also far from impressive was NBC's competing Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search at a distant third-place 5.6/ 8 in the overnights, 6.97 million viewers and a 2.8/ 7 among adults 18-49. Comparably, Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search performed at audience levels similar to former canceled time period drama Hawaii.

Also occupying the 8 p.m. hour were CBS' above average 60 Minutes (#2: 8.2/12; A18-49: #4, 2.6/ 6), Fox comedies That '70s Show (#4: 5.1/ 8; A18-49: #2, 3.1/ 8) and Quintuplets (#4: 3.8/ 5; A18-49: #3, 2.7/ 7), and a repeat of the WB's Smallville (#5, 2.7/ 4; A18-49: # 5, 1.6/ 4). The Smallville repeat bested UPN's The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott by 17 percent in the overnights and 23 percent among adults 18-49.

Also in the 9 p.m. hour behind the first half of ABC's expanded Alias, were NBC's veteran The West Wing (#2: 9.6/14; A18-49: #4, 3.7/ 8), CBS comedies King of Queens (#3: 7.4/10; A18-49: #2, 4.3/10) and Center of the Universe (#4: 5.8/ 8; A18-49: #3, 3.9/ 9), Fox's Nanny 911 (#4: 6.3/ 9; A18-49: #2t, 4.1/10), UPN's Kevin Hill (#5: 2.5/ 4; A18-49: #5, 1.1/ 3), and WB dud Big Man on Campus (#6: 1.4/ 2; A18-49: #6, 0.8/ 2). To this day, the WB cannot seem to find a reality series worth keeping.

At 10 p.m., the once red-hot CSI: NY on CBS has cooled considerably, with a third-place finish in the overnights, total viewers and adults 18-49. Although NBC's Law & Order is still down year-to-year, it is far from out. Take a look at the 10 p.m. hour.

Wednesday 10 p.m.

Law & Order (NBC)
Overnights: 11.8/18 (#1)
Viewers: 14.29 million (#2)
A18-49: 4.5/12 (#2)

Alias (ABC) - second hour
Overnights: 10.2/15 (#2)
Viewers: 14.42 million (#1)
A18-49: 6.2/15 (#1)

CSI: NY (CBS)
Overnights: 8.2/13 (#3)
Viewers: 12.75 million (#3)
A18-49: 4.4/11 (#3)

Source: Nielsen Media Research data


Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not

Record High Ratings for AMC:
Based on ratings in 2004, cable net AMC reached a new yearly zenith in primetime in the delivery of households (731,000), adults 18-49 (353,000) and adults 25-54 (424,000), increasing year-to-year by margins of 10 to 18 percent.

Season High Judge Judy and Montel:
Based on ratings for the week of Dec. 20, 2004, Paramount's Judge Judy (the No. 1 court show for the past 432 weeks!) hit a season high 5.3 household rating -- up 10 percent from the comparable year-ago week. Also from Paramount, veteran Montel keeps on ticking with a season-high 2.6.

More Syndication Rating Highlights:
Continuing with ratings for the week of Dec. 20, Twentieth Television's Divorce Court (3.0) had its best household rating in 84 weeks, Texas Justice (2.2) its best in 44 weeks, and Ambush Makeover (1.2) tying its highest ever. King World's Wheel of Fortune (8.6) and Jeopardy (7.2) were up 9 and 16 percent, respectively, from the year-ago week, while Dr. Phil (4.7) increased by 15 percent in households and as much as 41 percent among key female demos. For more on Dr. Phil, see TV Tidbits below.

TV Tidbits:
Notes of Interest

Changes on UPN Monday:
With freshman sitcom Second Time Around leaving the schedule, UPN will move Half and Half into the Monday 9:30 p.m. time period, and fill the 8:30 p.m. half hour with Cuts, a spin-off from One On One starring Marques Houston and Shannon Elizabeth. The moves will take effect on Monday, Feb. 14.

More Dr. Phil Renewals Through 2008-09:
King World has now renewed three-year old Dr. Phil through 2008-09 in 80 percent of the country, including stations in all top 20 markets.

More The Real World:
MTV and Bunim-Murray Productions have renewed reality classic The Real World for another five seasons, taking it through 2008, and two additional seasons of The Real World/Road Rules Challenge. The agreement will take The Real World through its 20th season, making it the longest running reality series on cable.


On the Air Tonight:
Primetime Programming Options

Thursday 1/06/05

ABC:
Life as we know it (new time period), Extreme Makeover (new time period), Primetime Live

CBS:
Wickedly Perfect (premiere), CSI, Without A Trace

NBC:
Joey (R), Committed, Will & Grace (original and repeat), Medium (R)

Fox:
The O.C., North Shore

UPN:
WWE Smackdown!

WB:
Movie: Summer Catch

The Scoop on Wickedly Perfect:
Mirroring corporate cousin UPN, which is keeping the America's Next Top Model time period warm with The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott, Survivor fans who miss Martha Stewart may find comfort in Wickedly Perfect, a short-flight reality series that pits 12 perfectionists in the contest for America's next great style maker.

That answers my question.. it needs to be 'short flight' since there's a new Survivor in February from what I read here or elsewhere.

Anyway to tell if "Medium" is indeed a repeat tonight? All guide data sources show a new show, yet the on-air-promos indicated a repeat I believe, George Thompson can you verify which it is?

Thanks

It is a repeat

(thefutoncritic.com)
MEDIUM (1/6; EPISODE CHANGE)
Air Date: 1/6/05 (THURSDAY)
Time Slot: 10:00 PM-11:00 PM EST on NBC
Episode Title: "PILOT"
Thursday January 6, 2005
10:00 PM 1.0 MEDIUM
PILOT
PATRICIA ARQUETTE STARS IN CHILLING NEW SERIES INSPIRED BY A REAL STORY -- In this haunting drama series from executive producer Glenn Gordon Caron ("Moonlighting") inspired by real life research medium Allison DuBois, Patricia Arquette ("Stigmata," "Flirting with Disaster") stars as a strong-willed mother of three who has struggled since childhood to make sense of her visions of dead people. Hoping to prove to Allison that her dreams are stress induced, her scientist husband, Joe (Jake Weber, "U-571"), sends descriptions of Allison's visions to a number of law enforcement agencies, expecting nothing to come of it. To his surprise, one of Allison's dreams bears an eerie similarity to a Texas homicide case involving a 17-year-old murder suspect. The case pits Allison against Capt. Kenneth Push (guest star Arliss Howard), a cynical Texas Ranger who is suspicious of her psychic abilities. By the end of the investigation, Capt. Push has a new respect for Allison - and she makes a life-altering decision of her own. Miguel Sandoval stars as series regular D.A. Devalos. Sofia Vassilieva and Maria Lark also star as the DuBois children.

Thanks, and BTW, nice to see the thread back. :)

Showtime Ushers in Free Preview
Multichannel.com 1/6/2005

Showtime will usher in a free preview weekend in March, highlighted by a performance by one of the music industry’s hottest stars.

Usher, who recently won 11 Billboard Music Awards and is sitting on eight Grammy nominations, including album of the year, will perform a 90-minute live concert on Showtime March 5 at 9 p.m. (ET) from San Juan’s Coliseo de Puerto Rico.

Titled One Night, One Star, Usher Live, the performance will mark the artist’s only full-length live TV concert in 2005, according to executives at the premium network.

The LaFace/Zomba recording artist’s live show — replete with choreography, special effects and high energy — will be filmed in HDTV.

“Usher is, without question, the biggest thing in the music business right now, and we’re thrilled he wanted to do his live concert with us,” said Showtime president of entertainment Robert Greenblatt in a prepared statement. “Every network bandies the word ‘event’ around — well, this is the real deal.”

The Usher concert will be the centerpiece of a free preview weekend for Showtime from March 4-7, a period that will also see the network bow its new comedy series Fat Actress, starring Kirstie Alley, and fresh episodes from returning skein, Penn & Teller: ********!

CBS, AFC close gap in NFL TV ratings
Eye web scores 2% uptick in viewers per game
By RICK KISSELL Variety.com

The strength of the American Football Conference has helped CBS Sports head into the start of the NFL playoffs this weekend with momentum, as the Eye's football package finished the regular season with its best numbers in five years.

CBS, whose Sunday afternoon AFC package includes such 2004 powerhouses as the Pittsburgh Steelers, defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts, averaged 15 million viewers per game for the 2004 National Football League season, a 2% year-to-year uptick.

CBS was the only pro football partner to post year-to-year growth, as Fox and ESPN slipped by 1%, and ABC's "Monday Night Football" by 3% in overall viewership, according to Nielsen.

Pro football remains a huge draw overall: Fox's package ranks as the season's No. 3 most-watched program (behind CBS' "CSI" and ABC's "Desperate Housewives"); CBS' national game ranks sixth; and ABC's comes in ninth.

CBS notes the viewership gap between its AFC package and Fox's NFC package (15 million vs. 15.4 million) was the smallest since the Eye regained the NFL in 1998. The holder of the AFC package has historically shelled out less coin to air games than the NFC rights-holder because of the NFC's bigger markets (including Chicago, Philadelphia and Dallas).

NFL playoff coverage kicks off Saturday with a pair of wild-card contests on ABC, including the New York Jets-San Diego Chargers matchup in primetime. CBS will air Sunday's Colts-Denver Broncos game (1 p.m. ET), followed by Fox's Green Bay Packers-Minnesota Vikings matchup (4:30 p.m. ET).

Fox has the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, from Jacksonville, Fla.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Friday, Jan. 7, 2005, at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Thursday Ratings:
Solid Victory for CBS Despite Modest Wickedly Perfect

Metered Market Ratings

Note: The following overnights exclude the Cleveland, Miami, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Raleigh-Durham, Milwaukee, Jacksonville, Richmond, Dayton, San Antonio and Austin markets.

Household Rating/Share
CBS: 14.3/21
NBC: 8.2/12
ABC: 4.6/ 7
Fox: 4.4/ 6
UPN: 3.9/ 6
WB: 2.2/ 3

Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Thursday 1/08/04):
Fox: +29
CBS: - 3
UPN: - 7
WB: -18
ABC: -18
NBC: -47

Fast Affiliate Results

Total Viewers:
CBS: 20.72 million
NBC: 10.36
ABC: 6.31
Fox: 5.90
UPN: 5.32
WB: 2.82

Adults 18-49:
CBS: 6.8/18
NBC: 4.7/12
Fox: 2.5/ 6
ABC and UPN: 2.0/ 5 each
WB: 1.2/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
CSI (CBS)
Without A Trace (CBS)

Yesterday's Losers:
Wickedly Perfect (CBS)
life as we know it (ABC)
Movie: Summer Catch (WB)
North Shore (Fox)

Word of Warning:
After last night’s apple extravaganza (I bet even Martha didn’t know how many things you can do with those red and green things), spending another hour with the deadly dull Wickedly Perfect might cause you to go bananas. Joan Lunden…you need a better agent!

The Best New Show You’re Not Watching:
Too bad ABC has now decided to bury the quietly addictive life as we know it in the Thursday 8 p.m. hour. Although Fox’s competing The O.C. has the advantage, this hour of teen angst is the real deal and not an hour bloated with over-the-top dramatics and dreary musical overtones.

Ratings Breakdown:
Despite the lackluster debut of reality hour Wickedly Perfect (#2: 6.8/10; Viewers: #2, 9.76 million; A18-49: #3, 3.0/ 8 at 8 p.m.), the strength of CSI and Without A Trace kept CBS in the Thursday winner’s circle, with an advantage over second-place NBC of 74 percent in the overnights, 10.36 million viewers and 45 percent among adults 18-49. As a reminder, total viewers at adults 18-49 are based on the fast affiliate ratings.

Although CSI (19.5/28; Viewers: 28.66 million; A18-49: 9.6/24 at 9 p.m.) was, of course, the highest rated and most watched show of the evening, without NBC’s ER in the competitive mix (which was pre-empted for a repeat of Medium) Without A Trace hit a series-high 16.6/26 in the overnights, 23.75 million viewers and a 7.7/21 among adults 18-49.

While NBC’s Joey (#1: 9.6/14; Viewers: #1, 12.48 million; A18-49: #1, 5.1/14 at 8 p.m.) opened the evening on a winning note, a 17.9/26 in the overnights for Friends on the year-ago evening with well over 20 million viewers means Joey is more like AfterMASH than Frasier. Leading out of Joey was a Thursday edition of new sitcom Committed, which also won the 8:30 p.m. half-hour in the overnights (8.5/12), total viewers (11.60 million) and adults 18-49 (5.0/13) with almost full retention out of Joey. Considering CBS’ Survivor was not present last night, results for Joey in particular were nothing spectacular.

Sticking with NBC, fading Will & Grace remains just that with two episodes (original and repeat – avg. 7.7/11; Viewers: 9.74 million; A18-49: 4.7/12) ranking a distant second in all three categories from 9-10 p.m. At 10 p.m., a repeat of the Medium pilot (#2, 8.0/12; Viewers: #2, 9.30 million; A18-49: #2, 4.2/11) received more well-deserved sampling.

In the battle of the youth-oriented 8-9 p.m. serials, Fox’s The O.C. (#3, 5.8/ 9; Viewers: #3, 7.73 million; A18-49: #2, 3.4/ 9) bested ABC’s life as we know it (#5: 3.2/ 4; Viewers: #5, 4.27 million; A18-49: #5, 1.5/ 4) by a considerable 81 percent in the overnights, 3.46 million viewers and 127 percent among adults 18-49. Note: This was the Thursday 8 p.m. time period debut for life as we know it.

Airing from 8-10 p.m. were UPN’s WWE Smackdown! (#5: 3.9/ 6; A18-49: 2.0/ 5) and movie Summer Catch (#6: 2.2/ 3; A18-49: #6, 1.2/ 3), which was barely visible on the WB.

At 9 p.m., although the time period debut of ABC’s Extreme Makeover (#3: 4.3/ 6; A18-49: #4, 1.9/ 5) was nothing extraordinary, it still managed to outdeliver Fox’s competing (and soon-to-be departing) North Shore (#5: 3.0/ 4; A18-49: #5, 1.7/ 4) by 43 percent in the overnights and 12 percent among adults 18-49.

At 10 p.m., and opposite Without A Trace and Medium, was ABC’s Primetime Live at an above average (but still third place) 6.5/11 in the overnights, 8.64 million viewers and a 2.8/ 8 among adults 18-49.

Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not

Top Rated Oprah:
Tuesday’s episode of King World’s Oprah, featuring an interview with Scott Peterson’s former girlfriend Amber Frey, notched a considerable 9.7/22 in the metered markets. Comparably, that tied the second highest rating of the season, behind only the 2004 season premiere when Oprah revealed her big – and I mean big – secret.

TV Tidbits: Notes of Interest

Primetime Pilot Update:
As we move further into pilot season, here are the recent projects worth noting:

1. Commander in Chief (ABC: drama)
The first female President of the United States is the focus.

2. Evidence (ABC: drama)
Two homicide detectives who happen to also be best friends investigate murders together.

3. Westside (ABC: drama)
A dramatic series set against the world of Los Angeles real estate.

4. What About Brian (ABC: drama)
A character driven ensemble drama about a 30-something eternal bachelor and his engaged and married friends who look after him.

5. Four Kings (NBC: comedy)
Loosely based on the friendship of Will & Grace creators David Kohan and Max Mutchnick, four 20-something best friends living in New York is the focus.


On the Air This Weekend:
Primetime Programming Options

Friday 1/07/05

ABC:
8 Simple Rules (two episodes), Hope & Faith, Less Than Perfect, 20/20

CBS:
Joan Of Arcadia, JAG, Cold Case (R)

NBC:
Dateline, Third Watch, Medical Investigation

Fox:
Movie: Black Knight

UPN:
Star Trek: Enterprise (R), The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott (R)

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

Saturday 1/08/05

ABC:
NFL Football: AFC Wildcard Playoff - New York Jets at San Diego Chargers

CBS:
The Will (90-minute premiere), 48 Hours Investigates

NBC:
Movie: Battlestar Galactica (R)

Fox:
Cops, America’s Most Wanted

-The Scoop on The Will:
If you think reality can’t sink any lower, get this. Money hungry family members and friends of a wealthy patriarch compete for a large portion of his estate by participating in a series of challenges that result in one person being voted off each week and being cut out of the will. Need I say more?

Sunday 1/09/05

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

CBS:
60 Minutes, Cold Case, The 31st Annual People’s Choice Awards

NBC:
Dateline, American Dreams, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Crossing Jordan

Fox:
NFL Football, 24 (season premiere, two-hours)

WB:
Steve Harvey’s Big Time (R), Movie: There’s Something About Mary (R)


Reader Feedback Forum:
Alias

ABC must be extremely happy with the ratings for the return of Alias this week. Although the decline from 10-11 p.m. could look concerning, the competition – NBC’s Law & Order and CBS’ CSI: NY – was fierce and Alias still won the hour by a large margin among adults 18-49. Considering that Wife Swap will be back in it regular time period next week, I think ABC has solidified an already winning night. Just the fact that Alias did as well as it did opposite Law & Order and CSI: NY is reason to celebrate. I only wish the episode was more spectacular. Solid? Yes. But spectacular? No.”
-A.L., Cambria Heights, N.Y.

-The P.I.:
Although I can’t say I am personally a huge fan of Alias, on a new 50 inch widescreen TV in HDTV it looked spectacular.
---------

Although I was looking forward to the season premiere of Alias this week, the show has lost its appeal. How many times can Alias reinvent itself without alienating core fans? How many times can key characters change allegiances before audiences have lost all interest? And how many times can the writers build episodes on the same simple, tired premise? I'll tell you -- I reached my limit this week. Ratings for Alias may have been higher due to its Lost lead-in, but I'm willing to bet that they're not going to stay at that level for very long. On a note to Jennifer Garner: accents are no longer your strong point.”
-D.F., Toronto, Canada

-The P.I.:
Given I have never watched Alias on a regular basis, I will avoid passing any judgment. But I will say that you were not the only reader with negative feedback about the show’s fourth-season opener. Even so, sandwiched between Lost and Wife Swap, Alias may have finally found its time period niche.

EchoStar: New products will give it edge over rivals
By Kimberly S. Johnson Denver Post Staff Writer Friday, January 07, 2005

Las Vegas - EchoStar Communications Corp. chief executive Charlie Ergen said Thursday that the company's Dish Network could continue single- handedly to take on competitors by offering technology that's a "little bit easier and a little bit simpler" for Americans to use.

Speaking at the 2005 International Consumer Electronics Show, Ergen unveiled new products, including a video-on-demand service with as many as 100 movies, updated weekly, with pricing yet to be announced.

The service could be available by March to EchoStar's more than 10 million subscribers.

Also coming from EchoStar: high-definition digital video recorders and a new line of thin-panel, liquid crystal display HDTVs.

EchoStar, based in Douglas County, is the nation's No. 2 satellite-TV company and is facing mounting competition from No. 1, Rupert Murdoch's DirecTV.

DirecTV said Thursday it would offer its own line of digital video recorders later this year and introduce a mobile programming package that gives motorists using an automotive satellite-TV antenna access to more than 125 channels of digital video and audio programming. For its new digital video recorders, DirecTV won't use TiVo technology.

TiVo, meanwhile, announced collaborations with Microsoft Corp. and other companies to extend its video portability to multiple devices, including cellphones and portable video recorders.

But even with pressure from Murdoch and Microsoft's Bill Gates, Ergen said EchoStar would continue on its current path and not necessarily seek to form extensive technology and content partnerships.

"We have done partnerships - if it makes sense, we do them," he said at the Las Vegas Convention Center. "We don't want to add costs to the system just to do a partnership, so we obviously have to deliver 500 channels of what people want to watch less expensive than anybody else does."

A possible complication for EchoStar is SBC Communications Corp. Last year, the phone giant joined forces with EchoStar to offer SBC Dish, a satellite-TV service bundled with other services.

But San Antonio-based SBC is drawing much attention at CES over its new television-over-Internet Protocol service, known as IPTV. Using compression technology, SBC says it can offer unlimited channel options, such as baseball games in which the viewer can choose any of six different camera angles.

Ergen said EchoStar has a good relationship with SBC and sales of SBC Dish were good last year. He has no intention of ending the partnership despite the introduction of IPTV.

"We're into our second year with SBC, and we hope (the deal with) SBC lasts 20 years," he said. "If it doesn't work, it won't be because of us. It will be because they changed direction."

For any of you into CES, here is an interesting set of pictures from CES floor posted at The Washington Posts's website here:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/photo/business/G54159-2005Jan06.html

NFL, Disney close on ESPN Sunday night deal, but stay tuned on 'MNF'

By Rudy Martzke USA Today

The NFL is optimistic about soon finalizing a six-year deal with ESPN for Sunday night games that could increase its average rights fee as much as 50% to about $900 million a year, starting with the 2006 season.

"I'm assuming that Disney (ESPN's corporate parent) would like to get something done in the next couple of weeks prior to the Super Bowl," Denver Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, chairman of the NFL's TV committee, said Thursday. Bowlen declined to discuss specific bids, but two other NFL officials familiar with the negotiations identified ESPN's approximate price level, an increase from its current $600 million a year.

A deal that keeps Sunday night games on ESPN might lead the NFL to another agreement with Disney that would keep Monday Night Football on ABC, the company's broadcast network. ABC has lost about $150 million a year on MNF, and Disney officials have expressed reluctance to renew the series for as much as the current average of $550 million a year.

CBS recently renewed its AFC package at a 25% fee increase and Fox its NFC package at a 30% increase. If ABC came up to its current rights fee for MNF, Disney's combined average annual rights fees would increase 26% to $1.45 billion.

Bowlen said he was not as optimistic about prospects with ABC as he is with ESPN.

"We're much further down the track with Disney on the Sunday night ESPN package," he said. "It's my personal opinion we're nowhere near as serious on the Monday night package."

ESPN vice president Mike Soltys declined to comment.

A potential $8.7 billion in deals with ESPN and ABC, combined with the $11.5 billion in deals completed with CBS, Fox and DirecTV, would boost the NFL over $20 billion in rights fees in its new deals.

Bowlen said the league-owned NFL Network would be a candidate for the new eight-game Thursday-Saturday prime-time package along "with a lot of other people." Fox, TNT and USA have indicated interest.

"But we've got enough to do now with how to get the Disney deal sorted out," Bowlen said. "Before we talk about a (MNF) deal with Fox or NBC, I want to make sure that we cannot do a deal with ABC. That's how we do business."

Prime Time Mid Season Update from Medlialife.com
This year, Fox needs more than 'Idol'
It needs a real hit to pull it out of the basement
By Diego Vasquez medialife.com

Every season it seems Fox stumbles in the fall, then pulls off a miraculous recovery at midseason, allowing it to finish the full season at No. 1 or No. 2 in adult 18-49 viewers.

This year, thanks largely to baseball, Fox did better up through October, ranking No. 1 among 18-49s, only to stumble that much worse in November and December.

What that means is that Fox must struggle all that much harder to pull itself out in midseason, and this year it's going to take more than "American Idol," whose new season begins on Jan. 18. So much more will ride on its new and returning shows.

If none catches in a really big way, Fox stands a good chance of finishing the season in third place, and quite possibly in fourth.

That will be a big comedown. The past two seasons, Fox came in a close second to NBC. In both cases, credit goes to the huge success of "Idol."

Fox currently rests at a 3.3 average rating among viewers 18-49, 0.4 behind third-place NBC’s 3.7. At this point last year, Fox was tied for second place with CBS, each with a 3.7 average.

“Fox shouldn’t milk ‘Idol’ too much,” vice president and director of programming at Carat USA Shari Anne Brill says. Last year the network sometimes ran one or two additional hours of the show per week, leading to some fan burnout by the end of the season.

So, besides “Idol,” what does Fox have to offer this midseason? Among returning shows are “24” and “The Simple Life,” and it also has broadcast rights to this year’s Super Bowl.

“They always struggle in the fall because of baseball,” Brill says. “‘24’ may also contribute to why it’s down; it has done really well for [Fox] and they didn’t have it on this fall.”

This year, in a new Monday time slot, "24" may not be as strong. And ratings for "The Simple Life's" second season last summer were off from season one; with Paris Hilton now out of the headlines, it's questionable how much that show can really help Fox.

Fox is also rolling out three new midseason shows, none reality-based, which is a huge change.
The most talked about of the three is “Point Pleasant,” a supernatural drama that premieres Wednesday, Jan. 19 at 9 p.m.

“I’m kind of wondering about ‘Point Pleasant.’ One of the key writers behind it was one of the main writers for ‘Buffy [the Vampire Slayer],’” Brill says, referring to Marti Noxon. “She was also behind ‘Still Life,’ which looked good, but didn’t make it.”

Working against "Pleasant” will be its timeslot, which has quite suddenly become a lot more competitive with the strong debut this week of ABC’s “Alias.” There's also NBC’s “The West Wing,” CBS’ “King of Queens” and UPN’s new “Kevin Hill.”

Also new for Fox will be next week’s debut of “Jonny Zero.” The one problem with this is that even if the show turns out to be a creative gem, however unlikely that is, it probably wouldn’t even matter because it’s slated to occupy the less-than-desirable Friday 9 p.m. timeslot.

And following the Super Bowl on Feb. 6, and a new episode of “The Simpsons,” Fox will debut the animated series “American Dad,” which comes from the creators of “The Family Guy.” The animation looks similar to that of “Family Guy,” and if the humor is as well, the show could end up being a mild hit.

“‘American Dad’ will get decent viewership on Sunday night,” Brill says.

Fox doesn’t need “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives”-type numbers from these new shows. What it does need, if it hopes to better its ranking in 18-49s, is for these shows to dramatically improve on the performances of the show the previously occupied those timeslots, such as "Nanny 911" on Wednesdays and "The Swan 2" on Mondays, to make up for flops like "The Rebel Billionaire" and "North Shore" that helped put it in this deep hole.

Originally posted by fredfa
Prime Time Mid Season Update from Medlialife.com
This year, Fox needs more than 'Idol'
It needs a real hit to pull it out of the basement
By Diego Vasquez medialife.com

Fox doesn’t need “Lost” or “Desperate Housewives”-type numbers from these new shows. What it does need, if it hopes to better its ranking in 18-49s, is for these shows to dramatically improve on the performances of the show the previously occupied those timeslots, such as "Nanny 911" on Wednesdays and "The Swan 2" on Mondays, to make up for flops like "The Rebel Billionaire" and "North Shore" that helped put it in this deep hole.

Fox is in serious trouble..

they're already apologizing in case these new midseason shows stink up the joint

sad sad story..

they just OD'd on reality shows and now they're in a coma

TiVo Down 14.5%; DirecTV Unveils Competing DVR Product

By Ellen Sheng Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
NEW YORK -- Shares of TiVo Inc. (TIVO) dropped 14.5% Friday after the company's main distribution partner, DirecTV Group Inc. (DTV), unveiled a new digital video recorder that will compete against TiVo's offering.

The announcement, made at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, comes as a blow to TiVo. Despite efforts to raise awareness of its independent "standalone" product, the Sunnyvale, Calif., company has remained dependent on DirecTV for the bulk of its subscribers.

Since News Corp. (NWS) took over control of DirecTV, the largest satellite TV provider in the U.S., in December 2003, talk has swirled that TiVo's relationship with the company is on the way out. DirecTV's management said it was planning to introduce competing DVRs and wouldn't focus on TiVo anymore.

That talk was solidified Thursday when DirecTV introduced a new DVR with privately held Ucentric Systems. The new "home media center" can record programs and network with other units throughout the house. So users will be able to record "Desperate Housewives" in one room, watch it in another, pause, then finish watching it in another room.

The unit uses security technology from NDS Group PLC (NNDS), another News Corp. company, and is scheduled to roll out by the end of the year.

Analysts said Friday the development confirms speculation that TiVo's relationship with DirecTV is indeed coming to an end.

DirecTV management said it will continue to support TiVo customers, but admitted it will focus customer acquisition efforts on its new DVR. According to William Blair & Co. analyst David Farina, DirecTV President Mitchell Stern acknowledged that the company plans to drop TiVo for its regular "standard definition" DVR once the new DVR comes onto the market later this year. Stern emphasized, however, that the company will continue deploying TiVo's DVR for high definition television.

"The news is finally official: DirecTV to end relationship with TiVo," Farina wrote in a morning note. (Farina or members of his immediately family own shares of TiVo; his firm has received compensation from TiVo for investment-banking services in the last 12 months.)

A DirecTV spokesperson was not immediately available to comment. The company did not release pricing information for the new product.

Shares of TiVo recently traded down 84 cents to $4.95. Volume of 7.5 million shares exceeded average daily volume of 2.1 million shares..1 million shares.

A compilation of CES announcements by D* and E*:
DBS Shows Its Wares at CES
By Steve Donohue Multichannel.com 1/7/2005

Las Vegas -- DirecTV Inc. and EchoStar Communications Corp. unveiled new technology arsenals aimed at luring more cable subscribers to satellite, from digital-video recorders equipped with caller-ID technology to portable media players and interactive-TV services.

EchoStar drew the ire of some cable executives attending the Consumer Electronics Show here after it announced plans to roll out a video-on-demand service in March.

Unlike VOD offerings from cable MSOs such as Comcast Corp. and Time Warner Cable, which distribute content to customers via servers located at headends, EchoStar’s VOD service will run on new satellite receivers that will store 200 hours of content -- 100 hours of pay and free movies and television programs that EchoStar will download to the set-tops automatically, and 100 hours of content that subscribers can record on their own.

EchoStar is taking a shot across the bow of the cable industry by placing DVR and VOD content in the same boat.

EchoStar Communications Corp. chairman and CEO Charles Ergen said EchoStar’s VOD service will offer a combination of pay and free content.

The company was still finalizing how it would determine which free basic-cable or broadcast shows it would download automatically to its new “DISHPlayer-DVR 625” receiver.

Ergen said EchoStar may monitor the viewing habits of subscribers who agree to be tracked in order to determine which shows to offer. He added that the company may also simply download the most highly rated programs to the DVRs, citing ABC’s Monday Night Football as an example.

Pay movies that are downloaded to the DVRs may reside on the set-tops for a few weeks. But the movies will automatically be erased 24 hours after subscribers buy them, Ergen said.

Both DirecTV and EchoStar touted new interactive-TV services, portable media players and multiroom DVRs at CES -- three technology offerings that haven’t yet been deployed by most cable operators.

EchoStar said it would soon launch an interactive shopping channel that will allow customers to buy products from The Sharper Image with a click of a remote.

The DBS firm is also launching Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc.’s TVG horse-racing channel, and it said it will collect bets from subscribers who live in states that allow remote gambling.

And EchoStar is rolling out a karaoke channel that will let customers sing along with songs and lyrics that will be displayed on their television.

DirecTV also took the wraps off of three new interactive mosaic channels -- Newsmix, Sportsmix and Kidsmix -- that allow subscribers to view multiple networks from the same genre on the same screen.

DirecTV drew a lot of attention here with its new “DirecTV DVR,” which it said will become commercially available in mid-2005.

The interactive DVR offers on-screen caller ID and a “viewmarks” feature that will allow subscribers to mark favorite places in shows recorded on the DVR.

The DVR also contains a “record now/ pay later” feature that will allow subscribers to store pay-per-view movies on the receiver and only pay for content they view.

DirecTV added new advanced search functions to the DVR that will allow viewers to search for content according to program title, genre, actors, directors or keywords in upcoming shows or programs they’ve already recorded.

HP Announces Hi-Def DVR STBs and sets
By Daisy Whitney TVWeek.com January 7, 2005

Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina announced at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas that HP will introduce a high-definition, digital video recorder set-top box and a full line of HD television sets, further extending the company's reach into the television business.

She referred to the set-top box as an "HDTV media hub" since it includes a dual-tuner DVR and a DVD recorder and also enables sharing of digital media content, including music and photos. "Consumers can access content through a single, easy-to-use platform," she said.

The box will be available in the fall and will include an intuitive program guide to allow consumers to easily find TV shows and other content, Ms. Fiorina said. She also said HP plans to introduce a full line of 17 new HD sets later this year. Last year, the company went to market with three HD sets.

For some of the older (or more veteran) readers of the thread….
'Rockford' Producer Dies
By James Hibberd TVWeek.com January 7, 2005

Meta Rosenberg, executive producer of "The Rockford Files" and recipient of four Emmy Awards, died in her sleep at the age of 89. During her 65-year career Ms. Rosenberg worked as an agent and a story editor, selling to networks projects such as "Julia," starring Diahann Carroll as an African American nurse and single mother, "Hogan's Heroes," a comedy about a World War II prison camp and "Ben Casey," a drama about doctors.

Ms. Rosenberg became a producer when she partnered with client James Garner on a number of series-including the award-winning "The Rockford Files," which aired on NBC from 1974-80.

"I was extremely fond of Meta," Mr. Garner said in a statement. "Our working relationship was a great success and I will always cherish the wonderful memories."

"Sopranos" creator David Chase, a writer on "Rockford," said Ms. Rosenberg was "a complete original and totally, absolutely fearless. ...She led an extraordinary adventure of a life through the force of her personality, her genius and her charm. She was a successful woman in a 'man's' industry, on her own terms, long before there was Women in Film or any of that."

Plans for a memorial are to be announced.

FCC’s Powell Calls for Clear Timeline in Digital TV Transition
By Matt Hicks eWEEK

LAS VEGAS—In television's transition to digital, there's a missing link: a firm date for when broadcasters must completely switch from analog to digital broadcasts.

That link needs to be found this year in order to end uncertainty in the TV market about when digital will fully arrive, said Michael Powell, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, during a talk Thursday at the International Consumer Electronics Show here.

Current federal law requires a transition to digital broadcasts by the end of 2006, but only if 85 percent of homes can view digital programming. The law's caveats make the date uncertain because there are no metrics for determining what counts as a home with digital access, Powell said.

"This problem has been avoided for years because 2006 looked far away, and I think we have to tackle this problem no matter what and no matter who does it," Powell said.

The lack of a definite transition date leaves consumers particularly confused, Powell said. Retail salespeople often tell consumers that the digital switchover is far off, leading some consumers to buy analog sets over digital ones.

Still, the transition is well under way for the consumer electronics makers. Consumers are buying high-definition TVs at a higher rate than Powell expected.

"People are selling their second mortgage to buy high-definition televisions," he joked. "I think the future is bright."

Digital TV was one of a range of issues Powell addressed during an on-stage discussion with Gary Shapiro, the president and CEO of the Consumer Electronics Association. Powell also commented on such issues as digital-content copyrights, the fairness of broadcast decency rules, cable competition and broadband penetration.

When it comes to broadband, Powell said he wants every U.S. home on broadband connections by 2010 and for speeds of 100M bps to become the norm. Getting there will require more than just access, Powell said.

"We have to be prepared to step up the speed and step it up rapidly and combine it with compelling applications to give consumers a reason to step to the next level," Powell said.

[ Fast National ratings for Friday, Jan. 7, 2005
CBS Edges NBC to Win Friday

(zap2it.com)--Thanks to "JAG" and a "Cold Case" rerun, CBS pulled out a narrow ratings win over NBC on Friday.

Household Rating/Share
CBS 6.5/11
NBC 6.4/11
ABC 5.2/9
Fox 3.0/5
WB 2.0/3
UPN 1.2/2

Adults 18-49:
ABC 2.7
NBC 2.7
CBS 2.1
Fox 1.9
WB 1.3
UPN 0.6

At 8 PM, "Dateline" won the hour for NBC with a 6.8/12. "Joan of Arcadia," 5.6/10, put CBS in second. ABC was right behind, averaging 5.5/10 with two episodes of "8 Simple Rules." FOX aired the movie "Black Knight" to finish fourth. "What I Like About You," 1.8/3, and "Grounded for Life," 1.7/3, were fifth for The WB. UPN trailed with a rerun of "Star Trek: Enterprise."

At 9 PM, CBS moved in front with "JAG," the night's top-rated show with a 7.1/12. "Third Watch," 6.1/10, was second for NBC. ABC stayed in third with "Hope & Faith," 5.8/10, and "Less Than Perfect," 4.5/8. FOX's movie held onto fourth with a 3.1/5. Repeats of "Reba" and "Blue Collar TV" kept The WB in fifth, ahead of UPN's "Road to Stardom" rerun.

At 10 PM, "Cold Case," 6.8/12, kept CBS in front. "Medical Investigation" posted a 6.5/12 for NBC, while "20/20" came in at 5.1/9 for ABC.

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

Blurred Reception for HDTV
Enhanced-definition TVs are a step down from high definition.
The image disparity isn't clear to some, but the price is.
By David Colker Los Angeles Times Staff Writer January 8, 2005

Glendale retiree Michael Thai loves to watch movies broadcast in high-definition format on his wide-screen plasma TV.

"It gives me the same feeling I get at the cinema," Thai said.

That's a problem for many in the consumer electronics industry — because Thai's television is not a genuine HDTV. It's an enhanced-definition television, or EDTV — a step down from the high-definition standards set by the industry. And it sells for far less.

Thai's set, a Panasonic made by Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., cost him $2,499 at Costco. A comparable HDTV set from Panasonic would have cost him nearly $2,000 more.

After more than a decade of development and promotion, consumers are finally embracing digital TV in large numbers. But rather than buying full-fledged high-definition sets, many are choosing enhanced definition, getting similar benefits for much less money.

Digital television delivers images with far greater clarity and sharpness than is possible with traditional analog technology. But digital TVs come in three flavors, all of which can receive HDTV signals.

At the top is true HDTV, which displays at least 720 vertical lines of picture data and constantly refreshes the image. Next is EDTV, which displays 480 vertical lines and an image that is less sharp. Both are generally available as large flat-screen plasma models.

The lowest grade of digital television is standard definition. This format also displays 480 lines, but refreshes only half of those lines at a time, which diminishes the image further.

HDTV was the star of the group when digital television was introduced in the late 1990s — but was so expensive that advertisements for futuristic-looking, flat-panel sets were mostly aimed at the wealthy.

That changed in late 2002, when computer maker Gateway Inc. brought out a 42-inch plasma television — an enhanced-definition model — for just under $3,000.

"That changed the consumer electronics world," said industry analyst Richard Doherty of Envisioneering Group Inc. "It turned out that $3,000 was the price point at which people would start buying."

Other manufacturers followed with similar sets at the breakthrough price and lower. Name brands stuck to their more expensive HDTVs for a while, but last year even Sony Corp. added an EDTV model to its plasma lineup in the face of lower-priced competition.

"It was more of a defensive than an offensive move," said Mike Fidler, senior vice president of Sony's home-marketing division. "Our focus is still HD, but it was important for us to have an ED product to showcase."

Paris-based Thomson is going a step further. At this week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company announced that its RCA brand this year would introduce a standard-definition line of digital TVs that will sell for as little as $300.

But for now, it's enhanced definition that is riding high, especially in the plasma format. In the third quarter of 2004, 54% of all plasma sets shipped worldwide were 42-inch EDTVs, according to research firm Displaysearch. It is even more popular in the United States, where in November nearly two-thirds of plasma sets sold were EDTVs, according to figures compiled by NPD Group, a sales and marketing information company.

Therein lies the problem for manufacturers: Will consumers remain satisfied with enhanced-definition television or move up to HDTV as more high-definition programming is available?

High-definition programming is commonly used in broadcast television, particularly for sports events and nighttime dramas and comedies. High-definition content also is available on cable and satellite channels, though it remains a small proportion of all programming.

As more HD programming is added, some industry analysts believe, the popularity of enhanced-definition television will fade. Under a federal mandate, television stations must convert to digital broadcasting by 2007 in all areas where at least 85% of households have digital sets.

In time, "the benefits of an HDTV will be apparent," said Tim Bajarin, president of technology consultant Creative Strategies.

But others believe that consumers will always want choice among the different grades of digital television.

Working to the advantage of EDTV is the fact that regular programming looks much better in enhanced definition than on a conventional analog set, so consumers used to old-fashioned TV are immediately wowed. And DVDs look essentially the same in enhanced definition as in true high definition.

The most convincing argument for EDTV could turn out to be that given a bit of distance, it's not easy to tell an EDTV image from one on an HDTV set, even if the program being viewed is digital.

Pete Putman, who does electronics product testing and spoke about digital TV at the Las Vegas show, said the proper viewing distance for a 42-inch screen was about 10 feet.

"If you parade in 50 people to look at properly calibrated HDTV and EDTV sets, side by side, at that distance, I'm not sure that even a couple of them could tell the difference," Putman said.

With larger plasma sets, the difference in image sharpness is noticeable, he acknowledged. But 42 inches is a highly popular screen size for digital sets among U.S. consumers.

And at that size, EDTV plasma sets also have the same design appeal — and prestige factor — as HDTV models.

"When the power is off, nobody knows it's an EDTV," analyst Doherty said.

At a Best Buy Inc. store in Los Angeles, Virginia Perez of Echo Park stopped to look at four adjacent big-screen sets — all about 40-inch models — on display. "They are so beautiful," Perez, 37, said to her husband.

She didn't realize that two of them were HDTVs and the other two were EDTVs until a sales clerk pointed that out. Confusion over the formats may come back to haunt retailers that don't make the distinction apparent to buyers, Doherty said.

"There are sellers out there who are biting their nails, worried that people will see a football game on their neighbor's full-fledged HDTV and wonder why theirs is not as good," he said.

Moving close to the sets, Perez could see the EDTV image was a bit blurred. She pointed to a Sony HDTV model priced at $4,299 — about $2,000 more than the Panasonic EDTV displayed above it. "I want that one," she said, laughing, "someday," as she and her husband walked off.

Thai, a 67-year-old retired medical equipment designer, did his homework and knew the difference between formats before buying. He specifically sought out an EDTV because of the price and image quality.

He said he might move up to HDTV — in about 10 years.

"I think that would be the right time," he said. "By then … there will be a lot more HD shows.

"But for right now, I just can't believe how good 'Lord of the Rings' looks on my TV."

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-edtv8jan08,1,5262392.story?coll=la-headlines-business&ctrack=1&cset=true

What’s ahead in Primetime?TV
Network Shows in Play
By Jim Finkle Broadcasting & Cable,1/10/2005

Development season is in full swing. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the contenders the six broadcast networks are considering for the 2005-06 prime time season.
• Jerry Bruckheimer (CSI, Amazing Race) is working on E-Ring, a Pentagon drama for NBC, and an untitled drama about mismatched lawyers for The WB.
• John Wells (ER, The West Wing) is developing The Evidence for ABC: two cops schooled in forensic evidence.
• Marshall Herskovitz and Ed Zwick (thirtysomething, Once and Again) are developing 1/4life for ABC, about a group of twentysomethings.
• Frank Langley (Cops) is mixing reality with fiction in Hollywood Vice.
• David E. Kelley (Boston Legal, Ally McBeal) has a med-school drama for The WB called Halley’s Comet.
• Fox is bending time (similar to 24) with Reunion. Each episode covers a year in the life of a group of friends.
The list of signed comedies is relatively short and also dominated by familiar names. ABC has at least three of them:
• Emilio Estevez heads a sitcom from Mad About You writer Danny Jacobson.
• Freddie Prinze Jr. is being pitched as a man plagued by women who drive him crazy.
• An unnamed show casts Melissa Etheridge as a gay women living with her male best friend.
Fox projects include a Good Morning, Vietnam-type show set in Baghdad and Peep Show, a Carsey-Werner take on a British comedy à la The Odd Couple.
NBC is looking at a pilot with Happy Days’ vet Scott Baio as a middle-age man who gets a younger roomate.
CBS is quiet on development but is signed to do a medical drama with exec producer/writer Peter Ocko.

Golden Globes Preview
Expect the Unexpected: But count on Desperate Housewives to win something
By Deborah Starr Seibel Broadcasting & Cable 1/10/2005

Handicapping the Golden Globes is like throwing darts at a dartboard while blindfolded. That is “because you really can’t get into their heads,” say TV Guide’s resident critic (and B&C contributor) Matt Roush.

The “heads” he is referring to are the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, a merry band of foreign journalists who like to give a good party, reward creative underdogs and bedevil the expectations of the Hollywood community.

Known for throwing sliders and curveballs, the HFPA goes its own way. Asked to handicap the Golden Globes, Phil Rosenthal, the TV critic for the Chicago Sun-Times cracked, “They’re already pretty handicapped as it is. Somehow they’ve become known as a precursor for the Emmys. Well, they got the pre part right, but I don’t know about the rest.”

In fact, though, sometimes the Globes voters seem more savvy than the Emmy crowd.

“They’re a weird assortment of people,” says Newsday chief TV critic Noel Holston. “Who knows who these people are?”

In Hollywood, though, Holston agrees, the awards announce you’re hot stuff. But he’s unsure exactly how the Globes got their sizzle. “I guess they’re important because everybody chooses to believe they’re important,” he says. “And they’re on TV.”

Wisteria Lane’s Night?
Not everyone’s that cynical. “You can feel a rhythm and a wave that starts to build as these kinds of accolades come in,” says Erwin More, a talent agent at William Morris. “It is absolutely an assist in helping build momentum around a career.”

The Jan. 16 NBC telecast may be special for Desperate Housewives, the breakout ABC hit, which is nominated for Best Comedy Series. Also, three of the five nominees for Best Actress (Marcia Cross, Teri Hatcher and Felicity Huffman) are from the show; Nicollette Sheridan is nominated for Best Supporting Actress.

Desperate Housewives is even competing against the Golden Globes show itself on the Sunday schedule.

The heavy dose of Desperate is the most interesting wrinkle this year and a windfall for ABC. “It sure doesn’t hurt,” says Kevin Brockman, senior vice president for entertainment communications for the Disney/ABC Television Group.

The other TV categories don’t have such momentous storylines.

In the Best Actor in a Drama category, nominations go to FX’s Michael Chiklis (The Shield), Denis Leary (Rescue Me) and Julian McMahon (Nip/Tuck), along with Ian McShane from HBO’s Deadwood and James Spader from ABC’s Boston Legal.

Not a bad list, says Roush, but he grouses, “The fact that Martin Sheen [The West Wing] and James Gandolfini [The Sopranos] aren’t nominated in that category is just a riot.” He’s betting on McShane, “who was inexplicably passed over at the Emmys last year and has the most scenery-chewing part. I mean, good grief, what villain has had more outrageous lines than what he’s had in Deadwood?”

As for Best Drama, “the Globes are all about buzz, glamour and possibly quality—which is not an imperative,” Roush says. With that in mind, his choice is the other ABC water-cooler favorite, Lost, which had to beat Fox’s 24, HBO’s Deadwood and The Sopranos, and FX’s Nip/Tuck. “The Sopranos had one of its best years, but does that matter?” wonders Roush. “If it doesn’t, then Lost will win.”

Jason Bateman Is Due
Among the comedies , here comes Desperate Housewives. It is competing against Fox’s Arrested Development, HBO’s Entourage and Sex and the City, and NBC’s Will & Grace. “I think Desperate Housewives is going to trump everything,” says Roush.

In fact, a lot of people think the same way, but Rosenthal and Holston point out the Globes sometimes surprise viewers. Last year, it picked BBC America’s The Office as the best situation comedy. Most of the nation had never heard of it.

“Frankly, [Globe voters] often make better picks than the Emmys,” Holston says.

As for Best Actress in a Comedy , Roush is betting that Desperate star Cross, the Martha Stewart clone gone haywire, will win. “There’s something so completely original about what she’s doing: deep, dark and really twisted.” Rosenthal takes a slightly more cynical view of the nominations. “The thing about the Golden Globes is they like to pick pretty women.” By that measure, he picks any actress from Desperate Housewives: “They’re tailor-made for the Golden Globes.”

Rosenthal also notes that only one major female cast member from Housewives wasn’t nominated: the tarty Eva Longoria—who, it was widely reported, missed a Golden Globes luncheon for personal reasons and feels she was snubbed as a result.

In the Best Actor in a Comedy realm, Roush thinks it’s time for Jason Bateman of Fox’s Arrested Development. He calls him “the heart and soul of that show.” Rosenthal agrees: “For that show to work on any level, you have to have someone who sees how weird his family is, and he conveys that perfectly.” But, he adds, the winner could be Larry David (HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm), too: “He’s our inner *******.”

Among actresses in a drama : “Jennifer Garner’s star power [ABC’s Alias] could get her a Globe,” says Roush, “but I’m thinking that Christine Lahti represents the kind of low-rated, quality show [The WB’s Jack & Bobby] that the Globes have recognized before.” By Rosenthal’s rules, Garner’s cuter, “but if you’re talking acting, Edie Falco wins.”

It should all make for an interesting evening where anything can happen—and often does (especially with Robin Williams getting a special award this year.) “What I love about the Globes,” says Roush, “is their willingness to go off the charts.”

A new bad, busy day ahead on '24'
By Maureen Ryan Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

Spoiler alert: Jack Bauer is about to have another really, really bad day, one with nary a bathroom break nor even time to munch a PowerBar.

But wait, you already knew that. If you've seen the program before, you know that every season of "24" covers one 24-hour period; each episode takes place during one hour of counter-terrorism agent Bauer's (Kiefer Sutherland) really bad day.

At the start of this fourth season, we get four hours of Bauer's life over two days: "24" airs from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday, and from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday as well (the show's regular time slot going forward is 8 p.m. Mondays).

Despite the fact that the audience knows the show's time-sensitive ground rules in advance, 24" usually manages to keep viewers firmly planted on, or at least near, the edge of their seats. And this season is no different; the expected kidnappings, gunfights and cliffhangers keep the pace moving quickly during the show's first four hours.

There are one or two disturbing signs that the writers are already reaching for not-quite-credible plot complications that recall the infamous cougar standoff of Season 2 and the someone-brought-a-baby-to-work distraction of Season 3. A disturbed family member of a CTU staffer lurks mostly off-screen, which is, all things considered, probably the best place for her.

But the thing about "24" is that nobody really knows what's going to happen next (not even, it would seem at times, the writers). So who knows, the writers might actually pull off the wacky-relative subplot that loiters near the edges of the program's more enjoyable story lines.

Because the "24" formula is by now so familiar, the producers of the show have done their best this time to shake up things up for Bauer. As the fourth season begins, Bauer has been fired by the Los Angeles Counter-Terrorism Unit and has taken a less dangerous job as a Department of Defense adviser, where his riskiest move has been starting a clandestine affair with the secretary of defense's daughter.

As longtime watchers of the series know, the course of true love rarely runs smooth, especially for the woman in Bauer's life. It's not giving too much away to say that before long, bad things happen to Bauer's new girlfriend, Audrey Raines ("Third Watch's" Kim Raver), and her father, Secretary of Defense James Heller (a feisty and entertaining William Devane), at the hands of a shadowy Middle Eastern faction led by Shohreh Aghdashloo and a highly effective Nestor Serrano.

That terrorist element is certainly familiar from past seasons of "24," as are Bauer's rule-breaking ways. Despite the fact that he's no longer on CTU's staff, Bauer's soon in the thick of the agency's interrogations and field operations, ignoring rules, shouting orders and breaking out that velvety, magnetic Sutherland voice at strategic moments along the way.

Bauer is, as "24" watchers know, willing to do whatever it takes to take down the terrorist cell, but this time around he's not getting much support back at the ranch -- er, back at CTU, where there are almost no familiar staffers in sight. That's right, no more Michelle Dessler (Reiko Aylesworth) and no more Tony Almeida (Carlos Bernard), who were the heart and soul of recent seasons. Let's hope the rumors of Bernard's return later this season are true; the new crowd isn't nearly as likable as the old crew -- but then again, that seems to be by design.

One welcome holdover is the disarmingly blunt tech wizard Chloe O'Brian, who's wonderfully underplayed by Mary Lynn Rajskub. O'Brian is surrounded by newbies who don't much like or care about our man Bauer, and the most hostile Bauer basher of all is the new CTU head, Erin Driscoll (a rather wooden Alberta Watson), who'd rather arrest Bauer than take his advice.

Yes, this time Jack has to battle the bad guys and his own government in order to save the world. And all he's got as backup is someone from tech support.

Talk about a bad day.

Guest lineup for the Sunday TV news shows:
ABC's ``This Week'' -- Secretary of State Colin Powell; former Rep. Tim Roemer, D-Ind.; actor Don Cheadle.
CBS' ``Face the Nation'' -- UNICEF executive director Carol Bellamy; Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Robert Blackman; former national security adviser Zbigniew Brzezinski; former Mideast envoy Dennis Ross.
NBC's ``Meet the Press'' -- Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn.
CNN's ``Late Edition'' -- Sens. John Sununu, R-N.H., Joseph Biden, D-Del., and Jon Corzine, D-N.J.; Palestinian Cabinet minister Nabil Shaath; Israeli Vice Premier Ehud Olmert; UNICEF's Bellamy; American Red Cross President Marty Evans; Dr. David Nabarro, head of crisis operations for the World Health Organization.
``Fox News Sunday'' -- Powell; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga.

(By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Is There An After Life for “Dead Like Me”?
The New York Post
'DEAD Like Me," recently canned by Showtime, could find a new home on The WB.

MGM, which produced the series has approached WB execs to see if they'd be interested in airing the show, according to TV Guide Online — which says no decision has been made.

If the show did move to The WB, changes in its format would be necessary, since its cable version included nudity and profanity.

Ellen Muth and Mandy Patinkin starred in the series, which centers around a girl who's killed by a flying toilet seat — and becomes part of a team of grim reapers.

Their job? To spare souls the agony of death.

Toshiba Describes Shifts In DTV Market
By Greg Tarr TWICE.com

LAS VEGAS – “Shift happens.” That was the summary of the digital television market for 2004 and 2005 by Toshiba America Consumer Products TV marketing VP Scott Ramirez, who predicted industry sales of rear-projection and CRT direct-view televisions moving more and more toward flat-panel models in key screen sizes this year.

Ramirez said that over 7 million DTV units were sold by the industry in 2004, and over 10 million units are expected to be sold in 2005. Over half of 2004 DTV sales were rear-projection models, he said. But flat-panel models showed signs of significant growth ahead.

“The 40- to 47-inch screen size segment in 2005 probably will start shifting to flat-panel as prices continue to come down,” he said, adding that flat-panel TV sales should see 75 percent to 100 percent growth in 2005, to 4.9 million units.

Within the flat-panel TV mix, LCD will represent the bulk of sales in the 37W-inch and under screen sizes, while plasma will dominate the 42W-inch and 50W-inch screen size segments.

“Forty-two-inch is where the unit volume will be, but I’ve yet to pay my mortgage on unit volume,” Ramirez said. “The wide-screen sizes are becoming more and more important in terms of dollar volume. Today, 35 to 40 percent of all LCD units are widescreen, and 65 percent of the dollars are already widescreen. That is going to continue to grow.”

In plasma, EDTV models are showing significant growth, due to aggressive price moves in 2005, he said.

The rear-projection TV category saw 6 percent growth in sales to 3.6 million units in 2004, but within that category was seen “a fast shift to microdisplay models, which grew from 1.3 to 1.4 million units to 2.5 million units [in 2005],” Ramirez said.

Ramirez forecast sales of 1.5 million digital big-screen direct-view CRT televisions in 2005, with 90 percent of the mix shifting to widescreen 16:9 models.

In 2004, digital direct-view TV sales were up 41 percent, and 16:9 models were up 107 percent, Ramirez said. The only digital direct-view category that was down from last year featured 4:3 aspect ratios, Ramirez said.

Other digital TV categories seeing growth were digital-projection TV, which was up 49 percent; fully integrated DTV, which was up 230 percent; LCD TV, which was up 216 percent; and plasma TV, which was up 163 percent. Overall, digital TV sales were up over 81 percent, Ramirez said.

What was good for the industry was better for Toshiba, he added.

“At Toshiba, we support every category, so what ever grows, we grow,” Ramirez said. “Between January and November 2004 we were the number two TV company in the United States, out growing the industry in almost every category.

For 2005, Toshiba will continue to market direct-view CRT televisions, including a line of “super thin” models that are one-third thinner than conventional models.

In LCD and plasma TV, Toshiba will take an aggressive position by introducing more models and bigger screen sizes in 2005, Ramirez said.

In early 2006, the company will bring the world’s first Surface-conduction Electron-emitter Display (SED) flat-panel televisions, through its joint venture factory with Canon.

Ramirez called SED “the ultimate combination of the old and the new,” meaning the technology offers the picture quality benefits of CRT displays and the hang-on-the-wall form factor of plasma or LCD TVs.

SED will offer 1080p resolution with pixel-by-pixel addressing, an 8,600:1 contrast ratio, a 1 millisecond response time, and high-speed processing with one- to two-thirds less power consumption than other flat panel technologies.

Toshiba will launch SED with 50W-inch screen sizes, Ramirez said, as “the Ferrari of flat-panel televisions,” meaning the company will at first derive a premium price point for the technology compared to plasma and LCD TVs. The following year, a high volume factory will go online, which Ramirez said will enable SED to go head-to-head in price with LCD and plasma models.

Ramirez predicted SED will revolutionize the flat-panel industry.

Another TV icon (Ampex videotape) fades away
Golden era of American technology ends:
Quantegy shuts down analog tape facility
Beyond The Headlines broadcastengineering.com Jan 9, 2005 8:00 AM

Some 250 employees of Quantegy, one of the last of the major analog tape manufacturers, got a post Christmas surprise when they returned to work last week.

“No Trespassing” signs had been erected and security passwords were changed at the Quantegy plant in Opelika, AL.

"Quantegy has ceased operations pending restructuring. This is due to financial issues that have plagued the industry and the company for some time. All employees were laid off pending further notice” a brief press release issued by the company said.

The Opelika plant, once employed some 1800 workers, recently filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

End of an era

The plant closing may be the end of a glorious era in American recording technology. Quantegy made what was once Ampex-brand recording tape. The Ampex company name is forever tied to development of American recording technology and to its music.

The story began in World War II. In 1945, after capturing several German “Magnetophon” tape recorders from Radio Luxembourg, the American Signal Corps recorded a speech by General Dwight Eisenhower to be played to the people of occupied Germany.

Due to a shortage of recording tape, the speech had to be recorded on a reel of used German tape. Unfortunately, due to a problem with the German tape recorder, the tape was not completely erased and the voice of Adolph Hitler was intermittently heard along with Eisenhower’s voice. This caused a great deal of fear and confusion among the German people and obviously a great deal of embarrassment for the Allied Signal Corps.

General Eisenhower issued an immediate order that no more captured German tapes were to be used. and assigned Major John Herbert Orr to develop an American magnetic tape manufacturing facility.

Major Orr located a German scientist, Dr. Karl Pfleumer, who gave him a basic formula for magnetic tape. Within two weeks, Major Orr had managed to manufacture his first reels of usable audiotape.

After returning to his home in Opelika, AL, after the war, Orr set up a magnetic tape manufacturing facility and soon began marketing his own tape under the “IRISH” brand name. Orr continued his manufacturing operation and in 1959 Orradio Industries became part of the Ampex Corporation.

Ampex, founded by Alexander M. Poniatoff, had been developing audio tape recorders since the end of WWII starting with their model 200. The company’s first sales of the Model 200 were to Bing Crosby Enterprises and the American Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). In 1956, Ampex announced an historic breakthrough: the first practical video tape recorder.

Shortly after this introduction, Poniatoff and Orr entered into negotiations and in 1959 Orradio Industries became the Ampex Magnetic Tape Division of Ampex Corporation. After a long partnership, the company divested itself of its media division and the Ampex Recording Media Corporation was put up for sale. The sale was completed in November of 1995 and the recording media pioneer became Quantegy.

Quantegy had the number one market share worldwide in professional audio mastering tape products. More albums went gold on Quantegy audiotape than all other brands combined.

http://broadcastengineering.com/news/highlights/analog-tape-facility-20050109/

Fast National ratings for Saturday, Jan. 8
ABC Plays Wild Card for Saturday Romp

(zap2it.com)--The final NFL game on ABC this season dominated Saturday's ratings, beating the combined total for its competition (of course, because the game aired live coast to coast, those numbers will change some in the final nationals).

Overall Prime Time Ratings/Share
ABC 14.1/24
Fox 4.6/8
CBS 4.1/7
NBC 3.2/5

Adults 18-49
ABC 8.8
Fox 2.9
NBC 1.8
CBS 1.6

At 8 PM, The wild-card playoff game between the New York Jets and San Diego Chargers posted a 15.3/26 for ABC. Two episodes of "Cops" averaged 4.5/8 for FOX. NBC took third with a showing of the Sci Fi Channel movie "Battlestar Galactica." The premiere of "The Will" on CBS made little noise with a 2.8/5.
At 9 PM, ABC stayed in front with a 13.7/23 for its NFL coverage. "America's Most Wanted" kept FOX in second with a 4.7/8. CBS moved up to third with the last half-hour of "The Will" and an abbreviated "48 Hours Mystery." NBC's movie came in at 3.1/5 for the hour.
At 10 PM, the Jets-Chargers game scored a 13.3/23. CBS got a 6.1/10 from a new "48 Hours," while "Battlestar Galactica" concluded with a 3.3/6 for NBC.

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

The NAB’s view of the DTV transition
Broadcasters Will Pave DTV Path
By Eddie Fritts president and CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters
TWICE.com

LAS VEGAS — Looking for evidence that local broadcasters are delivering on the digital promise and charting the course toward the next generation of television? Then head to Chicago, Baltimore, Seattle or San Diego, where every station in the market is now broadcasting in digital. Ditto for Charlotte, Kansas City, Cincinnati and Memphis. The same goes for Columbus, Jacksonville, Raleigh-Durham, Dayton, Louisville and Knoxville.

In fact, 57 out of 210 local television markets now have fully completed the transition to digital and high-definition TV. Some 1,400 stations are on air in DTV, from Boston to Bangor, from Miami to Meridian, Mississippi.

Moreover, 90 percent of all U.S. television households are located in markets where broadcasters are airing five or more DTV signals. More than 71 percent of homes are in markets with eight or more broadcasters sending digital and high definition signals.

The remarkable progress made by broadcasters has come at enormous expense. It is estimated that local stations will collectively spend $16 billion to complete the transition to digital and high-definition television, with no assurance that a single penny of that investment will every be recovered.

Trust me — $16 billion is a considerable expense for an industry that relies on advertising as our sole source of revenue.

Unlike our cable and satellite competitors, over-the-air broadcasters provide our programming free of charge to the end user. That financial burden falls hardest on small market stations, where a weak economy and competitive challenges have already taken a toll.

Despite those financial hardships, our industry understands that digital is our future. Broadcasters cannot remain an analog player in a digital world, and that's why the visionary leaders in local television are embracing this new technology.

NAB as an institution has taken a leadership role in digital and high-definition television.

We were the first trade association to embrace FCC Chairman Powell's voluntary DTV initiative several years ago. We supported the DTV tuner mandate requiring a phase-in of fully integrated TV receivers ensuring that consumers have access to free, over-the-air programming.

We encouraged the broadcast networks to beef up HDTV programming, and they responded with an impressive array of both primetime entertainment and sports programming.

On virtually every day of the week, viewers can watch HDTV programming offered by broadcasters. And in sports, broadcasters have taken a leadership role with high-profile HDTV offerings that include the Olympics, Monday Night Football, the Masters golf tournament, the NCAA finals and the Super Bowl.

The NAB has also promoted digital and high-definition television through our Web site and through our support for CheckHD.com.

Moreover, local stations across the country continue to air the NAB-produced 30-second commercial (“DTV — It's Like Being There”) that highlights the unique benefits of digital.

Enormous progress has been made on the journey to digital, and we are now on the cusp of completing a technological transformation in television that skeptics never dreamed possible.

It will come as no surprise the NAB continues to believe that DTV cable carriage rules are central to a successful conclusion of this journey. The premise is simple: that television viewers have a right to expect that cable gatekeepers won't block access to program streams offered by free, over-the-air broadcasters. Five words sum it up: All free bits must flow.

NAB looks forward to working with Congress and the FCC in the coming year to establish rules that bring the DTV transition to a successful conclusion. An orderly transition — and one that takes into account the tens of millions of Americans who still rely solely on over-the-air TV viewing or who have broadcast-only sets in cable and satellite homes — will be one of our top priorities in 2005.

http://www.twice.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA492456

HD TV's bright tech future
(And prices to fall dramatically, too)
By Benny Evangelista, Matthew Yi, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writers Sunday, January 9, 2005

Las Vegas -- Some of the biggest oohs and aahs at this year's Consumer Electronics Show went to a 71-inch plasma TV screen that LG Electronics is selling for $75,000. And Samsung wowed the crowds with a prototype 102-inch plasma that doesn't even carry a price tag yet. But average consumers who don't want to take out a home loan to buy a TV should find solace in the fact that there were far more smaller-screen digital television monitors on display this year than ever before.

That's because analysts believe that increased production of new digital TVs -- whether they use plasma, liquid-crystal display, digital-light processing or old-fashioned cathode-ray tube technologies -- coupled with the switch from analog to digital broadcasts, including high-definition TV programming, should lead to lower prices. "We are seeing dramatic price declines in LCD, plasma and in all these new technologies," said Riddhi Patel, an analyst for iSuppli Corp., a research firm. "The price declines are coming from all categories."

For example, while the average price of LCD TVs measuring 42 inches or larger is about $8,000, Patel said she expects that to fall to just $1,500 by 2008.

She added that the price declines will probably make larger screens more accessible. For example, in 2004, the most popular sizes of TVs ranged from 27 to 35 inches. This year, she expects the range to be between 30 and 42 inches.

There were thousands of new products and technologies on display last week at the show, the annual gathering that provides retailers, analysts and journalists with an idea of what to expect on shelves in the coming years. More than 120,000 people went to the Las Vegas Convention Center for the show, which wraps up today.

But TV and the technologies related to it remained the key focus of major electronics- and computer-makers. The show drew hundreds of TV manufacturers, from the best-known brand names like Sony, Panasonic, Samsung and Sharp to lesser-known brands like Westinghouse and Proton.

Even Palo Alto computer-maker Hewlett-Packard unveiled 17 models of flat- screen LCD televisions and digital-TV projectors.

The manufacturers are betting that 2005 will be a key year in the nation's switch from analog to digital television broadcasting, especially as more programs become available in the sharp resolution format that digital high-definition TV provides.

And digital TVs are more suited to display a host of video technologies and services that are emerging. One such technology generating buzz among computer companies, telecommunications firms and consumer electronics giants at CES is digital-video programming that comes over the Internet and is displayed on a TV monitor.

The Federal Communications Commission has set the end of 2006 as the deadline for TV broadcasters to switch from analog to digital, although there is "absolute ambiguity and infinity'' about whether or even how U.S. broadcasters can meet that deadline, FCC Chairman Michael Powell told an audience at the show.

Powell said he knows how popular HDTVs are, even though they are expensive, because he often eavesdrops on customers at electronics stores. "People are selling their second mortgage to buy high-definition televisions, '' Powell said.

Consumers also are confused about what type of TV to buy.

The traditional television uses a large vacuum tube. Projection televisions use different technologies, such as Texas Instruments' DLP, to project light on the screen. The LCD panels are bigger cousins of the flat- panel computer screens. A plasma display uses charged gas that illuminates pixels on the screen.

Each technology has strengths and weaknesses. Some experts say old- fashioned TVs provide a better high-definition picture than their more- expensive cousins.

At the show, TV manufacturers showed they are having similar debates over which type of digital TV technology will win. Yoshi Yamada, chairman and chief executive of Panasonic Corp. of North America, said 2005 will be a milestone year for plasma TVs. His firm has expanded its manufacturing facilities and can now produce up to 150,000 plasma screens a month. That capacity will increase to about 2 million a year starting in March 2006, he said.

"We are a plasma TV company,'' Yamada said. "Panasonic is convinced that plasma will be the big winner in high-definition TV."

That kind of volume would surely mean the price of plasma TVs should come down, said Richard Doherty, an analyst at the industry research firm Envisioneering Group. According iSuppli, the average price of a plasma TV in 2004 was $3,342, but the firm expects the price to fall by 23 percent this year and 25 percent in 2006.

"Plasma is changing from niche to commodity, and these kinds of investments don't come easily," he said, referring to Panasonic's manufacturing expansions.

Still, Panasonic isn't giving up on other high-definition TV technologies. This year, it plans to start selling new LCD as well as rear-projection DLP television sets that will be as big as 61 inches.

Sony, on the other hand, believes in LCD technology, although the company will sell both LCDs and plasmas this year.

"We believe LCD is the way of the future," said Dick Komiyama, president and chief operating officer of Sony Electronics Inc.

Sony, which entered the flat panel-TV market after its competitors did, is placing some big bets. Last year, Sony and its South Korean rival Samsung spent about $1.8 billion to build an LCD panel factory in South Korea as a joint venture.

Royal Philips Electronics in the Netherlands and LG Electronics, another South Korean firm, also have created a joint venture to build their own LCD plant.

Komiyama wouldn't say how many flat panels will be produced from its joint venture with Samsung, but said he expects the number to easily exceed Panasonic's 2 million plasma screens per year.

"Ultimately, the consumer will decide" between LCD and plasma, Komiyama said.

The increased number of LCD TVs may start a bloodbath among manufacturers, but create a buyer's market for consumers, said Dave Arland, spokesman for TTE Corp., the owner of the RCA electronics brand.

TTE was formed when TV-maker TCL of China and French electronics giant Thomson merged last year.

Thomson stopped selling plasma TVs in the United States last year, but the new TTE Corp. is hedging its bets with other TV technologies. At the electronics show, TTE unveiled 11 DLP monitors, including a thin 6.85-inch model priced at $5,000. The company also introduced seven LCD models and 10 CRT rear-projection HDTVs.

TTE also introduced a $300 27-inch digital TV set that displays a standard-definition picture at a higher resolution than a comparable analog set.

That model is designed to lower the cost for people who want to buy a digital TV, Arland said.

Samsung is also placing multiple bets. In its 2005 lineup, the South Korean firm will offer 20 projection models, which include DLP, 18 LCD models, 10 plasmas and 12 CRTs. The lineup is 50 percent bigger than last year.

"The horse race has been set in motion,'' said Ross Rubin, consumer electronics analyst for the NPD Group.

Murdoch buying out Fox shareholders
Will Buy Rest of Fox Shares in $7 Billion Deal
By ANDREW ROSS SORKIN and GERALDINE FABRIKANT The New York Times January 10, 2005


Rupert Murdoch, consolidating his global media empire in the United States, is expected to announce today that he will buy out the shareholders of his Fox properties for about $7 billion, executives involved in the deal said last night. The deal would solidify Mr. Murdoch's control over some of the nation's most valuable media assets like the Fox broadcast network and the DirecTV satellite service and help simplify the complicated structure of his far-flung company, the News Corporation, which includes newspapers, television, film and satellite assets around the globe.

It also puts Mr. Murdoch in a better position to leverage his full ownership of the Fox Entertainment Group for future deals.

The transaction, which the board of News Corporation approved last night, would also make Mr. Murdoch's company an even more formidable media power in the United States. Mr. Murdoch, who gave up his Australian citizenship 19 years ago to become a United States citizen, recently reincorporated News Corporation in the United States and shifted its primary stock listing to the New York Stock Exchange from the Australian exchange.

"The move underscores the simplification process: Mr. Murdoch's drive to make News Corporation a simpler and more shareholder-friendly U.S. company," said Mario Gabelli, chief investment officer of Gabelli Asset Management, whose fund owns shares of both News Corporation and Fox Entertainment.

The move to bring Fox Entertainment back inside the fold of News Corporation also gives Mr. Murdoch more flexibility to wield his deal-making muscle in the United States, where he used to have to rely on the often faltering stock price of his Fox subsidiary as leverage for deals.

"This makes it easier for News Corp. to do deals. It simplifies the structure and gives it full control over the deal making process," said Harold L. Vogel, an entertainment analyst.

The timing of the transaction raises questions about the status of Mr. Murdoch's feud with John C. Malone, the chairman of Liberty Media, who raised his company's investment in the News Corporation to 17 percent in November behind the back of Mr. Murdoch, who owns a 30 percent voting stake.

Only a week later, News Corporation introduced a plan to thwart would-be hostile bidders and keep Mr. Murdoch in control of the company, which he plans to turn over to his sons: Lachlan, now deputy chief operating officer, and James, chief executive of British Sky Broadcasting, Mr. Murdoch's satellite TV company in Britain.

"The timing is confusing because we had expected Mr. Murdoch to complete a transaction with Mr. Malone before buying in Fox," said Richard Greenfield, a media analyst at Fulcrum Global Partners. A spokesman for News Corporation declined to comment.

Everyone has waiver trouble with DBS
Veteran actor William Devane brings his no-nonsense, tough-guy skills to '24.' (Now, if he can just get Fox to let him watch the show)
Now that he's a costar on the show, Devane said he's eager to watch "24" but sheepishly admits that he can't get Fox at his ranch.
"I don't get cable," he said with a flash of his blue eyes. "I am on DirecTV, and you have to apply to get the network package."
Devane continued with a mock sigh: "DirecTV has to get permission from the local affiliates to allow you to do so. That's one of the things I have to do this week — go to the Fox affiliate down there and introduce myself and say, 'I am on your most famous show. Do you think you can allow me to see it?' "

By Susan King Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Jan 10 2005

The executive producer of Fox's thrill ride of a series, "24," knew exactly who he wanted to play the stalwart and no-nonsense U.S. secretary of Defense — veteran character actor William Devane.

"He is almost an American archetype," said Joel Surnow. "The serious, tough, silver fox guy that you can see really in charge and in command."

Devane's performances in two seminal TV movies of the 1970s — "The Missiles of October" and "Fear on Trial," in just those sorts of roles — earned him Emmy nominations. But he's probably best known to TV audiences most recently as the deliciously vile Greg Sumner on the CBS prime-time soap "Knots Landing."

What Surnow didn't know was that the actor had never seen "24," the espionage- and conspiracy-driven saga of a war against terrorism being waged on U.S. soil. In fact, Devane doesn't watch much TV at all.

"I like to watch real people on television," said the fit 64-year-old grandfather of two. "I watch C-SPAN and 'Booknotes.' I find that stuff really interesting."

He chuckled when he recalled what Surnow told him after learning of his unfamiliarity with the series. "He said, 'Let me tell you. I make just as much if you are watching or not,' " Devane said.

With the fourth season of "24," which began Sunday evening with a special two-hour premiere, the series moves to Mondays at 9 p.m. from Tuesdays at 9 p.m., opposite heavy competition from CBS' "Everybody Loves Raymond" and "Two and a Half Men" as well as NBC's "Las Vegas" and ABC's "The Bachelorette."

Although "24" saw a dip in the ratings last year, it placed No. 43 among all prime-time viewers and No. 31 in the important 18-49 demographic, the most coveted by advertisers. Changes in the show — from the addition of new faces and a new set — have been designed with an eye to expanding that audience. (The next two episodes of the series air tonight, beginning at 8.)

Devane enters the cast as Secretary of Defense James Heller, who is about to return to Washington from Los Angeles but decides to take a side trip on the way to the airport to visit his estranged son. From there, he and his daughter and aide, Audrey (Kim Raver), are kidnapped by Middle Eastern terrorists.

It's 18 months since agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) saved the world from a deadly virus unleashed by terrorists. President David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert) decided not to run for reelection after the death of his Lady Macbeth of a wife. Also absent from this season — at least so far — is Bauer's daughter, Kim, who had been placed in one hair-raising predicament after another.

Bauer, booted out of the Counter Terrorist Unit after the end of last season, has kicked his heroin habit and is working for Heller. Bauer also happens to be having a secret affair with Audrey.

Some of the more compelling moments in the early episodes this season are the emotional scenes between Heller and Audrey after their kidnapping. Devane said he and Raver immediately felt an on-screen connection as father and daughter.

"It is like we have been dancing together all of our lives," Devane said.

Raver agreed.

"Our first day [on set], we were bound and gagged and thrown in the back of a van together, so it was like 'nice meeting you' and then you were rolling around in the back of the van blindfolded. ... We bonded [immediately]."

Despite critical acclaim in its first season, "24" struggled on the network and was greeted with a bit of a surprise when it was renewed. Many wondered how the series' concept — the entire season of "24" is set in a single day, with each hourlong episode covering a 60-minute period of time — would work in its sophomore year.

Not only have the producers and writers come up with an edge-of-your-seat plotline with each subsequent season, but the show has also become the network's most popular hourlong dramatic series.

Fox Home Entertainment has released all three seasons on DVD. There's also a "24Inside" web cast similar in format to a talk show that features interviews with cast and crew as well as discussions in front of a studio audience.

The series has set a standard in its taut scripts and flashy, fast-paced editing — "24" has won an Emmy for its editing for the last three years — and sophisticated use of the split screen, allowing viewers to witness several scenes simultaneously, a device that helps build the suspense.

The jump-cutting and use of split screens recall the visual style of Norman Jewison's 1968 romantic caper film, "The Thomas Crown Affair."

"We felt we could take a '60s idea [of the split screen] and make it new so it wasn't 'The Thomas Crown Affair,' " said Surnow. "They used a lot of split screen in the '60s, and it was for effect. But for us, we are trying to sell an idea that there are a lot of things happening, and the split screens work beautifully."

During its first three seasons, the series was preempted for special episodes of "American Idol," plus specials and even tryouts for limited series. This season, however, "24" will air without any preemptions.

Viewers often complain that it's difficult to catch up with a continuing drama if they miss an episode, but Surnow doesn't believe that's an issue with "24."

Still, the writers are aware of the need to keep the show accessible to viewers, particularly those who may not have seen it. Surnow said the episodes are often "retrofitted" even after they have been shot and edited, usually to add material that foreshadows a plot point in an upcoming installment.

"We pretty much have an accurate sense of how much we can stuff into a show and handle the last act ...," he said. "It has to be very finely crafted."

Although Devane ended his run with "Knots Landing" in 1993, he has continued to work in both movies and television, appearing in such films as "Space Cowboys" and "Hollow Man" and as a regular on two short-lived series: the NBC sitcom "The Michael Richards Show" and the ABC drama "The Monroes."

Devane also is a playwright and director — he just directed a new play for the Actors Studio at Sunset Millennium.

Returning to a weekly dramatic series has been anything but a grind for Devane.

"I only work a day or two a week. It's very similar to 'Knots Landing,' " said Devane, who lives on a horse ranch in Thermal, a community east of Palm Springs. His son manages a local restaurant that he owns.

Devane said strangers still come up to talk to him about "Knots Landing." "People just loved that show. I get a lot of 'I used to watch it with my mother,' " he said over lunch in Hollywood.

He's happy that networks have realized audiences want to see hourlong dramas like "24" and this season's two new blockbusters, ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and "Lost."

Now that he's a costar on the show, Devane said he's eager to watch "24" but sheepishly admits that he can't get Fox at his ranch.

"I don't get cable," he said with a flash of his blue eyes. "I am on DirecTV, and you have to apply to get the network package."

Devane continued with a mock sigh: "DirecTV has to get permission from the local affiliates to allow you to do so. That's one of the things I have to do this week — go to the Fox affiliate down there and introduce myself and say, 'I am on your most famous show. Do you think you can allow me to see it?' "

New American Idol Rules
Show kicks off Jan. 18th in HD
By DAN AQUILANTE The New York Post

'In America, you have a saying," says Ken Warwick, the British executive producer of "American Idol": "If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

But that doesn't mean the hit Fox series, which kicks off its fourth season Jan. 18, can't be tweaked.

The challenge, of course, is to keep the show fresh - without alienating one of the most loyal fan bases in television history.

Neither the network nor the show's production company acknowledge any friction, but the TV gossip show "Extra" reported that the network was so resistant to any changes in the "Idol" format that four producers stormed off the set in early November.

Warwick dismissed that report. "We'd never consider changing the show radically," he says. Yet, he adds, "we can't help but try to fix the show up slightly. If there's something we think didn't work one year, we have to figure out how to make it better in the future. We run these things past Fox, sometimes they go for them, sometimes they don't."

That said, which tweaks caused the squeaks?

"Some were semi-cosmetic," Warwick says. "We're going to have a new set of graphics and a new set."

More substantive changes are in the format.

"Idol" fans know the show is divided into three distinct parts: auditions, workshops and the straight-up talent competition at the end.

"If the series was just one of these elements," says Warwick, "it would have a very short shelf life."

Of those three sections, the middle segment is where viewers can expect the biggest shakeup.

"In the workshops, out of the thousands who auditioned, we're down to 32 contestant," he says.

"In the first week, you could get two kids make it to the finals and the other six are gone, never to be seen again. The next week the kid who is the best singer of that new group might not be as good as the third best singer from the first week, who had already been eliminated. It wasn't fair."

Instead, Warwick says, "in the middle series there'll be three shows a week - Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We'll take 12 girls and 12 boys. On the Tuesday you'll see just the girls, and the audience votes. Wednesday will be the boys and Thursday's show will feature the results where the bottom two contestants [of each group] are eliminated. This means that the talent is judged together and the kids who are the best singers stick around longer. This is a fairer way."

This year, the audition section's been extended from four to five weeks.

"Yes, elimination is heartbreaking for some of these kids," Warwick says.

"And then," he adds, "there was William Hung" - the best worst singer to hit America, as anyone who's heard him sing "She Bangs" can attest.

One of the problems at this year's auditions was the Hung factor. "We had a number of contestants trying to be the next William Hung," Warwick says. "We could spot them a mile off."

These William-wannabes will be featured in a film clip that will air during the initial audition performances. "We're calling it 'Meet the Fakers,'" he says.

He also that there was a very strong likelihood that guest judges would be dropped from the show.

Warwick praised director Quentin Tarantino's tenure, saying that if all guest judges were as knowledgeable as he was, "there would be no question about continuing that aspect of the show."

But a smart TV producer never burns a bridge.

"If Stevie Wonder or Paul McCartney wanted to get on a show," he says, "we'd find the room."

What's changing:
Rule 1:
Workshops divided into girls and boys
Rule 2:
Cracking down on William Hung wannabes
Rule 3:
No more guest judges
Rule 4:
New graphics and set

Selected People’s Choice Award winners

Presented, sadly, in SD only on CBS (shame, shame), Sunday night in Pasadena, CA
• Television comedy series: Will & Grace
• Television drama series: CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
• New television comedy series: Joey
• New television drama series: Desperate Housewives
• Female television star: Marg Helgenberger
• Male television star: Matt LeBlanc
• Late night talk show host: David Letterman
• Reality show — 24/7: Newlyweds: Nick & Jessica
• Reality show — competition: American Idol
• Reality show — makeover: Extreme Makeover Home Edition
• Drama motion picture: The Passion of the Christ
• Motion picture: Fahrenheit 9/11

More Views of CES
Waiting for a TV Technology to Inherit the Future
By Rob Pegoraro The Washington Post Sunday, January 9, 2005; Page F07

LAS VEGAS -- It seems like a long time since the days when we had only one kind of TV set to shop for (excepting those lucky folks rich enough to afford projection screens).

The trusty old cathode-ray tube, however, has been on the endangered-species list for some time. And its place in the electronic ecosystem is not about to be filled by any one successor.

Instead, most of the companies exhibiting at the International CES (short for Consumer Electronics Show) are spreading their efforts across competing technologies, each with its own quirks for consumers to grasp. That's the bad news: The never-ending arguments over the virtues of plasma vs. LCD or digital light processing (DLP) vs. rear-projection LCD are still simmering.

But here's the good news: Even if the industry can't pick a channel and stay with it, it has learned to make some of these sets fit into ordinary budgets. You can pick up a big-screen high-definition set without paying more than a monthly mortgage bill -- before long, for less than the average rent check.

If you don't need a mammoth screen, things are better yet. At the low end of the scale, a 27-inch RCA set, digital tuner included, will sell for $300 late this spring. Although its screen is no sharper than a conventional analog set's, that digital tuner means it can pull in all the broadcasts that are supposed to replace analog TV in the next few years.

Meanwhile, the small, mostly obscure Asian firms that have been consistently dragging down the prices of name-brand products have continued to chisel away at costs. The $2,500 that bought a 17-inch LCD two years ago and a 30-inch display last summer may well buy a 37-inch display this summer.

Behind all these numbers lies a basic question: How close is digital TV to becoming, for lack of a better phrase, a normal product? How long until digital sets become like digital cameras -- what you buy when you go into the store, without making a conscious decision to spend a little more for the next big thing?

Opinions on this vary. Said Panasonic chief executive Yoshi Yamada: "To me, it's not an early adopter product anymore at all. It's consumers in general . . . next year market share is really going to skyrocket."

But John Taylor, LG Electronics vice president for public affairs, suggested that tipping point has not been reached yet. "We're about halfway down that curve," he said, adding that he expects by this time next year most sets sold in the United States will be digital. (I should note that we had this discussion just after inspecting a 71-inch plasma set that sells for $75,000.)

That transition must happen -- and not just because the government plans to auction off a chunk of the airwaves now used to broadcast analog TV. Every time the electronics business has given birth to a new type of product, from DVD players to cordless phones, it has eventually become a cheap, commodity item with tiny profit margins. Few people in the business relish that conclusion, but it must happen if the product will find a home in the mass market.

Unless, that is, the industry gets stuck in a senseless format war that scares away customers. Remember VHS vs. Beta? That same miserable experience is getting a replay this year as two camps of companies ready successors to the DVD.

On one side, a wide range of manufacturers, including Sony, Panasonic, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and Philips, and a few major studios back a format called Blu-Ray. On the other, a wide range of movie studios and a few smaller manufacturers (Toshiba, RCA and others) support one called HD DVD.

Both of these high-capacity discs should bring HDTV's crystal-clear picture and surround sound to movie releases as well as home recordings. The differences, in a nutshell: Blu-Ray offers more space, while HD DVD appears to be cheaper to make.

Andy Parsons, a senior vice president at Blu-Ray supporter Pioneer Electronics, predicted that the "sheer might" of the hardware manufacturers lined up behind Blu-Ray would leave no room for HD DVD to survive: "How can it? I can't really resolve that in my mind."

Jodi Reilly, assistant vice president at Toshiba's digital audio/video group, noted the range of titles already scheduled for release on HD DVD, including "The Matrix," "Apollo 13" and "Austin Powers." "The software ultimately drives the hardware," she said.

After hearing these arguments, I can come to only one conclusion: Customers should not have to think like venture capitalists when they go shopping. Compared with this mess, DVD as we know it looks fine.

Living with technology, or trying to? E-mail Rob Pegoraro at rob@twp.com.

TV’s A La Carte Fights Continue
By Doug Halonen TVWeek.com January 10, 2005

In an effort to bring the battle over off-color programming to the cable TV industry, the watchdog Parents Television Council is planning to lobby vigorously this year for a la carte legislation that would give consumers the right to choose and pay for only the cable programming they want in their homes.

"This is going to be the next indecency fight," Lara Mahaney, PTC director of corporate and entertainment affairs, said in an interview last week. "There is definitely a rising tide of anger among consumers who simply want to get the Disney Channel and they're forced to pay for and accept the likes of MTV and FX into their homes."

In a report late last year, the Federal Communications Commission panned a la carte, arguing that forcing cable operators to ax basic tiers to allow consumers to pay for only the programming they select would result in higher prices for most consumers and less consumer choice.

Many in the industry were hoping that the FCC report-coming on the heels of other government and industry-sponsored studies that came to a similar conclusion-would be the final word on the subject, slamming the door on initiatives that could otherwise force them to fundamentally restructure the way they do business.

"The cable industry announced an initiative last year under which cable companies agreed to provide free channel-blocking technology to customers who wish to prevent specific channels from entering their home, which is a far better solution than government regulation driving up prices while reducing choice and diversity in media," said Brian Dietz, a spokesman for the National Cable & Telecommunications Association.

But according to Ms. Mahaney, PTC-which is credited for kicking up much of the fuss about indecent broadcasting last year-the FCC report and other studies fall short because they give short shrift to PTC's central concern: That requiring consumers to subscribe to the packages of programming offered in basic tiers forces them to subsidize programming they might find objectionable.

"In my household, I know we would be willing to pay $2 a month more not to get FX and MTV," Ms. Mahaney said. "[The cable TV industry is] wanting [a la carte] to be dead," Ms. Mahaney added. "It's not dead among consumers."

At any rate, in an action alert on the group's Web site, www. parentstv.org, PTC is already urging its members to write lawmakers and the FCC to support a la carte. It has also posted a PTC study that documents off-color incidents gleaned from basic cable channels.

"To say that cable television is in the sewer would be an insult to sewage," the Web site says.

The FCC report said that the only consumers likely to see their cable bills reduced under a mandatory a la carte regime would be those subscribing to fewer than nine channels. Consumers who purchase at least nine networks are apt to experience an increase, according to the FCC. Those who buy 17 channels-the number watched by the average cable consumer-likely would see their bills rise by 14 percent to 30 percent a month, the FCC said.

Also on the indecency front, leading lawmakers on both sides of the aisle are expected to introduce legislation to beef up the penalties for broadcast indecency later this month.

Leading the charge in the House will be Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., who, according to a spokesman, is planning to re-introduce a measure that was approved in a 391-22 vote by the House of Representatives last March.

Among other things, the House legislation would raise the cap for broadcast indecency fines from $32,500 to $500,000 per incident. In addition, it would establish a "three-strikes-and-you're-out" policy under which broadcasters with three indecency violations could lose their licenses. It would also require the FCC to act on indecency complaints within six months of their filing. Yet another provision would make clear that on-air talent and network originators of offensive programming-not only the station licensee-are subject to the fines.

A spokesman said that Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., who has been leading the indecency charge in the Senate, is also expected to introduce crackdown legislation but had yet to decide what provisions to include.

Broadcast indecency legislation failed to win Senate approval last year, largely because it had been amended to include a controversial provision that would have barred the FCC from relaxing media ownership rules.

But Ms. Mahaney said PTC will actively discourage similar amendments to the legislation this time around, improving the prospects for the anti-indecency measure's passage.

Sports Ratings Notes
USA Today--ABC's two NFL games Saturday were each decided by the last play. But drama doesn't necessarily translate into dramatic rating hikes. In preliminary overnight ratings — based on the usual 55 TV markets used for overnights, except for Indianapolis and Dayton, Ohio — St. Louis-Seattle drew 16% of TV households, up 4% from last year's comparable game. The Jets' win drew 17%, up 3%.
During the NHL lockout, ESPN2 is averaging 0.4% of U.S. cable TV households with replacement programming, including college basketball, that otherwise wouldn't be on TV. That's a tiny rating. But that’s double what NHL games drew. Graveyards are full of irreplaceable men.

TRIO Dropped from DirecTV

NBCU is receiving emails from viewers with questions and concerns about TRIO being dropped by DirecTV. They have set up an email account to respond to these queries. Please forward any notes about TRIO to trioupdate@triotv.com.

Porn Business Driving DVD Technology

By Ben Berkowitz | January 9, 2005

LAS VEGAS (Reuters) - As goes pornography, so goes technology. The concept may seem odd, but history has proven the adult entertainment industry to be one of the key drivers of any new technology in home entertainment. Pornography customers have been some of the first to buy home video machines, DVD players and subscribe to high-speed Internet.

One of the next big issues in which pornographers could play a deciding role is the future of high-definition DVDs.

The multi-billion-dollar industry releases about 11,000 titles on DVD each year, giving it tremendous power to sway the battle between two groups of studios and technology companies competing to set standards for the next generation.

"It's sort of like the buzz around the campfire," said Peter Warren, DVD editor at industry bible Adult Video News.

One side of the divide is a standard called Blu-ray backed by consumer electronics heavyweights like Sony Corp. <6758.T>, Philips Electronics <PHG.AS> and Thomson <TMS.PA> and movie studios Fox and Disney. Blu-ray offers storage up to 50 gigabytes, enough for nine hours of high-definition content.

On the other side of the fight is HD-DVD, which has much the same structure as current DVDs and, backers say, is cheaper and easier to manufacture as a result. Supporters of the disc format and its 30 gigabyte capacity include companies like NEC <6701.T>, Toshiba Corp. <6502.T> and Warner Home Video.

Adult film producers want the higher quality picture as well as extra space for creative expression -- like giving viewers choice of camera angles.

Pornographers weighed in on the coming battle last week at the industry's Adult Entertainment Expo, which ran parallel with the largest U.S. technology fair, the Consumer Electronics Show, and had many of the same technologies -- sometimes a generation ahead.

Sentiment about the format rivalry varies, depending largely on the size of porn producer.

Smaller outfits seem to prefer HD-DVD for its lower cost, while larger outfits tend toward Blu-ray for the capacity.

"We're kind of riding it out a little further to see where the trend goes," said Jackie Ramos, an executive in the DVD division at leading porn producer Wicked Pictures. But if he had to choose, Ramos said, "Blu-ray technology sounds pretty attractive."

Paul Hesky, chief operating officer of Multimedia Pictures Inc., one of the smaller groups, disagreed.

"Most of the DVD manufacturers in my business do not want the Blu-ray format because it requires new capital investment," he said, adding, "I know for sure one format or the other will be out (on the market) by this time next year."

Others say they want to see what consumers prefer.

Adult Video News's Warren said HD-DVD production would be a "fraction of a fraction of the price" of Blu-ray, but that the latter format could not be dismissed.

"Blu-ray is going to be very expensive for anyone to do but it is going to be a player," he said.

Blu-ray supporters, however, argue that the increased cost of its processes are negligible.

Hollywood has begun lining up on both sides of the battle as they have watched the growth of DVDs slow. They will want a new standard in place soon, to accelerate again.

Many are watching the porn industry to see what happens.

"That whole business has driven technology adoption of several platforms," said one major studio executive. "A better, more intense experience is a good thing for porn."

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Monday, Jan. 10, 2005, at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Ratings: Sunday 1/09/05
Metered Market Ratings
(Note: The following ratings exclude the Miami, Indianapolis, Milwaukee, Raleigh, Richmond and Dayton markets.)

Household Rating/Share
Fox: 13.1/18
ABC: 11.5/17
CBS: 8.7/13
NBC: 8.1/12
WB: 2.3/ 3
Percent Change From the Year-Ago Evening (Sunday 1/11/04):
ABC: +98
NBC: + 4
CBS: -13
Fox: -22
WB: -36

Fast Affiliate Ratings

Total Viewers:
Fox: 18.06 million
ABC: 17.47
CBS: 11.87
NBC: 10.90
WB: 2.71

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 7.4/17
ABC: 7.2/17
CBS and NBC: 3.3/ 8 each
WB: 1.2/ 3

Yesterday's Winners:
NFL Football Overrun (Fox)
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC)
Cold Case (CBS)
24 (Fox)
Desperate Housewives (ABC)
Crossing Jordan (NBC)

Yesterday's Losers:
American Dreams (NBC)
The 31st Annual People's Choice Awards (CBS)

Ratings Breakdown:
Although ABC normally dominates Sunday thanks to that little show called Desperate Housewives, the winning tide turned to Fox's favor courtesy of the NFL Football (NFC Wildcard Playoff: Minnesota Vikings at Green Bay Packers) primetime over-run (#1, 24.1/36; Viewers: #1, 27.79 million; A18-49: #1, 11.1/29 at 7 p.m.), followed by the approximate 30-minute post game (#1: 19.0/27; Viewers: #1, 21.18 million; A18-49: #1, 8.8/22 at 7:30 p.m.), and the two-hour fourth-season premiere/preview of 24 (#2, 10.5/15; Viewers: #2, 14.85 million; A18-49: #2, 6.1/14 from 8-10 p.m.). As a reminder, total viewers and adults 18-49 are based on the fast affiliate ratings.

ABC's Desperate Housewives, meanwhile, remained the top-rated show of the evening with a 17.8/24 in the overnights, 25.16 million viewers and a 11.2/24 among adults 18-49 at 9 p.m. Comparably, that was an increase over winning lead-in Extreme Makeover (#1: 11.5/15; Viewers: #1, 19.98 million; A18-49: #1, 8.6/20) of 55 percent in the overnights, 5.18 million viewers and 30 percent among 18-49. At 10 p.m., although Boston Legal perked up to a solid 10.8/17 in the overnights (#2), 14.65 million viewers (#2) and a first-place 5.6/14 among adults 18-49, retention out of Desperate Housewives of just 61 percent in the overnights, 58 percent in total viewers and 50 percent among adults 18-49 keeps it off the winner's listing.

Sticking with ABC, veteran America's Funniest Home Videos opened fourth in the overnights (5.7/ 8), but No. 3 in total viewers (10.11 million), and adults 18-49 (3.3/ 8) at 7 p.m.

Although The People's Choice Awards is normally a respectable performer for CBS, opposite Desperate Housewives and 24, the 31st annual celebration sunk to a record-low 7.2/10 in households, 9.86 million viewers and a 3.3/ 8 among adults 18-49 from 9-11 p.m. Earlier in the evening, although 60 Minutes (#2: 9.1/14; Viewers: #2, 12.13 million; A18-49: #3, 2.6/ 7) was below-average opposite football, Cold Case moved up to a typically potent 11.2/16 in the overnights (#2), 15.62 million viewers (#2) and a 3.8/ 9 among adults 18-49 (#2) at 8 p.m.

Over at NBC, not only did the once dominant Law & Order: Criminal Intent (#3: 9.6/13; Viewers: #3, 13.25 million; A18-49: #3, 4.0/ 9) lose to Desperate Housewives, it couldn't even beat the second half of Fox's two-hour 24. Regardless, growth out of the critically acclaimed but ratings-challenged American Dreams (#4, 5.4/ 8; Viewers: #4, 7.03 million; A18-49: #4, 2.2/ 5) was still 78 percent in the overnights, 6.22 million viewers and 82 percent among adults 18-49. Better news for NBC on Sunday remains Crossing Jordan, which shared leadership at 10 p.m. with ABC's Boston Legal at a first-place finish in the overnights (11.1/17) and total viewers (15.26 million), and a second-place return among adults 18-49 (5.0/12). At 7 p.m., Dateline scored a typically uneventful 6.4/ 9 in the overnights (#3), with million viewers (#4) and a among adults 18-49 ().

On the WB, a repeat of the soon-to-relocate Steve Harvey's Big Time (#5: 1.9/ 3; A18-49: #5, .0/ 2) led into an also distant last-place finish for repeat theatrical There's Something About Mary (2.4/ 3; A18-49: 1/3 3).

Source: Nielsen Media Research data


On the Air Tonight:
Primetime Programming Options

Monday 1/10/05

ABC
Extreme Makeover Home Edition: How'd They Do That?,
The Bachelorette (new day, two-hour season premiere)

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

NBC
Fear Factor,
Las Vegas,
Medium

Fox
24 (two-hours)

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

WB
The 10th Annual Critics Choice Awards


TV Tidbits:
Notes of Interest

Buena Vista Television Update:
Buena Vista's The Tony Danza Show has been renewed for 2005-06 in over 90 markets representing approximately 60 percent of the country, including the ABC station group. In addition, the syndicator will be announcing renewals for Live with Regis and Kelly and the underrated Who Wants to Be a Millionaire through the 2008-09 season.

Reader Feedback Forum:

Alias

"After reading the comments about the season premiere of Alias, I am just surprised at how disappointed they were. What more do these Alias fans want -- a continuation of a storyline that went off-track from its original premise with a predictable and futile route last season? Even still, the show didn't diminish that dramatically.

Thank goodness J.J. Abrams has, in some sense, started over again. Alias is well paced and the action is tremendous. I read somewhere that he wanted to return the show back to its roots and I can't say I blame him. Perhaps this decision may extend the premise of the show even further. I hope the readers that e-mailed you will give the show a chance to develop even further before getting all down on
it. Maybe they, too, were still reeling from last season.
-D.P., Bronx, N.Y.

"I read your January 7th edition of The Programming Insider and was astounded at the negative feedback received after the fourth-season premiere of Alias. If you hadn't heard before, Alias suffered through an uneven third season that lost some of its loyal fan base. With the fourth-season premiere, creator J.J. Abrams has entirely re-invented the show once again, a necessary step to getting it back on track.

I found the premiere to be exciting, well written, and taking a wide turn for the better. If the show continues on the path set up by the new season, I think Alias will once again be reigning champion on my favorite television shows list (which, by the way, is currently topped by Lost)."
-A.M., Fallston, MD

The P.I.:
Based on a recent conversation I had with J.J. Abrams, it's full steam ahead for Alias in a format that will be somewhat more self-contained and easier to follow.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mediaweek/columns/prog_insider.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000749664

CBS Ousts 4 For Bush Guard Story
CBS.comNEW YORK, Jan. 10, 2005

Four CBS News employees, including three executives, have been ousted for their role in preparing and reporting a disputed story about President Bush’s National Guard service.

The action was prompted by the report of an independent panel that concluded that CBS News failed to follow basic journalistic principles in the preparation and reporting of the piece. The panel also said CBS News had compounded that failure with a “rigid and blind” defense of the 60 Minutes Wednesday report.

Asked to resign were Senior Vice President Betsy West, who supervised CBS News primetime programs; 60 Minutes Wednesday Executive Producer Josh Howard; and Howard’s deputy, Senior Broadcast Producer Mary Murphy. The producer of the piece, Mary Mapes, was terminated.

The correspondent on the story, CBS News anchor Dan Rather, is stepping down as anchor of CBS Evening News.

“We deeply regret the disservice this flawed 60 Minutes Wednesday report did to the American public, which has a right to count on CBS News for fairness and accuracy,” said CBS President Leslie Moonves.

The panel said a "myopic zeal" to be the first news organization to broadcast a groundbreaking story about Mr. Bush’s National Guard service was a key factor in explaining why CBS News had produced a story that was neither fair nor accurate and did not meet the organization’s internal standards.

The report said at least four factors that some observers described as a journalistic “Perfect Storm” had contributed to the decision to broadcast a piece that was seriously flawed.

"The combination of a new 60 Minutes Wednesday management team, great deference given to a highly respected producer and the network’s news anchor, competitive pressures, and a zealous belief in the truth of the segment seem to have led many to disregard some fundamental journalistic principles," the report said.

The piece was aired during a tight and hotly contested presidential race between Mr. Bush and Democratic challenger Sen. John Kerry. The timing of the story prompted charges of political bias against CBS News.

While the panel found that some actions taken by CBS News encouraged such suspicions, “the Panel cannot conclude that a political agenda at 60 Minutes Wednesday drove either the timing of the airing of the segment or its content.”

The story, which aired last Sept. 8, relied on four documents allegedly written by one of Mr. Bush's Texas Air National Guard commanders in the early 1970s, Lt. Col. Jerry Killian, who is now dead. Questions about the authenticity of the documents were raised almost immediately.

Some critics said the documents were most probably forgeries prepared on a modern word processer. Other critics questioned whether Killian would have - or could have - written them.

The documents suggested that Mr. Bush disobeyed an order to appear for a physical exam, and that friends of the Bush family tried to “sugar coat” his Guard service.

After a stubborn 12-day defense of the story, CBS News conceded that it could not confirm the authenticity of the documents and asked former Attorney General Dick Thornburgh and former Associated Press President Louis Boccardi to conduct an independent investigation into the matter.

Their findings were contained in a 224-page report made public on Monday. While the panel said it was not prepared to brand the Killian documents as an outright forgery, it raised serious questions about their authenticity and the way CBS News handled them.

The panel identified 10 serious defects in the preparation and reporting of the story that included failure to obtain clear authentication of the documents or to investigate controversial background of the source of the purported documents, retired Texas National Guard Lt. Col. Bill Burkett.

The producer of the piece, Mary Mapes, was also faulted for calling Joe Lockhart, a senior official in the John Kerry campaign, prior to the airing of the piece, and offering to put Burkett in touch with him. The panel called Mapes’ action a “clear conflict of interest that created the appearance of political bias.”

The panel noted that the Guard segment was rushed on the air only three days after 60 Minutes Wednesday had obtained some of the documents from Burkett and that preparation of the piece was supervised by a new management team of executive producer Howard and senior broadcast producer Murphy.

A key factor in the decision to broadcast the piece was a telephone conversation between Mapes and Maj. Gen. Bobby Hodges, Killian’s commanding officer during the period in question. Mapes told the panel Hodges confirmed the content of the four documents after she read them to him over the phone.

Hodges, however, denied doing so. He also told the panel he had given Mapes information that should have raised warning flags about the documents, including his belief that Killian had never ordered anyone, including Mr. Bush, to take a physical.

Hodges said that when he finally saw the documents after the Sept. 8 broadcast, he concluded they were bogus and told Rather and Mapes of his opinion on Sept. 10.

“This alleged confirmation by Major General Hodges started to march 60 Minutes Wednesday into dangerous and ultimately unsustainable territory: the notion that since the content of the documents was felt to be true, demonstrating the authenticity of the documents became less important.”

Mapes’ telephone conversation with Hodges was part of a vetting process that the panel concluded was wholly inadequate, largely because it had to be done so quickly. The key executives vetting the piece were West, Howard, and Murphy.

After rushing the piece to air, the panel said, CBS News compounded the error by blindly defending the story. In doing so, the news organization missed opportunities to set the record straight.

“The panel finds that once serious questions were raised, the defense of the segment became more rigid and emphatic, and that virtually no attempt was made to determine whether the questions raised had merit,” the report concluded.

The panel believes a turning point came on Sept. 10, when CBS News President Andrew Heyward ordered West to review the opinions of document examiners who had seen the disputed documents and the confidential sources supporting the story.

But no such investigation was undertaken at that time.

“Had this directive been followed promptly, the panel does not believe that 60 Minutes Wednesday would have publicly defended the segment for another 10 days,” the report said.

The panel made a number of recommendations for changes, including:
• Appoint a senior Standards and Practices Executive, reporting directly to the President of CBS News, who would review all investigative reporting, use of confidential sources and authentication of documents. Personnel should feel comfortable going to this person confidentially and without fear of reprisal, with questions or concerns about particular reports.
• Foster an atmosphere in which competitive pressure is not allowed to prompt airing of reports before all investigation and vetting is done.
• Allow senior management to know the names of confidential sources as well as all relevant background about the person needed to make news judgments.
• Appoint a separate team, led by someone not involved in the original reporting, to look into any news report that is challenged.

The full report can be found at http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/complete_report/CBS_Report.pdf

WB Readies “Summerland” Return
By DON KAPLAN [B}New York Post[/B]

IN the dead of winter, the WB network is welcom ing back its only hit new drama of the season, "Summerland."

The show, which aired briefly last summer, is about a California fashion designer (Lori Loughlin) who inherits her sister's country bumpkin kids after their parents are killed. But it has unexpectedly become the most important new show of the 2004-05 season for the network.

Buzz surrounding the series is being fueled further by the sudden pop-music fame of one of its stars, Jesse McCartney, 17, who plays angst-ridden teen Bradin Westerly, one of the three Kansas kids who find themselves suddenly orphaned and living in southern California.

"I think they actually kind of played off of each other," says McCartney of the popularity surrounding "Summerland" and his debut album "Beautiful Soul." Since his record debuted last fall, it's sold more than 260,000 copies and is topping the airplay rotation on Z100.

"Having the show on the air before the record came out was huge," he says. "It was almost a free promotion for the album. It got my face out there and let people know who I am.

"Now people can put a face with the name because they've seen the show," says McCartney, who grew up along the Hudson River in the village of Ardsley, N.Y., and moved to Los Angeles about eight months ago to work.

"With the album doing pretty good, those who see me on TV or hear me singing on the radio can say, 'Isn't that the kid from "Summerland?" ' " he says. "It's kind of like they both feed off of each other — let's just say it's very cool."

"I'm thrilled," laughs "Summerland" executive producer Remi Aubuchon. "I hope it helps Jesse's singing career, too, but it really helps our show."

Aubuchon says that McCartney wasn't cast because of his pop-idol potential. "But we knew there was something special about him."

"Summerland" is hugely important to the WB for another reason: The network's two other major new dramas this season, "The Mountain" and "Jack & Bobby," flopped, turning the success of "Summerland" into one of the lone new bright spots on the youth-skewing network's aging schedule.

The network is re-airing the series' short first season — just 13 episodes — starting Jan. 16. The new season debuts on Feb. 28.

"I think it was a huge surprise to the network that we did as well as we did last summer," says Aubuchon. "Now I'm starting to believe that the audience was ready for a show like ours, and you can see with the success of 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Lost' that people were looking for more character-driven dramas, and I think we were actually the first to pop out like that."

LAX HD (3 unaired episodes; first of which will air Saturday Jan. 15) -the 1/15 and 1/22 airings were pulled.

Also, you accidently put the word "Eyes" for The Mountain and Second Time Around.

Thanks again for your eagle eye, f44.
Changes made.

The Mary Mapes statement on her firing by CBS is here:
http://online.wsj.com/documents/mapesstatement01102005.pdf

Also,

Big Man on Campus should go under non-hd shows in ratings trouble (although its ending soon), or you should get rid of the category since it hasn't been updated in a while. If you do keep it, The Will on CBS should go under there.

For Grounded For Life, the way you wrote it seems like no episodes are airing until 1/28.

The Apprentice 3 January 20 (9PM ET?) -no ? needed. It will regularly air at 9pm, first two episodes will be 90 and 80 minutes, respectively, and will start at 8:30pm ET though.

For Bernie Mac, on 1/14 only, the 8:30pm episode is new as well and not a rerun.

Survivor is called Survivor: Palau.

Star Trek: Enterprise and Veronica Mars should go under HD Shows in Ratings trouble.

My Big Fat Obnoxious Boss has (unaired episodes). Amount not known.

Thanks again, f44.
I have incorporated almost all your suggestions!
Fred

Originally posted by f44
LAX HD (3 unaired episodes; first of which will air Saturday Jan. 15) -the 1/15 and 1/22 airings were pulled.

So the remaining unaired LAX episodes will not be aired at all? Did I understand that correctly?

They will (most likely) be aired.
But when is the question.

Monday's ratings have been posted in Latest News.

"American Idol HD 8-10 PM ET January 18 then 8 PM Tuesdays" -and Wednesdays @ 9pm

Last week's basic ratings story is posted under Latest News.
The full list of shows, along with my updated lists of top and bottom shows by network, will be posted later.

Originally posted by f44
"American Idol HD 8-10 PM ET January 18 then 8 PM Tuesdays" -and Wednesdays @ 9pm

Paula, Randy, and Simon in HD... Oh My! :(

It is almost enough to make you wish the HD transition would slow down just a little :)

Originally posted by fredfa
It is almost enough to make you wish the HD transition would slow down just a little :)

http://www.emotipad.com/newemoticons/Grin-Nod.gif

The primetime ratings lists for the week ending January 9th have been posted under Latest News.
For those of you new to the thread, they will stay under Latest News until replaced by next week's numbers.

Aww Man I don't want to lose North Shore. Brooke Burns is hot.

Will, north shore has consistently been at the bottom of a pretty sad Fox ratings list this season.
Perhaps its only hope (and even that is very, very faint) is that so many of the other Fox programs are also doing so poorly.
But with American Idol returning next week, 24 off to its best start ever, and crossed fingers for the Friday debut of Jonny Zero, the Fox executive suite might be a much happier place in a week or two.
But in fairness, it would be difficult to imagine it not being a happier place than it has been so far this dismal season.

North Shore is pretty good...I'd hate to lose it also

fredfa,

Thanks for doing this thread. It's now my first stop on the forum.

-Reagan

Thanks, Reagan, and welcome.
(The Tuesday ratings have been posted in Latest News)

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Wednesday, January 12,, 2005, at Mediaweek.com)

On the Air Tonight:
Primetime Programming Options

Wednesday 1/12/05

ABC
Lost
Alias
Wife Swap

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

NBC:
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Model Search
The West Wing
Law & Order

Fox:
That '70s Show
Quintuplets
Nanny 911

UPN:
The Road To Stardom With Missy Elliott
Kevin Hill

WB:
Smallville
Big Man on Campus

I always HDTivoed it and liked it. I guess it's the skier in me...

Originally posted by fredfa
Will, north shore has consistently been at the bottom of a pretty sad Fox ratings list this season.
Perhaps its only hope (and even that is very, very faint) is that so many of the other Fox programs are also doing so poorly.
But with American Idol returning next week, 24 off to its best start ever, and crossed fingers for the Friday debut of Jonny Zero, the Fox executive suite might be a much happier place in a week or two.
But in fairness, it would be difficult to imagine it not being a happier place than it has been so far this dismal season.

I hope with all the other bombs you mentioned they find room (maybe over the summer?) for Tru Calling.

I feel your pain.
I'm still wishing someone would pick up Karen Sisco -- which had ABC done THIS year, would probably have found an audience (since so many folks are actually watching ABC this year for a change).
But at least the KS repeats are on Universal HD.

When there's a "Will", there's -- no way!

Whoo hoo! More garbage off the air!

IMHO

Paul

Originally posted by Paul Bigelow
When there's a "Will", there's -- no way!

Whoo hoo! More garbage off the air!

IMHO

Paul


Agreed.

Open letter to the TV execs:

The people have spoken. Give a rest already!!!

Bad ratings results for HBOs "Carnivale" season premiere.
See Latest News.

Fred, CBS has canceled the reality show the "Will" after one episode so you may want to find that story and post it. I saw the headline somewhere but didn't remember to post it here.

Antonio:
I hope you read it here!
I posted it under Latest News yesterday :)

Originally posted by fredfa
Antonio:
I hope you read it here!
I posted it under Latest News yesterday :)

Fred, I read part of yesterday's news but I must have passed over that one. Man, I feel kind of silly! :D

Originally posted by fredfa
The primetime ratings lists for the week ending January 9th have been posted under Latest News.
For those of you new to the thread, they will stay under Latest News until replaced by next week's numbers.

I'm confused. Isn't this thread the "Latest News" thread? If not, where is the "Latest News" thread?

Mark Stumpf
Altadena, CA

fredfa:

"American Idol HD 8-10 PM ET January 18 then 8 PM Tuesdays (and 9 PM Wednesdays for the first three weeks)"

-It is actually Wednesday at 9pm every week (the results show). What you are thinking of is that some of the first weeks will have airings on Mondays @ 8pm.

red_gravey:
(First of all, welcome.)
The Latest News I refer to is the first page, which is updated numerous times a day.

Updated Latest News: Fox picks host for new edition of "A Current Affair".

Wow! I missed that concept! After reading from page 1 thru to the last page the first time I came onto this thread, I have been selecting "Last Page" every day after that and thus have been missing these updates.

Thanks!

Mark
Altadena, CA

who's the new host?

klick:
Check the top of the thread -- the first page -- for updated news.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Thursday, January 13,, 2005, at Mediaweek.com)
On the Air Tonight:
Primetime Programming Options
Thursday 1/13/05

ABC
life as we know it, Extreme Makeover, Primetime Thursday

CBS:
Wickedly Perfect, CSI, Without A Trace

NBC:
Joey, Committed, Will & Grace (original and repeat), ER

Fox:
The O.C., North Shore

UPN:
WWE Smackdown!

WB:
Movie: Love & Basketball

The Wednesday overnight ratings have been posted in the updated first page of this thread.

A rundown of the new Survivor (announced today to debut on CBS February 17) and a complete list of the 20 candidates is here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&postid=4981169#post4981169

Is "60 Minutes Wednesday" about to get axed by CBS?
How about "Nightline" at ABC?
And how much longer until that FCC digital transition plan gets announced?
All those stories and more are among today's postings on Page One of Latest News.

fredfa, for shows on hiatus, New York Daily News indicates a March 15 return date for The Shield.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/story/270662p-231796c.html
New York Daily News - Entertainment - It's a Close call for 'The Shield'

Thanks, keenan, I have kept forgetting to update that item.

The Thursday prime time ratings have been posted under "Latest News"

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Friday, January 14, 2005
at Mediaweek.com)

On the Air This Weekend: Primetime Programming Options
Friday 1/14/05

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

CBS:
Joan Of Arcadia
JAG
CSI: Miami (R)

NBC:
Dateline
Third Watch
Medical Investigation

Fox:
Bernie Mac (two episodes)
Jonny Zero (premiere)

UPN:
Star Trek: Enterprise
The Road to Stardom With Missy Elliott (R)

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

The Scoop on Jonny Zero:
After serving time in prison for drug possession], a man (Franky G) who attempts to go straight by becoming an unlicensed private eye is approached by the FBI to go undercover. Considering Fox is burying Jonny Zero on its historically low-rated Friday, the show is likely to live up to its title in the ratings. Zero!

Guest Star Alert:
Ed O’Neill is reunited with his former Married With Children co-star Katey Sagal on 8 Simple Rules.

HBO announced today that "Six Feet Under" will return in June for its final season.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Friday, January 14, 2005
at Mediaweek.com)
Weekend TV Viewing Options
Saturday 1/15/05

ABC:
Figure Skating

CBS:
Cold Case (R), NCIS (R), 48 Hours Mystery

NBC:
Tsunami Aid: A Concert of Hope, Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R)

Fox:
NFL Football: NFC Divisional Playoff: St. Louis Rams at Atlanta Falcons

Sunday 1/16/05

ABC:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (two hours), Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal

CBS:
NFL Football (AFC Divisional Playoff: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots), 60 Minutes, Cold Case, CSI: NY (R)

NBC:
Golden Globes Arrival Special, The 62nd Annual Golden Globes Awards

Fox:
King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, Arrested Development, Family Guy (two repeats)

WB:
Summerland (R), Charmed, Steve Harvey’s Big Time

Friday's ratings have been posted in Latest News - at the top of the thread.

Has anyone heard when NBC plans to show the last 3 LAX episodes? I know they had planned to do them on Saturday starting yesterday but then pulled them. Do we have any new dates yet?

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com)
Tonight's TV Viewing Options
Sunday 1/16/05

ABC:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (two hours), Desperate Housewives, Boston Legal

CBS:
NFL Football (AFC Divisional Playoff: Indianapolis Colts at New England Patriots), 60 Minutes, Cold Case, CSI: NY (R)

NBC:
Golden Globes Arrival Special, The 62nd Annual Golden Globes Awards

Fox:
King of the Hill, Malcolm in the Middle, The Simpsons, Arrested Development, Family Guy (two repeats)

WB:
Summerland (R), Charmed, Steve Harvey’s Big Time

LAX will probably be burned off either after the February sweeps, during the summer, or perhaps on Universal HD.
NBC's ratings are so marginal that it probably doesn't dare program LAX where it could hurt the season's ratings.

Saturday's ratings have been added to the top of "Latest News" in the the first post of this thread.

tvtome.com says that Revelations has been pushed back to a March 2005 airdate. It's a limited run series so they are probably going to run it while all their other shows are in reruns, just to have something new on the air.

It was originally supposed to air this month...

Thanks, Rakesh.
Revelations change made.

fredfa,

In post #1, you wrote:

"American Idol HD 8-10 PM ET January 18 then 8 PM Tuesdays (and 9 PM Wednesdays for the first three weeks)"

However, the part that says "(and 9 PM Wednesdays for the first three weeks)" is incorrect. It will air Tuesdays @ 8pm and Wednesdays @ 9pm regularly every week. In the first two weeks, the Wednesday show will be at 8pm and some of the earlier weeks will have Monday airings as well.

Thanks f44.
It seems Fox is trying to get every last tenth of a ratings point out of AI.
Doesn't anyone ever learn in TV Land?
Can't they remember even as far back as the four nights of "Who Wants to Be A Millionaire" (and the ratings disaster that turned out to be?)

Golden Globe TV Winners
TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
"Nip/Tuck""Nip/Tuck" (FX)
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Mariska Hargitay -- "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Ian McShane -- "Deadwood"
TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
"Desperate Housewives" (ABC)
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Teri Hatcher -- "Desperate Housewives"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - MUSICAL OR COMEDY
Jason Bateman -- "Arrested Development""Arrested Development"
MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
"The Life and Death of Peter Sellers" (HBO)
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Glenn Close -- "The Lion in Winter"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Geoffrey Rush -- "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTRESS IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Anjelica Huston -- "Iron Jawed Angels"
PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE IN A SERIES, MINI-SERIES OR MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
William Shatner -- "Boston Legal"

Sunday's ratings have been posted on Page One in Latest News

fredfa,

Your note about Idol's timeslot is still incorrect. Idol has two regular timeslots for a weekly performance show (Tuesdays @ 8pm ET every single week) and a weekly results show (Wednesdays @ 9pm ET). However, the Wednesday show will be at 8pm in its first two weeks.

What's the real verdict on The North Shore. From your expertise, do you think it'll stay around. My g/f and I watched it this season and found it interesting. We're not huge reality tv fans (anymore) so it was sort of refreshing. The finale left some questions to be answered and we're curious if it's coming back. I heard a rumor they're ordering some episodes for a quick Summer season, can anyone confirm?

Originally posted by fredfa
Golden Globe TV Winners
TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A TELEVISION SERIES - DRAMA
Ian McShane -- "Deadwood"

PERFORMANCE BY AN ACTOR IN A MINI-SERIES OR A MOTION PICTURE MADE FOR TELEVISION
Geoffrey Rush -- "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers"


IMO, these two are well deserved. Ian McShane is almost larger than life in his role on Deadwood and Geoffrey Rush provided a very interesting insight to the other side of one of the funniest actors ever to be on screen.

ESPN's 'Tilt' Draws OK Ratings Hand
NEW YORK (By Paul J. Gough--Hollywood Reporter) - "Tilt," the new ESPN drama offering a behind-the-scenes look at the world of poker, debuted higher than the sports cable network's average in the time slot but rated lower than the 2003 debut of its football series "Playmakers."

"Tilt" averaged 2 million total viewers Thursday, compared with 2.6 million viewers for the "Playmakers" debut in August 2003, according to data from Nielsen Media Research.

ESPN said "Tilt" outperformed its time period during January in every key measure. But "Tilt" was down significantly in men 12-17, men 12-24, men 18-plus, men 18-49 and men 25-54 compared with the debut of "Playmakers." But it was down only 4% in men 18-34, a key demo. "Tilt" also rated higher than the men's basketball lead-in, Duke vs. North Carolina State.
"Tilt" stars Michael Madsen as a professional card shark who goes by the handle of the Matador.

Reuters/Hollywood Reporter

Premiere updates/changes:

Life on a Stick ---- March 23, 9:30pm ET
Family Guy- May 1, 9:00pm ET
American Dad- "sneak preview" at appx. 10:30pm ET of Pilot (really the series premiere) after the post-Super Bowl Simpsons episode (change #1 about after The Simpsons after the Super Bowl), regular run starts on May 1 @ 9:30pm ET (change #2)

The Simple Life 3: Interns will normally be @ 8:30pm ET, but the premiere is @ 9:00pm ET and is an hour.


Also, you should add 60 Minutes Wednesday under Non HD Shows in Ratings Trouble after that article saying it might not come back.

Also, on the main page it says "[COLOR=limegreen]Non HD Shows in Ratings Trouble" for that category.

When I sort through all the Fox stunting and changes (and changes of changes), I'll try to update the post.
Thanks for reminding me about 60 Minutes Wednesday.

BrianV:
I have heard no rumors about Fox ordering additional North Shore episodes.
By the way, that doesn't mean anything but that I haven't heard such rumors.
With the imminent return of American Idol, the success of 24, and the apparent success of House, Fox could be in a much better position in May than it is now. (Of course, if you are cynical, you'd say Fox would have to be in better shape by May.)
Nonetheless, in what Fox considers the most important demographic (18-34), it now ranks fourth. (It finished second in that demographic in the 2003-2004 season.)
Aside from often being the least-watched Fox show, North Shore isn't burning up the young audiences, either.
If I had to guess, I would say North Shore is toast.
But then again, with Fox, one never knows: for example, as f44 points out above, who else would try a "sneak preview" of a major show after the Super Bowl and then not show any more episodes until May?
That seems to me to be a major waste.
If it were my network, I'd show House after the Super Bowl in an effort to get a much wider sampling of a pretty interesting program.

Fox tweaking 'American Idol' to lessen audience erosion
Changes for the hit show's fourth season include new elimination rules and a higher maximum age
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer Jan 18 2005

When it comes to ratings for "American Idol," Fox is no longer crooning "The Best Is Yet to Come."

In its third season last year, the Tuesday edition of "Idol" was the most-watched show on television, with an average of 25.8 million viewers tuning in, according to Nielsen Media Research (the Wednesday "results" shows were watched by 23.6 million viewers). But network executives are already trying to manage expectations for season four of the singing contest, which starts tonight.

"I think you can expect to see some [ratings] declines," Fox Entertainment President Gail Berman told reporters Monday at the semi-annual Television Critics Assn. meeting in Universal City. "I think that's natural for a fourth-year show."

The producers are seeking to minimize any erosion. The maximum age of contestants has been raised three years, to 28, which officials hope will yield a broader mix of singers. A new crop of celebrity judges will join regulars Paula Abdul, Simon Cowell and Randy Jackson.

And producers have rejiggered the elimination rules to avoid the lopsided gender split from last year, when viewers quickly voted off male singers.

"There's always a decline in the fourth season," Cowell said. But "we want to be No. 1. If things do down a bit, we'll try to make it go up." Asked what the producers might do, Cowell replied jokingly, "One of the judges is going to get killed this year."

Overall the network suffered through a disappointing fall season in the ratings, plagued by reality bombs such as "The Next Great Champ" and "The Rebel Billionaire: Branson's Quest for the Best."

Berman conceded that Fox might have relied too heavily on the reality format. "The majority of our [fall] schedule was unscripted, and certainly that was problematic for us," she said.

But she said the network was not concerned about the complaints of rivals last summer that Fox ripped off ideas for unscripted series such as "Trading Spouses" and "Champ." She pointed out that TV history is loaded with examples of numerous shows spun from the same or similar concepts.

Referring to her competitors, Berman said their criticisms were "about turning attention elsewhere and not on themselves."

2005, Year of HD Editing -
Final Cut Express HD, a $299 professional editing software package.
http://broadcastengineering.com/newsletters/bth/20050116/#

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Tuesday, January 18, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)

On the Air Tonight: Primetime Programming Options

Tuesday 1/18/05

ABC
My Wife and Kids, George Lopez, According To Jim, Rodney, NYPD Blue

CBS:
NCIS, The Amazing Race 6, Judging Amy

NBC:
The Biggest Loser (season finale), Scrubs (new time), Committed, Law & Order: SVU

Fox:
American Idol (season premiere, two hours)

UPN:
All Of Us, Eve, Veronica Mars

WB:
Gilmore Girls, High School Reunion

Monday's ratings have been posted at the top of the thread

Originally posted by fredfa
ESPN's 'Tilt' Draws OK Ratings Hand
NEW YORK (By Paul J. Gough--Hollywood Reporter) - "Tilt," the new ESPN drama offering a behind-the-scenes look at the world of poker, [/B]

They beat the snot out of people behind the scenes in Professional poker??

fredfa:

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. From the ratings analysis I would also think they'd pull the plug, but I read on some fan site of that rumor; probably wishful thinking.

Thanks again, keep up the informative posts!

Thanks for the kind words, BrianV.

The weekly national Nielsen ratings, usually available on Tuesday, will be delayed until tomorrow because of the Martin Luther King Day holiday. I will be travelling, and most likely won't get them posted until very late tomorrow night LA time.

New stories about possible radical changes to the CBS Evening News and the major concern at Fox about American Idol ratings are in the Latest News section -- (the continually updated first post in this thread).

I've been summarizing some of the news from the winter television critics meetings under Latest News at the top of the thread.
But if you want to see almost every item about any network show (cable or OTA) check out futon critic's comprehensive coverage at
http://www.thefutoncritic.com/cgi/gofuton.cgi?action=home

Sorry if it's been covered, but I don't see a thread. Is there any information on this years Academy Awards in high definition?

edit: evidently the oscars have been in HD since 2003. sorry :P

We'll have complete Tuesday rating in a few minutes, but Matt Drudge at his drudgereport.com is reporting it was a good night for American Idol:

FOX network sigh-of-relief after AMERICAN IDOL returns -- in top slot.

The singing comp averaged a 20.1 rating/28 share for its 2005 two hour debut --- surpassing TV's #1, ABC's DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES, which scored a 16.4 rating/23 share during last week's airing.

IDOL's audience grew throughout the night, landing at a 21.8 rating/30 share for its final 30 minutes.

In New York City, IDOL maintained a 33 share; in Philly: 36 share; in Atlanta: 45 share!

Developing...

I guess the juggernaut continues!

Paul

Tuesday's ratings have been posted in Latest News at the top of this thread.

Courtesy of zap2it.com

FOX Won't Rule Out 'Tru Calling' Return

LOS ANGELES (Zap2it.com) First, FOX took the Thursday 9 p.m. ET time period from "Tru Calling" and handed it to "North Shore" (which promptly tanked). Then, to add insult to injury, the show's original 13-episode order was cut to a measly six. Finally, after "North Shore" went off to a truncated conclusion, FOX opted to deliver the time period to another occult drama, the sudsy "Point Pleasant." Although it may remain in limbo, FOX refuses to let the ink dry on the "Tru Calling" death certificate.
"We finished six episodes of "Tru Calling" and we anticipate putting them on air at some point," FOX Entertainment President Gail Berman told reports at the semi-annual Television Critics Association press tour.

In its first season, "Tru Calling" averaged an anemic 4.55 million viewers per week. The show, which stars Eliza Dushku as a young lady who can speak with the dead, received a creative boost from the addition of Jason Priestley and found a somewhat expanded audience on DVD. The show's small cadre of fans hoped that it could find a new audience following "The O.C." in FOX's slightly rejuvenated Thursday line-up. Instead, FOX has attempted to find better pairings with its successful primetime soap.


"What changed for us was when we saw 'Point Pleasant" we really felt we had a show that was incredibly compatible with 'The O.C.," so our thoughts changed, not so much about 'Tru Calling,' but about the possibility of not only having an exciting show and a winner at 8 o'clock, but also something that could really make headway for us at 9 o'clock," Berman said.
While critical acclaim and awards attention managed to save other low-rated FOX offerings like "Arrested Development," "Tru Calling" never earned that kind of regard. It's unclear how, if ever, FOX intends to distribute the show's remaining and lingering six episodes, but no doubt the Internet petitioning will continue.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

So much was clear one Tuesday afternoon last month.

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

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

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

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

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

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

So how did he do it?

And why?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I'm quoting an old post here but this technology sounds very interesting to me (as a transplanted Australian who really would like to get some decent Aussie Rules Football coverage)...

Their web site is www.spaceshift.net

I've read a few other articles about it (it was in the latest Wired magazine) and if the price was under $1,000 I would probably go for it (I could set it up at my mum's place in Australia). Hopefully prices will drop significantly over the next year or so (one article said it should be sub $1,000 before long).

I sent them an e-mail asking about price and HD and they said...

Price HAS dropped- $4,750 US,
Afraid HDTV at bit rates the Internet can support is a few years away.

Thanks for the update rollerfink.
It appears that in a very few years almost any content will be available in some manner.
It is just a bit hard to wait sometimes!

CABLE NEWS RACE
drudgereport.com

MON, JAN. 17, 2005

FNC O'REILLY 2,719,000 [VIEWERS]
FNC HANNITY/COLMES 1,730,000
FNC SHEP SMITH 1,626,000
FNC GRETA 1,470,000
FNC BRIT HUME 1,445,000
CNN LARRY KING 1,442,000
COMEDY DAILY SHOW 1,049,000
CNN ZAHN 535,000
MSNBC MATTHEWS 530,000
CNN AARON BROWN 467,000
CNN COOPER 363,000
MSNBC SCARBOROUGH 349,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 342,000

http://www.drudgereport.com/

Season To Date Nielsen Ratings Through January 16
(zap2it.com)

(Nine of the season's top 10 programs, and 16 of the top 20, are being presented in HD.)
CBS = 10
ABC = 5
NBC = 5

RANK PROGRAM NAME NETWORK DAY TIME HOUSEHOLD RATINGS/SHARE
1 CSI HD CBS Thu 9:00PM 16.5/25.0
2 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES HD ABC Sun 9:00PM 14.0/20.0
3 CSI: MIAMI HD CBS Mon 10:00PM 12.7/20.0
4 WITHOUT A TRACE HD CBS Thu 10:01PM 12.5/20.0
5 SURVIVOR: VANUATU CBS Thu 8:00PM 11.7/18.0
6 EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND HD CBS Mon 9:00PM 11.0/16.0
7 NFL MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL HD ABC Mon 9:07PM 10.9/18.0
8 E.R. HD NBC Thu 9:59PM 10.6/17.0
8 TWO AND A HALF MEN HD CBS Mon 9:31PM 10.6/16.0
10 MEDIUM HD NBC Mon 10:00PM 10.4/16.0
11 APPRENTICE 2 NBC Thu 9:00PM 10.3/16.0
12 LOST HD ABC Wed 8:00PM 10.2/16.0
13 60 MINUTES CBS Sun 7:00PM 10.0/16.0
13 COLD CASE HD CBS Sun VAR 10.0/15.0
15 CSI: NY HD CBS Wed 10:00PM 9.5/16.0
16 ALIAS HD ABC Wed VAR 9.4/14.0
16 NCIS HD CBS Tue 8:00PM 9.4/15.0
18 LAW AND ORDER:SVU HD NBC Tue 10:00PM 9.2/15.0
19 EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P ABC Sun 8:00PM 8.9/14.0
19 LAW AND ORDER HD NBC Wed 10:00PM 8.9/15.0

Source:
Nielsen Media Research, Inc.

Originally posted by fredfa
Season To Date Nielsen Ratings Through January 16


Hmmm...isn't there a fourth network, starts with an F, I think it is? :p

AI will make the list soon, apparently.

Top 20 Network Primetime Report
Week Ending January 16
RANK PROGRAM NET DAY TIME RATING/SHARE HOUSEHOLD VIEWERS AUDIENCE
1 CSI CBS Thu 9:00PM 17.0/26.0 18,618,000 27,554,000
2 AFC DIV-PLF-POST-GAME-SU(S) CBS Sun 7:44PM 14.5/23.0 15,873,000 23,632,000
3 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC Sun 9:00PM 14.4/21.0 15,768,000 24,094,000
4 FOX NFC PLAYOFF-SAT(S) FOX Sat 8:24PM 14.0/24.0 15,343,000 23,700,000
5 LOST ABC Wed 8:00PM 12.6/19.0 13,848,000 20,807,000
6 FOX NFC PLAYOFF-KICK-SAT(S) FOX Sat 8:19PM 12.5/22.0 13,696,000 21,395,000
7 E.R. NBC Thu 9:59PM 12.2/20.0 13,339,000 18,421,000
7 WITHOUT A TRACE CBS Thu 10:01PM 12.2/20.0 13,383,000 18,767,000
9 EXTREME MAKEOVER:HM ED-8P ABC Sun 8:00PM 11.4/17.0 12,479,000 20,413,000
10 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS(S) NBC Sun 8:00PM 11.3/17.0 12,412,000 16,845,000
11 LAW AND ORDER:SVU NBC Tue 10:00PM 10.9/17.0 11,902,000 15,945,000
12 60 MINUTES CBS Sun 8:00PM 10.7/16.0 11,692,000 16,518,000
13 MEDIUM NBC Mon 10:00PM 10.4/16.0 11,394,000 16,342,000
14 EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND CBS Mon 9:00PM 10.2/15.0 11,180,000 15,732,000
15 COLD CASE CBS Sun 9:00PM 9.9/14.0 10,835,000 15,673,000
15 LAW AND ORDER NBC Wed 10:00PM 9.9/16.0 10,857,000 14,688,000
15 NCIS CBS Tue 8:00PM 9.9/15.0 10,886,000 15,397,000
18 CSI: MIAMI CBS Mon 10:00PM 9.6/15.0 10,499,000 13,977,000
19 CSI: NY CBS Wed 10:00PM 9.2/15.0 10,033,000 13,662,000
20 TWO AND A HALF MEN CBS Mon 9:31PM 9.1/13.0 9,957,000 13,882,000

Nielsen Media Research, Inc.

Broadcast Engineering HD Highlights
http://broadcastengineering.com/newsletters/hd_tech/20050119/#

Originally posted by George Thompson
Broadcast Engineering HD Highlights
http://broadcastengineering.com/newsletters/hd_tech/20050119/#

Humm ... some disturbing but not unexpected news there for those of us concerned about the future of free OTA high-definition broadcasts. It would appears that some are already considering the free MPEG2 SD + pay-to view MPEG4/AVC HD model. ... And you guys called me a crazy conspiracy nut ;)

Originally posted by HDTVChallenged
Humm ... some disturbing but not unexpected news there for those of us concerned about the future of free OTA high-definition broadcasts. It would appears that some are already considering the free MPEG2 SD + pay-to view MPEG4/AVC HD model. ... And you guys called me a crazy conspiracy nut ;)

BY the time that happens D* will have them MPEG-4 as a part of our LIL package. Anyhow, I don't see the FCC ever allowing that.

Personally, I believe the networks salivate when they look at ESPN's financial model.
Here is a network that, except for NFL games, rarely manages to get even a 1.0 rating.
Here is a network that about two-thirds of the nation's viewers NEVER watch, and only about one in five watch regularly during a week.
Yet here is a network that charges DBS and cable companies upwards of $2.50 for each subscriber, and enforces carriage demands for its affiliated channels (News, Classic, 2, HD and now HD2) all of which it charges even more for.
It will not be long before the networks adopt a similar strategy.
The local affiliates will scream, but they screamed when ABC and CBS made them pay many millions to "help" in NFL rights.
I believe we will see a time, and it will come sooner rather than later, when the networks will offer us their feeds (probably multiple feeds in HD) directly through DBS or cable providers.
With the advertising market facing severe problems from DVRs, they have to do something. And they better do it quickly.
How much money could they get if they offered you E&W HD feeds of ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox? If HBO gets a basic $10, I would assume they could charge $24.95 a month and get it from tens of millions of households.
They give the providers $5 a sub (and allow them to sell the local and time if they wish) and then split the remaining $20.
Let's say they manage to get 20 million homes signed up for this in a a few years.
That's 1.2 billion dollars per network per year. And best of all, there would be virtually no cost to the networks.

Wednesday's ratings have been added to Latest News -- the very first post at the top of this thread.

Originally posted by fredfa
I believe we will see a time, and it will come sooner rather than later, when the networks will offer us their feeds (probably multiple feeds in HD) directly through DBS or cable providers.


I do as well. My current state of mind tells me that HD-PayTV is a certainty the way things are going. It's a product to be sold. I see product placement within the shows to quell the DVR commercial skipping and VOD to view the show at say a dollar a pop. Or you can watch the SD version for free.

Either HD-PayTV or a license system like they have in England...pay $10 per tv that should take care of paying for HD imho.[though if HD goes to a pay system i think it won't survive]

I see that going over as well as DIVX DVD and VOOM.

If you have to pay for HD versions of major networks, then it would/could only be on Cable and Satellite as off-air has to be free, and the federal government will and already is regulating that all station be broadcasting in HD (at some minimum power requirement) by 2006 (although the year keeps getting pushed back). The networks are placing $50,000 transmitters in markets that they don't want to invest HD in just to meet the government demands. The $50,000 transmitters are enough to legally protect the networks from losing their air-wave space to the government. The power transmission isn't strong enough on these small transmitters to even make it off the hill. However, there will likely be a time when the government forces networks to just transmit out of HD devices, at that point cable/satellite would have a VERY hard time charging for HD on regular network TV, as they would have a serious problem charging for it today in an market that already has established HD off-air programming (major cities).

My uncle installs HD transmitters for warner bros, so that's where I heard all of this.

Originally posted by BrianV
If you have to pay for HD versions of major networks, then it would/could only be on Cable and Satellite as off-air has to be free, and the federal government will and already is regulating that all station be broadcasting in HD (at some minimum power requirement) by 2006 (although the year keeps getting pushed back). The networks are placing $50,000 transmitters in markets that they don't want to invest HD in just to meet the government demands. The $50,000 transmitters are enough to legally protect the networks from losing their air-wave space to the government. The power transmission isn't strong enough on these small transmitters to even make it off the hill. However, there will likely be a time when the government forces networks to just transmit out of HD devices, at that point cable/satellite would have a VERY hard time charging for HD on regular network TV, as they would have a serious problem charging for it today in an market that already has established HD off-air programming (major cities).

My uncle installs HD transmitters for warner bros, so that's where I heard all of this.

So how do we find out what politicians will support the consumers rights to free HDTV over corporate profit?

Originally posted by BrianV
If you have to pay for HD versions of major networks, then it would/could only be on Cable and Satellite as off-air has to be free, and the federal government will and already is regulating that all station be broadcasting in HD (at some minimum power requirement) by 2006 (although the year keeps getting pushed back). The networks are placing $50,000 transmitters in markets that they don't want to invest HD in just to meet the government demands. The $50,000 transmitters are enough to legally protect the networks from losing their air-wave space to the government. The power transmission isn't strong enough on these small transmitters to even make it off the hill. However, there will likely be a time when the government forces networks to just transmit out of HD devices, at that point cable/satellite would have a VERY hard time charging for HD on regular network TV, as they would have a serious problem charging for it today in an market that already has established HD off-air programming (major cities).

My uncle installs HD transmitters for warner bros, so that's where I heard all of this.

Change almost everything in this post where you use "HD" and replace it with "digital" and the post will make sense. There is no FCC or federal government mandate or law that says broadcasters must transmit a HD signal. Digital is the mandate. This leaves open the very real possibility of Pay-HD.

Plus these stations must broadcast at their licensed power or they are in danger of losing the license.

BrianV:
Actually the networks aren't installing cheap HD transmitters.
At the O&O stations, they are generally installing pretty good HD transmitters. Some small market non O&O stations are doing things as slowly and as cheaply as they can.
But for the most part, the up to 40% of the country served by O&Os are being served HD fairly well at least by the four major networks.
And actually, when their local contracts expire, the networks can sell their programming in any way they want. (And they already can [and do] sell their HD programming via satellite in O&O markets.)
I just foresee a time in the near future when anyone will be able to get multiple HD feeds from a network at a price. It would have nothing to do with local programming, because it would the network feed.

dturturro:
First contact your two senators and your reprsentative to let them know how strongly you feel about this issue. (And find out how they feel, too.)
That is always a very good start.

if it comes to pay HD HD will die imho

Originally posted by kevin j
if it comes to pay HD HD will die imho

I'm sure people said the same thing about cable TV.

Originally posted by kevin j
if it comes to pay HD HD will die imho

RE: Pay-HD, it's already happening. It's only one instance in this one post, but it happening elsewhere. AVS moderator CPanther95's cable company is charging for it as well.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=498850
? FCC/cable OTA digital/QAM tuner - AVS Forum

Interesting note:

I'm watching Family Feud right now (it airs late night in my market). One of the early questions on today's show was something like "name something you see too much of on TV."

The number three answer, after "violence" and "sex," was "reality shows.":)

Yep, even The Feud recognizes it!

FCC Official Says Powell to Resign


From wire reports
Friday, January 21, 2005; 10:26 AM


U.S. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell plans to resign after four years as chief regulator of the telecommunications and media industries, an FCC official and other sources familiar with his decision said Friday, according to wire reports.

The Associated Press reported that Powell, 41, who maintained a light regulatory hand as the nation's chief media watchdog but collected some of the largest indecency fines against U.S. broadcasters, plans to issue a statement but was not expected to hold a formal news conference, the agency official said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The news, first reported on The Wall Street Journal's editorial page Friday, was something of a surprise coming just one day after President Bush's inauguration and with some very hefty issues yet to be dealt with by the FCC. Those issues include how to treat burgeoning Internet phone services as well as how to overhaul the Universal Service Fund, a federal subsidy program under financial pressure. The Wall Street Journal is published by Dow Jones & Co. (DJ), publisher of the newswire used for this report.

Rumors have circulated for months that Powell, who has been on the FCC since President Clinton appointed him as a commissioner seven years ago, would step down. Recent conventional wisdom had him leaving in the spring after at least some of these issues were dealt with.

Appointed chairman by President Bush in 2001, Powell suffered several defeats, including a failed effort to relax regulations restricting television and radio ownership and a revolt by fellow Republican Commissioner Kevin Martin who voted against his plan to ease local telephone network sharing rules.

Among bright spots, he shepherded through a plan to eliminate interference with public safety wireless communications, advanced the transition to higher-quality digital television and promoted high-speed Internet service.

Lately, the FCC under Powell was perhaps best known for cracking down on indecent antics on television and radio, sparked by pop singer Janet Jackson exposing her bare breast during the Super Bowl football game last year.

The FCC chairman has received praise from most companies for his deregulatory approach. However, consumer groups have criticized him for attempting to allow media conglomerates to grow bigger and reducing competition among wireless providers.

Powell, son of retiring Secretary of State Colin Powell, had planned on following his father's military career, entering the U.S. Army. But, a jeep accident in Germany in 1987 almost killed him, requiring 18 units of blood during extensive surgery in which doctors almost left him for dead.

After a long rehabilitation, he went to law school, clerked for a federal judge, became chief of staff at the Justice Department's antitrust division, and was appointed in 1997 as an FCC commissioner by then-President Clinton.

Reuters also contributed to this report.


© 2005 Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive

I didn't say they are all installing cheap transmitters, but the smaller networks in real small areas are. Obviously any metro area with over 500k population is getting the full deal.

You're right though, it is digital not HD so pay-HD could happen. I don't know why I didn't think about that.

Thursday's ratings have been posted in Latest News -- the first post in this thread.

Thanks zebra23, good post.
Powell did announce his resignation today, and will actually step down in March.

FCC Chairman Powell Plans to Resign
By Frank Ahrens Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, January 21, 2005; 1:20 PM ET

Michael K. Powell will step down as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission after nearly four often-rocky years as the government's top media and telecommunications regulator, he said today.

Powell, 41, the son of outgoing Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, said he will likely leave in March. He informed his bureau heads this morning of his decision, which he said was not spurred by another job offer, according to an FCC source who asked not to be identified.

"Having completed a bold and aggressive agenda, it is time for me to pursue other opportunities and let someone else take the reins of the agency," Powell said in a statement issued this afternoon. "During my tenure, we worked to get the law right in order to stimulate innovative technology that puts more power in the hands of the American people, giving them greater choices that enrich their lives."

A likely successor to Powell is Republican FCC member Kevin J. Martin, whose wife formerly worked for Vice President Cheney. Kathleen Q. Abernathy is the commission's other Republican; Democrats Michael J. Copps and Jonathan S. Adelstein round out the five-member commission.

Powell was appointed to the FCC by President Clinton in 1997. After George W. Bush was elected president in 2000, Powell was elevated to chairmanship of the commission, which oversees land-based and wireless telecommunication, satellite services and media ownership and patrols the nation's airwaves for indecency.

It was these past two areas that proved toughest for Powell, a former Army officer who left the service after suffering a near-fatal injury in a 1987 training exercise in West Germany that left him bedridden for a year.

In June 2003, Powell and the two other Republicans on the FCC pushed through new media ownership rules that would have allowed the television networks to own a few more stations, tightened national radio ownership rules and let one company own the biggest newspaper and television station in almost every city.

Powell was criticized by the FCC's two Democratic commissioners and a variety of organizations and advocacy groups for allowing Big Media to grow even bigger. Eventually, Congress turned one of the controversial regulations into a law and the rest were stayed by a federal court, pending review.

On indecency, Powell took the unusual step of launching an FCC investigation the morning after the 2004 Super Bowl, which featured a risque halftime show topped off by the brief exposure of Janet Jackson's right breast, in what the star claimed was a "wardrobe malfunction." After an investigation, the FCC fined 20 CBS stations, which broadcast the game, a record $550,000, which the network has yet to pay.

More fines for indecency were proposed under Powell than by all previous chairman combined. In 2004 alone, the FCC proposed nearly $8 million in indecency fines.

A self-admitted gadget geek, Powell pushed for the rapid rollout of cell phone and wireless communications networks, calling them tools of democracy. Ironically, it was grass roots e-mail campaigns during the media ownership controversy that poured the most heat on Powell.

Criticized by some for approving mega-mergers, such as America Online's 2001 purchase of Time Warner Inc., creating at the time the world's largest media company, Powell also blocked mergers he felt would hurt consumers, such as Echostar Communications Corp.'s 2002 attempt to buy Hughes Electronics Corp.'s DirecTV business, combining it with EchoStar's Dish Network service. Powell led the commission in voting down the merger, saying it would eliminate competition between the nation's only two major satellite services and eventually drive up subscriber prices.

Premiere dates for several NBC shows, including "Law & Order: Trial By Jury" and adjustments to the CBS schedule after today's (immediate) cancellation of "Center of the Universe" have been added to the bottom of Latest News -- the first post in this thread.

FCC Chairman Plans to Leave Post Early
By Jube Shiver The Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

WASHINGTON — Michael K. Powell, the controversial head of the Federal Communications Commission who championed speedier Internet connections, tougher enforcement of broadcast indecency rules and greater consumer protection from telemarketers, announced today that he is leaving the agency in March.

Powell, a 41-year-old former Army officer and antitrust lawyer who was appointed chairman in 2001 by President Bush, sent a letter to Bush today indicating his intentions to leave.

Powell, who struggled during his tenure as chairman to loosen government restrictions on media and telephone companies, did not elaborate on his plans.

"Having completed a bold and aggressive agenda, it is time for me to pursue other opportunities and let someone else take the reins of the agency," Powell said in the statement.

"During my tenure, we worked to get the law right in order to stimulate innovative technology that puts more power in the hands of the American people, giving them greater choices that enrich their lives. Evidence of our success can be seen increasingly in the offices, the automobiles and the living rooms of the American consumer."

Washington has been whispering about Powell leaving the FCC since February 2003, when the soft-spoken but strong-willed official suffered an embarrassing defeat over telephone competition rules.

Last March he lost a 3-2 FCC vote on his bid to change telephone competition. Three months later, the U.S. 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals in Philadelphia blocked the FCC from implementing media ownership rules that would have allowed a company or individual to own TV stations reaching 45% of the national audience, up from 35%.

The new rules also would permit ownership of a newspaper and TV or radio station in a market and as many as three TV stations in big cities.

"He's been the most deregulatory-minded chairman we've seen in recent memory," said Scott Cleland, chief executive of Washington researcher Precursor, which follows communications and media policy. "It's unlikely whoever will replace him will be anywhere near as deregulatory."

The FCC chairman has received praise from many executives for freeing the communications industry from government red tape. However, consumer groups have criticized Powell for attempting to allow media giants to grow bigger and for moving too slowly to crack down on indecency on the airwaves.

"Michael Powell will not be missed by those of us concerned about creating a more democratic media system," said Robert W. McChesney, founder and president of the nonpartisan media reform group Free Press, in Northampton, Mass.

"His tenure was marked by some of the lowest moments in the history of the FCC — most notably the disastrous decision in June 2003 to further loosen media ownership rules."

Powell, the son of Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, who is also leaving his post, overcame objections from some direct marketers and phone carriers, and implemented two measures that became popular with consumers: a national "do-not call" registry with which consumers could sign up to avoid calls from telemarketers, and a rule letting cell phone subscribers keep their mobile phone numbers when switching carriers.

He also gained attention over the past year for trying to crack down on indecent radio and television broadcasts after singer Justin Timberlake bared Janet Jackson's breast during the Super Bowl halftime show that aired on the CBS television network last February.

At the time, Powell called the incident a "classless, crass and deplorable stunt" and ordered an investigation. The FCC fined CBS $550,000 for the incident in September. The network is fighting the penalty.

But some groups fighting indecency on the airwaves, among them the Parents Television Council in Los Angeles, say the FCC has been too timid and too slow in its crackdown and have urged Congress to increase penalties against broadcasters.

Bush has the power to designate an interim FCC chairman from the current commissioners.

If he does so, he would likely choose one of the agency's other two Republicans: Kathleen Abernathy, 48, a former telephone industry lobbyist, or Kevin Martin, 38, a longtime Washington lawyer who worked as an advisor during Bush's 2000 campaign.

Bush could also quickly move to nominate a new chairman, which would require Senate confirmation.

At the top of most observers' list is Becky Armendariz Klein, the first Latina to chair the Texas Public Utility Commission.

Klein, who served in the Medical Service Corps during Desert Storm, ran against Rep. Lloyd Doggett (D-Texas) in Austin for Texas' 25h congressional seat at the urging of White House officials and Republican Party leaders but lost.

Other candidates include Bill Bailey, senior legal counsel for the Senate Commerce and Science Committee, FCC chief of staff Bryan Tramont and Janice Obushowski, telecom consultant and ambassador to the World Radio Communications Conference, who headed NTIA under the first President Bush.

Most analysts do not expect a dramatic change in policy at the FCC even if the White House taps Martin, who sometimes clashed with the chairman over telephone deregulation.

However, a Powell departure could leave the FCC without a full complement of commissioners for months and create a political opening for FCC Commissioner Michael Copps, a Democrat who has proved to be a determined and outspoken critic of media consolidation in the broadcast industry.

Lobbyists also worry that any vacuum at the FCC could lead to regulatory gridlock at a time when the telecommunications industry is in the midst of wrenching economic and technological change. Other experts say the industry will face a major policy change in any event.

The FCC chairman has received praise from most companies for his deregulatory approach. However, consumer groups have criticized him for attempting to allow media conglomerates to grow bigger and reducing competition among wireless providers.

Powell had planned on following his father's military career, entering the U.S. Army and becoming a first lieutenant. But a jeep accident in Germany in 1987 almost killed him, requiring 18 units of blood during extensive surgery in which doctors almost left him for dead.

After a long rehabilitation, he went to law school, clerked for a federal judge, became chief of staff at the Justice Department's antitrust division, and was appointed in 1997 as an FCC commissioner by President Bill Clinton.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-012105powell_lat,0,4897170.story?coll=la-home-headlines

Thanks fredfa.
Now can you or anyone guesstimate what impact Powell's departure will have on the availability of HDTV (not simply DT). It would seem that actions taken by a Republican FCC commission would favor not only large corporations but also TV stations who do not wish to go to the expense required for HDTV. We know the cable and satellite providers would rather use the bandwidth for other apparently more profitable things so any idea what to expect? A bit of crystal ball analysis if you please.
David:)

hopefully enough momentum has started to keep hdtv rolling - i dont know what to make of powell leaving, he did some good and bad things - but I dont think I would bash him or celebrate his leaving like many are....

fredfa,

The Simple Life 3: Interns 8:30 PM ET January 26 --Will normally be @ 8:30pm ET, but the premiere is @ 9:00pm ET and is an hour.

American Dad Sunday 10:30P ET (time approximate) February 6 (after Super Bowl) regular run begins in "the spring". --Should be that the regular run begins May 1 at 9:30pm ET.

we've got a change for revelations again

from tv barn

NBC announced a third tier of new Spring program previews and
premieres for the series "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" (previews March
17 and 24; premieres April 1), "The Office" (March 22) and
"Revelations" (April 13) ?-( as well as broadcast dates for a new
"Saturday Night Live" special celebrating the classic series' first
five years and the debut of the network's "Hercules" miniseries.
In a program change, "The Contender" will now begin with a preview on
Monday, March 7 (9:30-11 p.m. ET) followed by the season premiere on
Wednesday, March 9 (8-9 p.m. ET) in its new regular day and time.
Looking further ahead, NBC's new summer lineup will include the
unscripted series "I Want to Be a Hilton" and "Tommy Lee Goes to
College."

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Friday, January 21, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Programming Options
Saturday 1/22/05

ABC:
The Wonderful World of Disney: Aladdin (R)
Desperate Housewives (R)

CBS:
48 Hours Mystery
Without A Trace (R)
48 Hours Mystery

NBC:
Law & Order (R)
Law & Order: Criminal Intent (R)
Law & Order: SVU (R)

Fox:
Cops
America's Most Wanted

Rakesh.S
I think you will find the NBC changes already in place, I made the edits this afternoon.
f44: if Fox had a viewer for every one of its schedule changes it wouldn't be in fourth place.

Friday's ratings have been posted in Latest News -- at the top of the first post of the thread.

(From Marc Berman’s Programming Insider column Friday, January 21, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)
Primetime Programming Options
Sunday 1/23/05

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

CBS:
NFL Football: AFC Championship: New England Patriots at Pittsburgh Steelers
Numb3rs (premiere/preview)

NBC:
Dateline
American Dreams
Movie: Bridget Jones' Diary

Fox:
King of the Hill
Malcolm in the Middle
The Simpsons (R)
Arrested Development
Family Guy (R)
The Simpsons (R)

WB
Summerland: Beginnings (R)
Charmed
Steve Harvey's Big Time

I'm a little lost, here. I guess my local affiliate isn't rebroadcasting HDTV of animated shows, or that they are so pathetic (cartoons, man) that one could never tell the difference. But, are they actually done in some form of above-SDTV form to begin with?

None of the animated FOX shows are in HD.

(But they sure look good, foxeng)

Help!

Hot Off The Press!! is looking for a conscientious soul to post daily ratings results while the proprietor is on vacation.

(Frankly, I don't want to even look at a computer screen from AM Monday January 24th when I leave LA, until AM Friday February 4th, when I will have returned.)

Any volunteers?

Saturday's ratings have been posted in Latest News -- at the top of the first post of the thread.

Johnny Carson has died of complications from emphysema.
He was 79.

Originally posted by fredfa
Johnny Carson has died of complications from emphysema.
He was 79. Carson was great, probably the greatest TV personality ever.

Former 'Tonight Show' Host Carson Dies

By Jeff Wilson The Associated Press

LOS ANGELES -- Johnny Carson, the "Tonight Show" TV host who served America a smooth nightcap of celebrity banter, droll comedy and heartland charm for 30 years, has died. He was 79.

"Mr. Carson passed away peacefully early Sunday morning," his nephew, Jeff Sotzing, told The Associated Press. "He was surrounded by his family, whose loss will be immeasurable. There will be no memorial service."

Sotzing would not give further details, including the time of death or the location.

The boyish-looking Nebraska native with the disarming grin, who survived every attempt to topple him from his late-night talk show throne, was a star who managed never to distance himself from his audience.

His wealth, the adoration of his guests - particularly the many young comics whose careers he launched - the wry tales of multiple divorces: Carson's air of modesty made it all serve to enhance his bedtime intimacy with viewers.

"Heeeeere's Johnny!" was the booming announcement from sidekick Ed McMahon that ushered Carson out to the stage. Then the formula: the topical monologue, the guests, the broadly played skits such as "Carnac the Magnificent."

But America never tired of him; Carson went out on top when he retired in May 1992. In his final show, he told his audience: "And so it has come to this. I am one of the lucky people in the world. I found something that I always wanted to do and I have enjoyed every single minute of it."

His personal life could not match the perfection of his career. Carson was married four times, divorced three. In 1991, one of his three sons, 39-year-old Ricky, was killed in a car accident.

Nearly all of Carson's professional life was spent in television, from his postwar start at Nebraska stations in the late 1940s to his three decades with NBC's "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson."

Carson choose to let "Tonight" stand as his career zenith and his finale, withdrawing into a quiet retirement that suited his private nature and refusing involvement in other show business projects.

In 1993, he explained his absence from the limelight.

"I have an ego like anybody else," Carson told The Washington Post, "but I don't need to be stoked by going before the public all the time."

No way!! Wow, this one is just hard to accept. There will never be another like him. A true one-of-kind. Best wishes to his family.