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fredfa

10-16-06, 03:36 PM

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

Question: I have a few opinions of my own about Heroes. First of all, as a huge Battlestar Galactica fan, I was offended that Tammie assumes that fans of Heroes probably "don't get" Battlestar. Although Battlestar is the superior show, I have been very impressed by Heroes, and it has exceeded my expectations. My main quibble is with the statement from one of your readers that "the writing is very bad and extremely pretentious." I disagree. This show is an epic! When ordinary people learn that they may have extraordinary abilities, they are bound to question their purpose and talk about destiny and making a difference. I also appreciate the comic-book touches (like subtitles), the music and everything about this show. I think it is intelligent and thrilling, with plenty of subtle and grandiose moments to enjoy. I have been happy to see that your opinion of this show has shifted in the past few weeks from mostly negative to more positive. Where does it stand now?— Emily

Matt Roush: I'm still stuck in the middle: Glad it's a success, amazed that it caught on immediately and is still building, but less than swept away. Ambivalence is an odd emotion for me, especially when it comes to genre series (which I understand one is only supposed to gush about). I'm usually passionate either for or against a series, but Heroes is such an odd bird. I find it awfully ungainly and unfocused, a bit of a fascinating mess. I've just seen the next two episodes (tonight's and next week's), and I'm especially encouraged by the fact that a number of characters finally begin to overlap or even meet (sometimes in very entertaining ways, especially when Hiro is involved). I'm intrigued by the show even when I'm not exactly engrossed. There is much to enjoy here, and I'm going to go along for the ride, curbing my impulse to rave or rant about it. Unlike a Buffy or a Battlestar, I don't see it making my top 10 list. But given the track record for these sorts of shows recently, I'll celebrate it, however cautiously.

Here's another analysis of why Heroes works for its fans, from Jason: "The appeal of Heroes is pretty simple to me: Smart, cleverly written dialogue in the science-fiction and comic-book genres are the exception, rather than the rule. People who grew up reading X-Men, The Justice League, The Avengers, The Fantastic Four or other team-oriented super-hero comics are quite used to stilted dialogue and one-dimensional characterizations. And frankly, most 'classic' sci-fi has bad dialogue and often wooden acting: See the Star Wars movies, most of the Star Trek and Stargate franchises, the Terminator movies, etc. Sure, there is also Lost, Buffy, the Spider-Man films, and the new BSG, but my point is that the typical young male sci-fi and comic-book fan does not like these sorts of shows for gripping acting or Gilmore/Dawson's/West Wing dialogue. They watch them for the concepts, the plots and the special effects. And sometimes the women are hot. Finally, just remember how long Walker, Texas Ranger, Yes, Dear and Married with Children were on the air. Not every show has to be geared toward the Studio 60 demo."

So you're telling me to settle? Not my style. Again, I'm so torn about this show. At times it seems to transcend genre, at other times to be hobbled by the limitations of what we expect in terms of acting and writing. Honestly, Heroes aims much higher than Walker, Yes, Dear and Married. Different universes, my friend.

Question: While I am not as surprised as you that Jericho is doing well in the ratings — simply because I've been drawn into it — I have been stumped as to why. It certainly stretches my ability to "suspend disbelief," and some of the acting is a bit stiff, to say the least. After much thought, I think I figured it out, for me at least. The draw of this show is the uncertainty of the times in which we live: the 9/11 attacks, terrorist plots, the proliferation of nuclear material. The thing that intrigues me is that instead of a metaphor for a foreign attack as other shows have done (Invasion), or showing someone save the day before the attack happens (Alias, 24), this show's premise is a literal attack on the U.S. by a foreign enemy and its aftermath. The whole time I watch it I'm thinking, "What would I do? What would my hometown do?" While the material has been presented before, mostly in movies, it has been a while since it has been presented so literally, and not since the attacks of Sept. 11, at least that I can remember. It could definitely be done better, but I know that as long the premise of the show remains on topic, I'll keep tuning in.— Karen

Matt Roush: I was wondering when someone would weigh in with a post-9/11 analysis of Jericho, and this is certainly one of the more thoughtful ones to arrive in my mailbag. In concept, Jericho does sort of remind me of Rod Serling's Cold War allegories from The Twilight Zone (such as the classic "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"), but in execution, Jericho seems to me far too crude, obvious and (thinking of that hostage situation at the farmhouse in Episode 2) ridiculous. Still, apocalypse is something new for a TV series to confront, so I'm sticking with it, even though I also find myself wondering if the show's popularity may also be rooted in a reactionary mindset among those who love the idea of a world in which all of the big cities have been incinerated. (Much as I enjoyed his villainous performance in Deadwood, I can't stomach the preachy, almost fascistic attitude of Gerald McRaney's mayor.)

Here's another defense of the show, from Daune R.: "Jericho is succeeding for a couple of reasons. These actors are inhabiting characters I would be interested in, no matter what plot device threw them together. Skeet Ulrich has a vulnerable quality that makes his path to redemption more compelling. Gerald McRaney and Pamela Reed have a nice chemistry. Erik Knudsen's orphaned Dale is heartbreaking. There's a whole backstory that is being revealed slowly, and it's a pleasure to watch. For the average American, it's not out of the realm of possibility that we could be victims of a nuclear attack. I wouldn't be surprised to see stories of people building bomb shelters again, not because of Jericho, but because of the world climate. Watching Jericho lets us visit that unthinkable possibility while watching fiction. Mind you, Stephen King's The Stand is one of my favorite books of all time, and I see some parallels. Sometimes a show just hits the right chord, taking us to a place we need to consider. And isn't it comforting that during a fictional apocalypse, people are still cheating and scheming and lying and falling in love?"

Some good points here, including the shout-out to the always welcome Pamela Reed. But a pleasure to watch? That's where we part company. I find the show and the characters (including their transparent personal lives) almost uniformly dreary, but my resistance may have something to do with the fact that if this scenario were actually happening, my Manhattan apartment and I would be reduced to ashes by now. Plus, a world without TV? Unbearable!

Question: Brothers & Sisters is getting better every week. The first episode I thought was so-so, the second I thought was good, but the third just blew me away. The final conversation between Ron Rifkin and Patricia Wettig broke my heart, and I thought that few series would do as skillful a job of showing how the dead father hurt both his wife and his mistress. Basically, this show has intelligent, deeply felt dialogue and one of the most talented casts on TV right now. It has only one problem, but it's a big one: Calista Flockhart. I don't know why, but her face doesn't move any more, and her character is shallow and off-putting compared to the others. And she's nominally the lead! Can an ensemble show (particularly one with an ensemble as talented as this) jettison its main character? Any chance this would happen?— Amy

Matt Roush: I agree that the third episode (in which Sally Field "outed" the mistress) was the best yet, and I also feel that Kitty (Flockhart) is the least realized of the sisters (the brothers are such bores, they defy comment), but if you read series creator Jon Robin Baitz's eloquent blog on this site, you'll sense his loyalty to the entire cast. So don't look for Flockhart to be written off anytime soon. I just hope she can be written more credibly. I find myself oddly ambivalent (again!) about this show, despite it being exactly the sort of adult family drama I wish there were more of on TV nowadays. The cast is terrific, especially the females, but most of the characters and their situations strike me as stubbornly ordinary so far. Still, I'm not giving up. But only because I've already seen the entire season of The Wire. Which brings us to the next question.

Question: From comments I read by TV critics before The Wire premiered, I got the sense that HBO sent the entire fourth season to critics (some seemed to talk about sitting down and watching 13 hours of television in their reviews). While this might have helped critics tout the series, I'm beginning to wonder if it wasn't a horrible mistake. Unlike with The Sopranos, where major critics seem to come out each Monday and dissect the last episode, with The Wire it seems like they already said they liked it five weeks ago, and now they've moved on to Desperate Housewives. Perhaps I'm making too much of this and HBO knew that the only way they could generate new viewers was to let critics praise the season as a whole before it started. Reading well-written critical reviews of a dense show like The Wire can help even this longtime fan understand how different people are reacting to this story.— Matt T.

Matt Roush: What an excellent observation. And mea culpa for falling into this trap. Same thing happened this summer when Showtime sent out all 11 episodes of the excellent The Brotherhood before the series premiered, helping many of us write what we felt were comprehensive reviews, knowing in advance how satisfying the entire package would be. But in terms of covering that show and The Wire (which indeed was sent out in advance in its entirely, and which I watched over the course of a single stimulating week), reviewing the entire show as if it were a miniseries may have served to inhibit many of us from reacting to the series week by week. The situation isn't helped by the fact that The Wire was programmed headfirst into the wave of the new season, and much of my (and other critics') energies are being spent watching the new (and returning) series develop week by week. It would be hard to focus much on The Wire's new season even if we weren't otherwise distracted. But because so many critics have seen the whole thing and may have moved on, it's true that the media buzz may have crested far too soon. Because trust me: With The Wire this season, the best is yet to come.

Question: Do you think Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip will make it? I can't even express how much I love it, which is a little strange because I typically reserve this passion for shows more like Lost, Alias or Buffy. I love the smart insider comments like: "Can we have this conversation walking?" or "She broke up with you because she didn't want to share your time with the girls of Delta Gamma" (which killed me because I happen to be a Delta Gamma and so is Christine Lahti). Michael Ausiello made me a bit nervous when he said he didn't think the show would make it. I heard so much hype about it since last spring that I kind of expected it to be a smash hit, and now I feel like it's an underdog because of shows like The Bachelor.— Kim

Matt Roush: It depends on what you mean by "make it." I honestly believe (cockeyed optimism?) that Studio 60 will "make it" through the season. So much is invested in the show that not giving it an entire season to prove itself seems like a terrible waste. The fact that it seemed to level off a bit in week four, albeit at a level far below its premiere numbers, is slightly encouraging. (If it kept dropping steeply, it could be all over in 13 weeks.) But will it see a second season? That's a much cloudier picture, and I would lean toward Ausiello's more negative outlook unless things pick up.

Zack also weighs in with another version of the programming-jigsaw question: "If NBC were to move Studio 60 to Mondays at 8 pm/ET, do you think it would do better, since the other shows in that time slot get relatively the same ratings as Studio 60 does?"

Without getting into the actual numbers here, I would be surprised if NBC moved the show to 8 pm, although it's true this would be much less competitive than having to face CSI: Miami every week. Studio 60 just doesn't feel like an early-evening show. I'm still thinking that if NBC does decide to move it, a more protected 9 pm time slot would be the ticket.

Question: How's this for an idea: Every Tuesday at 8 pm/ET, all networks go black except for NBC. Then people will have no choice but to watch Friday Night Lights. I'm not from Texas. I'm not in high school. I don't watch or play football, and I'm not Christian. Still, for two weeks in a row, this show has pulled me to the edge of my seat and knocked me to the ground. There's something so pure about it. There isn't a hint of irony, and it isn't trying to impress us with witty asides or self-deprecation. To me, it's a lot like The Wire, in the sense that it attempts to paint a complete portrait of one American town. The Wire paints Baltimore with cops and robbers because the city has been corrupted to its core by drugs and crime. Friday Night Lights paints with high-school football because the team represents all the town's values. Everyone should be watching. Tape Dancing with the Stars. TiVo Gilmore Girls. House, thankfully, is moving to 9 pm/ET. All bases covered. Just trying to get the word out.— Mark

Matt Roush: Happy to help you on your mission. I am more worried about Friday Night Lights than any other show on the schedule. I don't care this deeply about any other new show. The low ratings break my heart and wound my spirit. I understand that Dancing is great guilty-pleasure entertainment, and that NCIS and Gilmore Girls (even past its prime) have their escapist pleasures. But someday, people are going to look back at however many episodes were filmed (and aired) of Friday Night Lights and wonder what we were thinking to ignore a show of such rich quality and deep humanity. This week's third episode is possibly the best yet, and Kyle Chandler has never been better. You really believe him as a coach this week.

Question: Why have so many shows on ABC and NBC gotten rid of their opening theme songs and credits? Now there's a (longer) teaser followed by the show's name for a few seconds, then commercials. Some examples: Desperate Housewives, Brothers & Sisters, Studio 60, Grey's Anatomy, Six Degrees, Lost, even ER! The only shows that I can think of that still show their theme song and credits are House and the Law & Order franchise. I'm assuming it's somehow related to the fact that there is more advertising than ever, so TPTB cut the theme song for more show time. (I think most dramas are now 42-44 minutes, where they used to be 46-48.) What is the real reason?— Alissa

Matt Roush: There probably isn't one "real reason," but the prevailing conventional wisdom is that some producers (though the blame usually falls on itchy network execs) want to get the viewer directly into the show, and a credit sequence is often seen as an invitation to surf. The most startling omission this year is ER's, without a doubt. I confirmed with the studio, and it was the producer's call to go a different way. You might also notice that when ER was still a powerhouse, NBC began airing it at 9:59 pm, and now the show begins a minute past the hour. Dropping the credits is also a time-saver, as Alissa notes. Whatever the reasons, something is lost when credits and theme songs that once were an iconic cultural signature for a show (and sometimes a network) have been dropped for mercenary purposes. One show whose credits I do enjoy, though I find much of the rest of the show tiresomely silly, is Boston Legal, which incorporates its credits into an opening punch line. A few weeks ago, Denny Crane even said to a new arrival, "Welcome to Boston Legal. Cue the music." At least there was music to cue to.

Question: It seems that Fox is going to be moving some shows around in their lineup after the World Series. House is being moved back to its original time slot, and Justice is being moved to Monday nights. Is there any reason for the changes? I know networks will move a new show to see if it will do better, but I don't understand moving a regular show, except that they simply want to put it back where it originally was. Also, it seems that Fox wants Justice to die by putting it up against Heroes. While the audiences might not be the same for both shows, I just don't see it faring well. Any idea what's going on?— Andrea B.

Matt Roush: First off, House was never intended to stay at 8 pm/ET on Tuesdays. It was scheduled in the first hour only through September, to help launch Standoff (wasted effort). From the start, House was always going to return to 9 pm on Oct. 31. That's where it belongs. The move of Justice isn't to kill it but a last hope to save it. It was being crushed on Wednesdays by Criminal Minds (don't get me started), and the prospect of facing Lost was also no picnic. Since Vanished was such a fiasco, Fox has decided to try Justice as a companion to Prison Break for a while. They seem compatible enough, and a procedural like this also seems like acceptable counterprogramming in the time period (against a fantasy drama, a reality show and a bunch of comedies). This is probably the best shot Justice is going to get.

Question: After seeing ratings for three of my favorite shows (Lost, Battlestar Galactica, Desperate Housewives), I'm disappointed with my fellow TV fans. At first I was shocked at how many fewer fans tuned in to each of these premieres and plenty of other shows (except Grey's Anatomy, it seems), but then listening to friends talk about each show, I became less puzzled and more disappointed. I find myself having to defend my love of these shows to friends who either don't watch them anymore or only watch out of habit and complain bitterly along the way. Why did BSG have to skip a year ahead? Why does it have to compare itself to the Iraq war? Why did the season premiere of Lost only feature the Jack-Kate-Sawyer triangle instead of Hurley, Locke, etc.? Why couldn't Lost have been two hours long? Why did Gaby lose another chance at having a baby, and why is Susan's love life always annoying? It's gotten to the point where I can't even talk to them about my shows any longer. I refuse to go on message boards because of whiners who seem to want these shows to fail. All I can do is watch and enjoy. But I hate the idea of a show like Lost getting torn down to bits by "fans" and ratings freaks who focus only on the negative. How do you take the negative fans' reactions, with a grain of salt?— James M.

Matt Roush: Grain? How about a silo? More and more these days, especially in this time of instant knee-jerk (emphasis on jerk) reactions online and elsewhere to the ebb and flow of weekly TV, it takes a thick skin to stick up for your faves when it seems like everyone else is trying to outdo each other poking holes in everything. Many of the questions you recited above are legitimate areas of debate about some terrific series. But I feel your pain, because the debate so often seems so petty, with almost a sense of pride in abandoning a show or declaring a "jump the shark" moment, as if that's what they were waiting for all along. But also, look at it from the other side. No one is forced to watch TV (well, except those of us who get paid for it, and I'd be foolish to complain about that), and if they bail on Battlestar because of its unnerving and daring topicality, or they choose to shun the grandeur of Lost for whatever reasons, that's their loss. And that's their right. All I can say is: Keep the faith. Enjoy what you enjoy. (And you're right to steer clear of places where piling on to see who can bitch loudest and snarkiest about TV is the latest cynical blood sport.) Finally, keep in mind that TV (especially drama) has rarely been better than it is right now, with so much variety on network and cable. Give your friends time. They'll be back.

Question: I remember hearing that Tamara Taylor would be guest-starring on Bones for six episodes. Well, she's done her six, but from the previews, it looks like she'll still be around. Is she joining the show as a regular cast member? Or has her stint as a guest star just been extended?— Lauren R.

Matt Roush: I'm not sure if this is good or bad news (my mail has been mixed about Dr. Saroyan), but the studio confirms that the new boss is signed on for the rest of the season, so consider her a regular. Can't say if or when she'll appear in the main titles, or if her "guest-star" status will stay intact, as it sometimes does in the confusing world of cast credits. But no matter how Bones herself feels about it, Camille is here to stay. At least this season.

http://tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Matt/default.aspx

fredfa

10-16-06, 03:42 PM

(From Marc Berman’s Monday, October 16 , 2006, Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com )
Ratings Box:
What’s Hot/What’s Not

• A Growing Jimmy Kimmel Live on ABC:
Based on ratings for the week of Oct. 2, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live perked up to 1.95 million viewers -- its largest weekly audience (and third highest ever) since the week of Feb. 17, 2003. Compared to the same week last year (and without the benefit of a boost from Monday Night Football), Kimmel was up by 490,000 viewers (1.46 to 1.95 million) and 17 percent among adults 18-49 (0.6/ 3 to 0.7/ 4). Kimmel has now delivered more viewers than the year-ago week in 39 of the last 40 weeks.

• Late Night Scorecard:
While we are on the topic of late night, here is the season to-date (Sept. 18 – Oct. 8, 2006) rating results for the daypart. NBC’s The Tonight Show With Jay Leno still rules the roost from 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. despite ongoing audience erosion, while No. 2 The Late Show With David Letterman on CBS is up year-to-year in four of the five surveyed categories (excluding a 10 percent loss among adults 18-34). ABC’s Nightline and the aforementioned Jimmy Kimmel Live round off the block, while Late Night With Conan O’Brien has a healthy lead over CBS’ The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson at 12:30 a.m.

Here are the results (with percent change from the comparable year-ago period in parentheses):

Monday-Friday 11:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m.
ABC: Nightline (11:30 p.m.), Jimmy Kimmel Live (12:00 a.m.)
CBS: The Late Show With David Letterman
NBC: The Tonight Show With Jay Leno

• Households:
NBC: 4.1 rating/11 share (- 5)
CBS: 3.0/ 8 (+ 3)
ABC - Nightline: 2.8/ 7 (no change)
ABC - Jimmy Kimmel: 1.4/ 5 (+ 8)

• Total Viewers:
NBC: 5.70 million (- 3)
CBS: 4.09 (+ 3)
ABC – Nightline: 3.77 (+ 2)
ABC - Jimmy Kimmel: 1.88 (+19)

• Adults 18-49:
NBC: 1.9 rating/ 8 share (- 5)
CBS: 1.4/ 8 (+ 8)
ABC – Nightline: 1.2/ 5 (no change)
ABC - Jimmy Kimmel: 0.7/ 4 (+17)

• Adults 25-54:
NBC: 2.2/ 9 (- 4)
CBS: 1.7/ 7 (+ 6)
ABC – Nightline: 1.5/ 6 (no change)
ABC - Jimmy Kimmel: 0.8/ 4 (no change)

• Adults 18-34:
NBC: 1.4/ 7 (-13)
CBS: 0.9/ 4 (-10)
ABC – Nightline: 0.9/ 4 (+13)
ABC - Jimmy Kimmel: 0.6/ 3 (+20)

Monday-Friday 12:30-1:30 a.m.
CBS: The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson
NBC: Late Night With Conan O’Brien

• Households:
NBC: 1.9 rating/ 7 share (no change)
CBS: 1.5/ 6 (+ 7)

• Total Viewers:
NBC: 2.56 million (+ 2)
CBS: 1.98 (+ 8)

• Adults 18-49:
NBC: 1.0/ 6 (- 9)
CBS: 0.7/ 5 (no change)

• Adults 25-54:
NBC: 1.1/ 7 (no change)
CBS: 0.9/ 5 (+13)

• Adults 18-34:
NBC: 1.0/ 6 (-17)
CBS: 0.5/ 3 (no change)

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/newsletters/proginsider/index.jsp

archiguy

10-16-06, 03:44 PM

Let's cut back on the political debate. Folks on the other side could (and do) complain about what they see as the CNN agenda.

I think we get it that there are partisans on both sides.

That wasn't the primary purpose of the post - it was to complain that this huge increase is undoubtedly going to be passed on the customer, and if anything, I'd want FOX News purged from my lineup.

And, just to be ornery, just because there are partisans on both sides doesn't mean both sides' arguments carry equal weight or are equivilently just. There are those who deny the holocaust; are their arguments to be given equal weight to those who maintain it did happen? (just askin'....) ;)

sangs

10-16-06, 03:50 PM

That wasn't the primary purpose of the post - it was to complain that this huge increase is undoubtedly going to be passed on the customer, and if anything, I'd want FOX News purged from my lineup.

At least be genuine arch. Anybody that knows you knows the primary purpose of the post was to inflame and bait the conservatives into responding - nothing else. If this rate increase was concerning CNN, MSNBC or any of the numerous liberal mouthpieces, you wouldn't have said a word. Bad form hiding from the truth my friend, bad form.

keenan

10-16-06, 03:57 PM

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

Question: From comments I read by TV critics before The Wire premiered, I got the sense that HBO sent the entire fourth season to critics (some seemed to talk about sitting down and watching 13 hours of television in their reviews)......... Reading well-written critical reviews of a dense show like The Wire can help even this longtime fan understand how different people are reacting to this story.— Matt T.

Regarding "The Wire", Matt T. should take a look each Monday at San Francisco Chronicle's Tim Goodman and his "de-construction" of each episode "The Wire". Outstanding stuff.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=24&entry_id=9899
Tim Goodman. The Bastard Machine : "Wire" Ep. 6: "Can I preach it like I feel it?"

jim tressler

10-16-06, 04:00 PM

archiguy

10-16-06, 04:08 PM

At least be genuine arch. Anybody that knows you knows the primary purpose of the post was to inflame and bait the conservatives into responding - nothing else. If this rate increase was concerning CNN, MSNBC or any of the numerous liberal mouthpieces, you wouldn't have said a word. Bad form hiding from the truth my friend, bad form.

Not at all, Sangs. I'd feel just as ripped off if an increase in my cable bill was perpetuated by CNN as FOX, MSNBC or any other single network. We have yet to see what the penalty to viewers is ultimately going to be from the hardball being played by The NFL Network - that will be far worse than FOX News, I'm sure. And I'm a football fan! Surely we've seen our bills increase because of ESPN's hardball tactics in the past. I rail against injustice wherever I find it, buddy. Somebody's got to. ;)

foxeng

10-16-06, 04:26 PM

Let's cut back on the political debate. Folks on the other side could (and do) complain about what they see as the CNN agenda.

I think we get it that there are partisans on both sides.

In all fairness, this just brings FNC to the same cost as CNN for cablecos. That should make any partisan on either side happy in some way or another. :)

foxeng

10-16-06, 04:31 PM

I'd feel just as ripped off if an increase in my cable bill was perpetuated by CNN as FOX, MSNBC or any other single network. We have yet to see what the penalty to viewers is ultimately going to be from the hardball being played by The NFL Network - that will be far worse than FOX News, I'm sure. And I'm a football fan! Surely we've seen our bills increase because of ESPN's hardball tactics in the past. I rail against injustice wherever I find it, buddy. Somebody's got to. ;)

Let's take that one step further. Why do I need 4 SD ESPNs and why should I pay for them? I don't watch all of them. I rarely watch the original and I am paying for all of them. I bet it is more than FNC and CNN and MSNBC combined. It is just the way things are. It isn't fair, but then life isn't fair. It is what it is.

foxeng

10-16-06, 04:34 PM

the real question, and concern - are the news stations worth that much $$ - if cnn, fox and others can do it - what is stopping discovery, espn and others from raping us more than they have in the past..

Good question. This being a free market, it is what the market will bare. If not, the next time around, a price drop will be in order.

fredfa

10-16-06, 04:52 PM

Let's take that one step further. ...I bet it is more than FNC and CNN and MSNBC combined. It is just the way things are. It isn't fair, but then life isn't fair. It is what it is.

Let's assume FNC gets 75 cents. Add the 44 cents from CNN and the 35 cents from MSNBC and you have a grand total of $1.54 a month.

And based on the ratings, if FNC is worth 75 cents, CNN is not quite worth 45 cents and MSNBC is probably worth about 20 cents.

fredfa

10-16-06, 05:01 PM

.... I rail against injustice wherever I find it, buddy. Somebody's got to. ;)

Then I would assume the entire cable/DBS pricing structure makes you crazy.

The only way to remedy the situation is a la carte pricing.

You would get what you pay for, not what the providers insist you get.

That would mean some (including most of the sports-crazy folks on this board) will pay more.

It would also mean the people who spend most of their time with the broadcast nets and a handful of cable channels will spend less.

fredfa

10-16-06, 05:05 PM

(My bad – I neglected to post this hours ago. Sorry.)
Sunday Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Family woes for 'Brothers and Sisters' '
New ABC soap continues to weaken in ratings
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct 16, 2006

ABC’s once-unbeatable Sunday night was bound to suffer when the network moved “Grey’s Anatomy” to prop up Thursday. But with “Desperate Housewives” falling and “Grey’s” replacement, “Brothers & Sisters,” continuing to lose audience week after week, ABC’s Sunday night is starting to look almost vulnerable.

“Sisters” declined another 8 percent from its previous outing last night, averaging a series-low 4.9 rating, according to Nielsen overnights. That was down from a 5.3 last week and 21 percent off the 6.2 it averaged for its Sept. 24 premiere.

It’s also losing a good deal of its “Desperate Housewives” lead-in, though that show is also off from its premiere, down 16 percent over four outings from a 9.5 debut to a season-low 8.0 last night.

Though ABC still led among viewers 18-49 last night, its advantage is shrinking. It’s down from a 6.4 premiere night to a 5.4 the past two weeks, and even finished behind CBS in households last night, when the network got a good bump from NFL overrun and the “60 Minutes” segment about the Duke lacrosse rape case.

But while “Sisters’” decline is certainly alarming, it’s interesting to note that two years ago, “Boston Legal” was drawing even lower ratings in the post-“Housewives” slot, when “Housewives” was drawing better ratings. “Legal” ran through the spring and then was replaced by “Grey’s,” but “Legal” is still on ABC’s schedule two years later.

Thus ABC could stick with “Sisters” and try a new show in the timeslot later this year without necessarily killing off the former. Though a 4.9 is not what you’d hope for after “Housewives,” it’s still helping ABC stay No. 1 this season among adults 18-49.

For the evening, CBS took second to ABC’s 5.4 rating and 13 share with a 4.2/11, followed by NBC at 3.6/9, Fox’s National League Championship Series coverage at 2.1/5, Univision at 1.1/3 and the newly revamped CW schedule at a disappointing 0.9/2.

The CW averaged a 0.9 in its target 18-34s, down 10 percent from the 1.0 the network averaged two weeks ago with the premiere of its urban sitcom block, which was moved to Monday shortly thereafter. Last night “Seventh Heaven” and “Runaway” slipped into those slots.

As a reminder, ratings for Fox, CBS and NBC are approximate, as fast nationals measure timeslot data and not actual program data, and live coverage of baseball and football bled into other timeslots.

At 7 p.m., CBS’s NFL runover and the start of “60 Minutes” led with a 4.8, followed by ABC’s “America’s Funniest Home Videos” at 3.1, NBC’s “Football Night in America” at 2.7, Fox’s local programming and baseball pregame show at 1.3, Univision’s “Hora Pico” at 1.1, and CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” rerun at 0.9.

At 8 p.m., ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” led at 5.5, followed by CBS’s “60 Minutes” and “Amazing Race” at 4.0, NBC’s “America” and the start of “Sunday Night Football” at 3.8, Fox’s NLCS at 2.2, the CW’s “7th Heaven” at 1.1, and Univision’s “Cantando por un Sueno” at 1.0.

At 9 p.m., “Housewives” led with an 8.0, followed by NBC’s “SNF” at 4.4, CBS’s “Race” and “Cold Case” at 3.8, Fox’s NLCS at 2.6, Univision’s “Sueno” at 1.1, and CW’s “Runaway” at 0.7.

At 10 p.m., “Sisters” led at 4.9, followed by CBS’s "Case" and “Without a Trace” at 4.3, NBC’s “SNF” at 3.4, and Fox’s NLCS at 2.5.

Among households, CBS topped ABC, 9.4/15 to the latter’s 8.9/14. NBC was third at 6.1/10, followed by Fox at 5.0/8, CW at 1.5/2 and Univision at 1.4/2.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7927.asp

archiguy

10-16-06, 05:06 PM

Then I would assume the entire cable/DBS pricing structure makes you crazy.

The only way to remedy the situation is a la carte pricing.

Indeed it does. I pay over $120/mo for my cable lineup (TWC); it's ridiculous. But a la carte is never going to happen, not as long as a cable lobbiest still draws breath on K-Street. ;)

foxeng

10-16-06, 05:09 PM

Let's assume FNC gets 75 cents. Add the 44 cents from CNN and the 35 cents from MSNBC and you have a grand total of $1.54 a month.

And Disney wants $2 for ESPN. Is ESPN worth that? I think not. But if the market will bear it , then that is what it is worth. The way it always has been.

My point isn't is it worth it. My point is if the market thinks it is worth it, it is.

fredfa

10-16-06, 05:21 PM

But there is no free "Market" and that is the problem.

(And Disney is getting over $2.60 for just the basic ESPN, not to mention ESPN2, News, Classic, etc.)

fredfa

10-16-06, 05:27 PM

Indeed it does. I pay over $120/mo for my cable lineup (TWC); it's ridiculous. But a la carte is never going to happen, not as long as a cable lobbiest still draws breath on K-Street. ;)

Don't give up hope. The abundant, new (and still-to-be-announced) delivery systems here now or on the horizon and a changed atmopshere on Capitol Hill have the cable cos very, very nervous about a la carte.

Even Senator Ted Stevens indicated that although he opposes a la carte now, he would not be necessarily be opposed to it in the future.

There is fascinating coalition of liberal groups (Consumers Union and many others) aligning with strong conservative religious organizations to back a la carte.

The Dolans at Cablevision have broken ranks and said they support it, as have some of the telcos.

fredfa

10-16-06, 05:42 PM

Critic’s Notebook
'Nightly' weathers Hurricane Kate
By Brian Lowry Variety

Brian Williams is an aviation buff, so he likes to use an analogy about the gaze-narrowing hood worn during flight training to explain his singular focus on the "NBC Nightly News" -- blocking out matters beyond his control, which range from the fading challenge posed by Katie Couric to NBC's primetime fortunes.

"We have to stick to our knitting," he says.

The anchor is probably wise not to peer too deeply into the periphery, because even at NBC, the news purist in him won't care for what he finds.

Despite all the talk and tumult surrounding Couric's jump from NBC to CBS, the evening newscasts have surely waned in importance from a bottom-line standpoint, eclipsed by the morning programs, which by virtue of sheer tonnage -- those three hours of "Today" to peddle daily -- have become massive profit centers. Hell, even Mel Gibson's latest apology came on "Good Morning America," not primetime.

Yet even if the chairs Rather, Jennings and Brokaw long occupied yield less gold, as the news becomes tarnished and tabloid-ized around them, they increasingly represent TV's journalistic gold standard.

Nowhere is this truer than NBC, where Williams presides over a stately, globally aware broadcast that reflects the years he spent as Tom Brokaw's understudy. At the same time, primetime newsmag "Dateline" and ABC's counterparts have responded to a scary world by turning inward, becoming preoccupied with predators and salacious crime; "Nightline" has taken a stupid pill; and NBC's morning jewel has become even giddier and less substantial, hard as that is to imagine, with the baton pass to Meredith Vieira.

That Williams enjoys seniority six weeks short of his second anniversary speaks to the turmoil evening news has endured, following two decades of Mt. Rushmore-like stability. But it's not only the nightly news that has undergone a makeover.

The house Roone Arledge built at ABC News has shifted from a mix of high and low to a heavy emphasis on the latter, pushing "20/20" and "Primetime" in that direction and revamping "Nightline" in a manner that truly is, to quote one of its more annoying new features, a "sign of the times."

As for Couric, the trajectory of her personality-driven leap to CBS has proven strangely predictable: enormous initial curiosity followed by a dawning realization there's not much "there" there -- a point starkly underscored by her "How does one go about asking the secretary of state out on a date?" interview with Condoleezza Rice on "60 Minutes."

Small wonder so many who sampled Couric's "CBS Evening News" since abandoned it, leaving her with 7 million viewers during the Oct. 2-6 week -- 1.6 million behind front-running NBC, and back in the third-place hole Dan Rather and Bob Schieffer occupied.

CBS will undoubtedly tinker with the broadcast, but playing to Couric's strengths will only make it softer. Indeed, Rice's return to discuss the North Korean crisis last week underscored Couric's limitations when interviewing world leaders as opposed to lead singers and movie stars.

That places pressure to hold the journalistic line on Williams and ABC's Charles Gibson -- who peculiarly groused about the ads that air during his program to the Philadelphia Inquirer. Seriously, dude, ABC could run spots for "Mortal Kombat" and "Grand Theft Auto" and the "World News" audience would still skew old.

Given that Gibson is a stopgap anchor after ABC's extraordinary string of bad luck, the best hope is thus Williams, who spruced up the place with his own blog and other online accoutrements but ultimately remains a throwback. Stylistically, "Nightly News" mirrors a newspaper front page with the requisite feel-good garnishes, delivered in that unflappable "voice of God" that's received such a bad rap lately.

Mindful of this link, Williams' office contains various reminders of broadcasting's past, including a director's chair signed by Walter Cronkite. He also displays a desk placard courtesy of the Truman Library that reads "The buck stops here"-- indicating that he takes his managing editor title seriously.

Having weathered the promotional waves from Hurricane Katie, Williams appears well positioned to carry the broadcast news standard until some whippersnapper is ready to elbow him toward retirement. Given the flying circus around him, though, he really should avoid looking up or down -- much less left or right -- so by all means, stay under that hood.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117951879&categoryid=1682

foxeng

10-16-06, 05:44 PM

But there is no free "Market" and that is the problem.

(And Disney is getting over $2.60 for just the basic ESPN, not to mention ESPN2, News, Classic, etc.)

Sure there is free market. If a cable system doesnt want to pay for it, then don't take it. It seems to be working for the HD signals of OTA stations. Many cablcos don't think it is worth the what the stations want for local HD but they feel that $2.60 is just fine for ESPN. Sounds like free market is alive and well and that is my point. If the market thinks $2.60 is worth it for ESPN, they will pay for it. If not, they won't.

fredfa

10-16-06, 05:53 PM

Critic’s Notebook
State of the Season is so-so
By Verne Gay Newsday October 16, 2006 (Note: all times area ET/PT)

Admittedly there are more important things in the world - such as whether the Mets have Cleaned the Collective Clocks of the Cursed Cardinals by the time you read these words. But there must still be someone out there besides Ted Danson who cares whether "Help Me Help You" will survive (or meet a deserved demise), or whether reasonably decent shows like "Friday Night Lights" or "The Nine" will make it to November.

This column, then, is dedicated to them - and, oh yeah, Ted, too.

What follows is our annual state-of-the-new-fall-schedule analysis, looking at what's working, what's not, and based - as usual - on a careful tracking of the numbers, leavened by years of experience.

Which is to say, it's mostly pure guesswork. But our guesswork is just as good as the networks'. And the indisputable fact remains that four weeks into the new fall season, the late-summer, new-show hype has been sloughed off like the skin of a shedding snake. What's left now is the cold brutal truth: Most of this season's new shows will not survive.

Before we plunge in, a couple of notes. This analysis is based mostly on time-period performance - that is, how one time period performed versus a year go, and also takes into account young adult ratings (which is basically all the networks care about anyway.) By this measure, ABC gets an A- so far, while CBS and NBC each get a B-. Fox? Incomplete, due to baseball, but among new dramas, only "Justice" looks (likely) to survive.

And away we go ...

Sunday: As everyone pretty much expected, "Desperate Housewives" (about 21 million viewers) is down from this moment a year ago (27 mill) but "Brothers & Sisters" at 10 is still doing OK (just over 13 million) with a reasonable number of viewers 18 to 49. So, barring a disaster last night, this newcomer should survive nicely. NBC - natch - is thrilled with NFL football (and should be - around 15 mill), while CBS' new "Cold Case"/

"Without a Trace" workforce block has clicked too.

Monday: It stretches credulity to imagine CBS is happy with "The Class" at 8:30 (only 7.8 mill last week), but this show cost the network a bundle (NBC badly wanted it, too), so we give it more time.

NBC? Good news first. "Heroes" at 8 (13 mill last week) is a solid 18-49 hit, with a 5.7 rating versus "Las Vegas'" 4 rating last year. The network, meanwhile, talks a good game with "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," though not a particularly convincing one. In the absence of great numbers, it's been telling the press that at least rich people watch. (The rest of us working stiffs are apparently slumming it over at "CSI: Miami.") In raw numbers, "Studio 60" is settling around a disappointing 8 million, with a so-so 18-49 rating of around four. If that melts to a three, expect the hook.

Tuesday: NBC's "Friday Night Lights" (8 p.m., just over 7 mill on Oct. 4) is already staring into the abyss, though widespread critical favor could buy it a few more weeks. (8 p.m., by the way, has mostly been a black hole for NBC of late anyway.) Meanwhile, "Dancing With the Stars" (8 p.m.) has turned into a major hit for ABC (around 18 million hoofer-wanna-be's) even if that's mostly an older (read: less ad-friendly) audience. Most of those viewers bail by the time "Help Me Help You" rolls around at 9:30, which has hurt "Boston Legal" at 10. "Help Me," as a result, is a goner. Oh, and wondering about "Gilmore Girls," CW's signature show? It's tracking just under 5 million - a shocking decline from just under 6 million a year ago. The durable (former UPN) hit "Veronica Mars" is doing fine - recently around 3.6 mill, or better than its performance this time last year.

Wednesday: CBS' "Jericho" (around 10 million viewers) is the standout success of the night, mostly because it has so dramatically improved the onetime 8 p.m. CBS quagmire ("Yes, Dear," and "Still Standing" were former losers here.) The show, by the way, just got a full season pickup.

But we don't like "The Nine's" chances (ABC, 10, about 12 or so mill). Why? The audience literally evaporates when "Lost" (weakened versus early last year) wraps at 10.

Over at NBC, it's too early to call the 8 p.m. twofers, "30 Rock" (bowing to over 8 mill last week) and "Twenty Good Years" (well under 8). The former may get a new time period, though, if it slides much further.

Meanwhile, struggling CW finally sees some light on this night with "America's Next Top Model" (at 8; over 5 mill).

Thursday: The night! Or, should we say: The NIGHT! The most competitive Thursday in a lifetime, several lifetimes, a dozen lifetimes. The hyperboles just keep coming. And the night belongs to ABC, or mostly. First, "Grey's Anatomy" beat "CSI" by 1.2 million viewers last week (22.8 mill), and has won the past three out of the four weeks. Translation: We can now officially declare "G.A." the winner, and TV's top dog. "Ugly Betty" is doing fine (13.8 mill last week) but continues to slide a bit, week to week. At 10, "Six Degrees" (9.1 mill) looks terrifically troubled, considering that it continues to lose more than half of "Grey's" lead-in. "Shark" is settling in around a far more reasonable 14 mill.

Friday: Poor old Friday. Doesn't anyone watch TV on this night anymore? (And forget Saturday.) Maybe everyone's exhausted after Thursday. In any event, the only newcomer of note here is ABC's "Men in Trees" - with around 7 million viewers, and not an expected keeper for the long term.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/ny-ettel4935144oct16,0,3256398,print.column?coll=ny-television-headlines

fredfa

10-16-06, 06:16 PM

Critic’s Notebook
More high-powered drama
'Heroes' keeps getting better
By David Bianculli New York Daily News TV Critic

One of the biggest compliments a TV critic can pay to a weekly series - especially a show in its freshman season - is to add it to the already bloated list of must-watch programs. This year, the most surprising entrant on that elite list (earning a Season Pass on my TiVo DVR) is NBC's "Heroes."

What can I say? Based on the first three episodes (the last of which, with its killer autopsy-table cliffhanger, was televised last Monday), I gave "Heroes" a very supportive and enthusiastic three-star ranking. At the time, I thought I was going out on a limb, perhaps getting swept away by a show that hits all the right buttons of a former Marvel Comics-reading

kid who loves unpredictable and unusual television.

To my shock and delight, "Heroes" is one of the few serialized dramas embraced, rather than rejected, by the American public this season. Not only does "Heroes" improve substantially on its "Deal or No Deal" lead-in,

but after three weeks on the air, it has emerged as the top-rated new series in the all-important 18-49 age group. Last week, in that same category, it made the top 10 overall - not just against new series, but against all of them.

With "Smith" already pulled by CBS, and "Vanished" and "Kidnapped" banished to less competitive nights by Fox and NBC, respectively, the breakout success of "Heroes" is even more impressive. In one way, though, it makes sense. "Vanished" and "Kidnapped" sound like the same show (and were, essentially, though "Kidnapped" is far superior). And while NBC may have two shows about the making of a late-night sketch series, no one but NBC has a show this year about a bunch of ordinary people who find themselves suddenly endowed with extraordinary powers.

NBC has provided the next two shows for preview: tonight's "Chapter Four" (at 9), and next week's "Chapter Five." They're good enough to warrant a second review, with an extra half-star added. It's not too late to hop aboard this series, but if you wait any longer, you'll be missing out on a wild ride. (Each week, NBC makes the latest episode available free on its Web site, www.nbc.com).

The characters in "Heroes" still are coming to grips with the extent of their powers and how to use them. It's part of what makes them human, and a lot of what makes this show interesting. We know already, thanks to visions by two of the characters, that a nuclear blast is due to hit New York just after Election Day. But who's behind it? And how can our "Heroes" find each other in time, much less agree on the combined mission to prevent the disaster?

Sometimes they're tempted to use their new abilities for less than heroic ends, as when time-warping Hiro (Masi Oka) visits Las Vegas and manipulates the roulette wheel, or when cheerleader Claire (Hayden Panettiere), the girl with the astounding healing powers who found herself on the autopsy table last week, takes revenge on her attacker by taking him on the kind of drive usually reserved for crash-test dummies. Other times they're drawn, like animals in migration, to the same general direction.

"Heroes" contains too many enjoyable surprises to spoil any of them - but the paths of these people keep crossing, in much more entertaining a fashion than on, say, "Six Degrees." And yes, those cliffhanger endings are clear signatures now. Watch for them, wait for them, and enjoy them. Just like the rest of the show.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/ent_radio/story/461979p-388688c.html

fredfa

10-16-06, 06:19 PM

Sure there is free market. If a cable system doesnt want to pay for it, then don't take it. It seems to be working for the HD signals of OTA stations. Many cablcos don't think it is worth the what the stations want for local HD but they feel that $2.60 is just fine for ESPN. Sounds like free market is alive and well and that is my point. If the market thinks $2.60 is worth it for ESPN, they will pay for it. If not, they won't.

There is no free market for the consumer -- just for the corporations which provide the programming. And until recently many consumers had no choice in providers -- take it or leave it.

The fundamental change in the delivery system is what will spell the death-knell for such wide bundling.

HDTVChallenged

10-16-06, 06:22 PM

The only way to remedy the situation is a la carte pricing.

You would get what you pay for, not what the providers insist you get..

Hey, it works great in the world of cellular telecom ... well as long as you're not one of those folks that seem to have a cell phone permanently attached to your ear. ;) :D

flint350

10-16-06, 06:26 PM

to pay for this loathsome propaganda channel I never watch. Just great....Not at all, Sangs. I'd feel just as ripped off if an increase in my cable bill was perpetuated by CNN as FOX, MSNBC or any other single network.

That may be true, but it wouldn't afford the same opportunity to append a political viewpoint where it has no place. It seems any mention whatever of Fox often results in unnecessarily skewing the thread's purpose to a personal political slant. That is what fredfa was talking about and sangs, and now me. This is a frequent occurrence and apparently difficult to keep bottled up, where it belongs. No one was talking politics prior to this and they shouldn't be now IMO. Let's get back on point please.

CPanther95

10-16-06, 06:50 PM

We all knew the day would come when they'd have to pay the piper. 10 years ago, FNC had to beg, borrow and steal just to get carriage. Now they are one of the highest rated cable networks out there - now it's payback time. ;)

The $10 FNC paid per sub to get carriage means that the first 40 months (assuming $0.25 per month) of FNC were provided at no charge. $0.75 is ridiculous, but what's more ridiculous is the fact that it is a bargain compared to the fee charged by CNN for the past 10 years.

fredfa

10-16-06, 07:19 PM

Let's just cool the political rhetoric. The fact is that no one's political beliefs are going to be changed by posts in a TV thread.

On top of that, this really isn't the place, the real moderators have always allowed me tremendous leeway, and from day one almost everyone has refrained from the obvious political shots. So let's keep to that tradition.

There are many posts I simply don't make because they contain obvious hostility to CNN or Fox News or MSNBC or other programmers. Today's post was simply about an interesting business deal which has been on the horizon for months. And you have read posts about it here for months without going for the political shot.

Comment all you like on programming (or my taste in shows) but please let's do our best to keep the political posturing -- of whatever side -- out of the thread.

fredfa

10-16-06, 07:24 PM

TV Notbook
“BROTHERS & SISTERS” PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON

(ABC News Release)October 16, 2006

ABC’s new hit series “Brothers & Sisters” was picked up for a full season order, Stephen McPherson, president of ABC Entertainment, announced today. The critically acclaimed drama marking Calista Flockhart’s triumphant return to primetime television focuses on the Walker family, five complicated adult siblings who embrace one another unconditionally while striving to reflect the perceived perfection of their role model parents. The series is executive-produced by Ken Olin, playwright Jon Robin Baitz and Greg Berlanti.

“‘Brothers & Sisters’ is a great addition to our Sunday night lineup and has given us a strong complement to ‘Desperate Housewives,’” said McPherson.

This past Sunday “Brothers & Sisters” won the 10 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49 (4.9/12) and across key women (W18-34 - 5.3/14, W18-49 - 7.2/17 & W25-54 - 8.2/18), defeating both CBS and NBC in the hour (fast affiliate ratings for 10/15). The ABC freshman is the top new program on any night in the 10 o’clock hour among Adults 18-49 and is the second-highest-rated new series of the season among Adults 18-49. “Brothers & Sisters” leads its CBS drama competition in the time period across key adults demos by 47% in Adults 18-34 (4.4/12 vs. 3.0/8) and 22% with Adults 18-49 (5.5/14 vs. 4.5/11).

keenan

10-16-06, 07:37 PM

(My bad – I neglected to post this hours ago. Sorry.)
Sunday Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Family woes for 'Brothers and Sisters' '
New ABC soap continues to weaken in ratings
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct 16, 2006

Bummer.

TV Notbook
“BROTHERS & SISTERS” PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON

(ABC News Release)October 16, 2006

Yea!!

I'm not really sure why, but I really like this one, probably the great female cast, I think Sally Fields could potentially be a Emmy contender with her role.

fredfa

10-16-06, 07:41 PM

The games networks play….
TV Notebook
ABC Irked by NBC's NFL Scheduling Plan
By John Consoli MediaWeek Oct. 16, 2006

NBC is airing only local commercials in the first half-hour of its hour-long Sunday Football Night in America National Football League pregame show, which means Nielsen Media Research is not including one of the network’s lowest half-hours of the week in its national ratings. Rivals contend that leaving out that low-rated half-hour artificially lifts NBC’s national ratings profile.
Over the past three weeks, the show has averaged a 2.1 rating in adults 18-49 from 7-7:30 p.m., according to Nielsen fast-affiliate data which does measure that half-hour. The second half-hour, which contains national commercials, is averaging a 3.0.

Nielsen’s policy allows NBC to legitimately pursue its strategy—permitting live sports shoulder programming leading up to live sports telecasts to be commercially divided this way. But rival ABC is upset because on one of those past three Sundays, eliminating the 7-7:30 p.m. time period enabled NBC to beat ABC in the 18-49 demo for the night. Sunday is one of strongest nights on ABC’s schedule.

On Sunday evening Oct. 1, according to Nielsen’s fast-affiliate ratings, ABC recorded a 5.6 18-49 rating for the night and NBC recorded a 4.9 rating. But when Nielsen’s national ratings were released, excluding the 7-7:30 time period for NBC, it gave the network a ratings win, boosting its 18-49 demo to a 5.9. In that half-hour, NBC recorded only a 2.3 in the 18-49 demo.

“It just doesn’t seem like full disclosure,” argued Jeff Bader, executive vp of ABC Entertainment, who added that NBC gains what he considers an unfair advantage. Under Nielsen rules, networks cannot drop ratings for scripted shows. “If we could exclude the first half-hour of our 7 p.m. Sunday show, America’s Funniest Home Videos, the hour ratings would be a 4.0 versus a 2.8,” Bader added.

NBC representative Liz Fischer said the network gave all the commercial time in the first half-hour of its NFL pregame show to its affiliates to sell locally as part of its deal with affiliates, which contributed to help pay for the network’s $600 million per year TV rights deal for Sunday Night Football. While NBC would not release specifics, one NBC station executive said the network gave the affiliates three commercial spots in the half-hour and also moved the two spots the affiliates would normally get in the hour, up into the first half-hour.
But ABC insiders said they are skeptical of that explanation, wondering why then the network wouldn’t give the affiliates units they could sell at higher rates in better rated shows spread across the schedule. “This artificially juices their national averages and it is just not playing fair,” said one ABC official. “And it can have implications on the entire season’s 18-49 ratings race.”

One NBC station executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, even conceded, “While we’re happy with the arrangement, I wouldn’t say that the network’s whole strategy was just to be nice to its affiliates.”

Nielsen representative Laura James said NBC “is within its rights to do this” under Nielsen regulations. “What they have done is legitimate.”

What gives NBC an advantage is that on many Sundays during the NFL season, the
4 p.m. NFL games on Fox and CBS overrun into the 7-7:30 p.m. time period, which means a ratings windfall for them, and lower ratings for other networks.

For example, on Oct. 8, the Fox NFL telecast overrun from 7-7:30 p.m. recorded an 8.6 18-49 rating, while the other four networks each averaged a 2.0 or lower in the demo. NBC, in that time period, averaged a 1.8—and, playing by Nielsen’s rulebook, simply wiped that number off its national ledger.

With the 18-49 ratings race for the season again expected to be decided by as little as a tenth of a rating point, NBC’s elimination of 14 low-rated prime-time half-hours could indeed have an impact on the outcome.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003254739

fredfa

10-16-06, 07:44 PM

Bummer.

Yea!!

I'm not really sure why, but I really like this one, probably the great female cast, I think Sally Fields could potentially be a Emmy contender with her role.

Interesting how both Berman and Fitzgerald got it so wrong.

But if I were ABC, I'd switch "Men In Trees" to Sunday following "DH" and move "Brothers & Sisters" to Thursday at 10 PM after "Grey's Anatomy". I think the flow for each would be better.

fredfa

10-16-06, 07:45 PM

Oh yeah, and move either "The Nine" or "Six Degrees" to 9 PM Fridays, where their ratings wouldn't be such a problem.

foxeng

10-16-06, 07:50 PM

There is no free market for the consumer -- just for the corporations which provide the programming. And until recently many consumers had no choice in providers -- take it or leave it.

Well.... I don't know if that is true or not. As has been shown in the HD programming, if D* doesn't have INHD and your local cableco does, and you want INHD, you as the consumer DO have a choice. Change providers (just ask all of the people here who change providers at the drop of a hat for reasons beyond programming choice). Looks like that is free market for the consumer. Not any different if you have a favorate beer and store A doesn't carry it but store B does, you go to store B. Sounds like free market to me.

Davinleeds

10-16-06, 07:53 PM

Sorry, except your choice of ABC,CBS, Etc.

keenan

10-16-06, 07:55 PM

Interesting how both Berman and Fitzgerald got it so wrong.

But if I were ABC, I'd switch "Men In Trees" to Sunday following "DH" and move "Brothers & Sisters" to Thursday at 10 PM after "Grey's Anatomy". I think the flow for each would be better.
I agree, it would have better flow.

archiguy

10-16-06, 07:56 PM

That may be true, but it wouldn't afford you quite the same opportunity to append your ever-anticipated and always foaming-at-the-mouth over-stated political viewpoint where it has no place.

Feel better now flint? Glad I could help. :rolleyes: If you have any further advice for me, I recommend PM. A bit more civilized than personal attacks in an open forum.

fredfa

10-16-06, 08:06 PM

TV Sports
ESPN Monday Night Football Rushes to Record Ratings
By Anthon Crupi MediaWeek Oct. 16, 2006

With a quarter of the 2006-’07 National Football League schedule on the books, ESPN appears to have made good on its $8.8 billion gambit to bring the hallowed Monday Night Football franchise to cable.

Over the course of six games—ESPN kicked off its stewardship of MNF on Sept. 11 with a regional doubleheader slate split between the AFC and the NFC—the network is averaging 12.9 million total viewers and 7.1 million adults 18-49, making it the No. 1 network on Monday nights in the demo and putting the lie to the notion that the prime-time pigskin audience would plummet outside of broadcast’s protective halo.

Indeed, early forecasts of a loss of a quarter or more of MNF’s viewership have proved to be as ill-conceived as the retro porn ’stache Denver Broncos’ quarterback Jake Plummer tends to sport in the latter part of the season. Compared to the 15.1 million total viewers ABC averaged with its final season of MNF over the comparable time period, the show is down just 15 percent, a trifle when ESPN’s reach is factored in. (The net reaches 92.2 million households, or just about 84 percent of all U.S. TV homes.)

As expected, ESPN’s early success has made MNF a must-have for its ad clients, and inventory is “all but sold out,” said Ed Erhardt, president of ESPN/ABC Sports customer marketing and sales. Moreover, the network is outpacing its sell-out rate of a year ago. “We were in the low-90 percent range at this point last year with our Sunday Night Football inventory,” Erhardt said.

Ed Gentner, senior vp and group director, MediaVest USA, said what’s different this year is that MNF doesn’t call for ESPN to have to do business with a divergent client roster. “When ABC sold Monday Night Football, they had a different advertiser profile for those games than they did for rest of their schedule,” Gentner said. “With ESPN, it’s almost like they’re working with a pure client base. The viewers who come to Monday Night Football are the same people who are watching their other programming.”

Another new factor is the amount of MNF inventory ESPN has up for sale. Because ESPN enjoys a second revenue stream from its carriage fees, the NFL puts a ceiling on its national avails, limiting it to 43 in-game spots versus the 60 to 65 opportunities broadcast enjoys. The remainder goes to the operators, which sell their parcel as local avails.

As Erhardt noted, ESPN conformed to the same strategy last year, selling 43 avails on Sunday nights, while ABC Sports sold the requisite 60-65 in-game spots on Monday nights. “I’m selling both nights, so in the bigger picture, our inventory hasn’t changed,” Erhardt said. That notwithstanding, ESPN has also been able to add virtual inventory around the MNF games themselves as part of its “surround” strategy, which begins teasing the game of the week beginning at 3 p.m. Monday afternoons with a special two-hour edition of SportsCenter, which in turn leads into another three-and-a-half hours of pre-game content.

“The effect Monday Night Football has had on their ancillary football programming is impressive,” Gentner said. “All of that is up as well, and that’s huge for them.”

The network is also spreading the wealth to its non-linear properties, inking deals that incorporate ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPN: The Magazine and podcasts. Just days before the regular season began, ESPN said it had cut a multiplatform deal with Wal-Mart, marking the retailer’s largest sports buy to-date.

“Wal-Mart had never really bought the NFL before, so their committing to Monday nights is big for us,” Erhardt said. Designed to highlight Wal-Mart’s selection of high-definition TV models, the deal attaches the retailer’s HDTV messaging to the SportsCenter “Pump Up the Volume” football highlights segment and NFL Countdown’s “Soundtracks” feature. Wal-Mart will also pitch its HDTV sets on ESPN’s digital platforms.

Presenting sponsors include Toyota/Lexus, which underwrites the MNF halftime show and General Motors, which has undertaken its largest promotion to date with “Keys to Victory,” a campaign supporting the launch of its 2007 Sierra pickup. The GMC brand and the Sierra are featured prominently throughout MNF’s opening montage and both appear in a co-branded spot produced by ESPN to promote the Monday night game.

Besides auto and the always reliable endemic, beer, Erhardt said that financial services have been particularly active on MNF, as have wireless and consumer electronics.

According to a consensus of media buyers, ESPN commands somewhere in the neighborhood of $200,000 for each of its 30-second spots on Monday nights. By comparison, as the only other network that boasts an exclusive prime-time game, NBC is said to be averaging anywhere from $350,000 to $400,000 per spot during its Sunday night pre-game show Football Night in America and the game itself.

Being the only game in town isn’t the only factor heating up ESPN’s fall. Larry Novenstern, executive vp, director of national electronic media, Optimedia U.S., said MNF has been given a lift by major-market games. “So far, the only small-market game was the Steelers-Jaguars game [Sept. 18],” Novenstern said.

“Historically, in the first year of a new contract, the NFL usually tries to give their partners a good schedule going in.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003254737

shuttermaker

10-16-06, 08:13 PM

TV Notbook
“BROTHERS & SISTERS” PICKED UP FOR A FULL SEASON

(ABC News Release)October 16, 2006

My wife appreciates this update. You just made her night. I on the other hand, just found an extra hour to sit on the computer...lol

fredfa

10-16-06, 08:26 PM

Glad I could cheer one of you up! :)

As for me, I guess I now should start going back and taking a look at the TiVo'd episodes. I frankly thought it wasn't going to make it.

GeorgeLV

10-16-06, 08:28 PM

Well.... I don't know if that is true or not. As has been shown in the HD programming, if D* doesn't have INHD and your local cableco does, and you want INHD, you as the consumer DO have a choice. Change providers (just ask all of the people here who change providers at the drop of a hat for reasons beyond programming choice). Looks like that is free market for the consumer. Not any different if you have a favorate beer and store A doesn't carry it but store B does, you go to store B. Sounds like free market to me.

No, it doesn't sound anything at all like a free market. You can't just buy a "beer" from store A or store B, they'll only sell you the variety pack, even though you just want a Heineken. Oh, and store B doesn't have cooler capacity* problem so they don't have bottles, just unsatisfyings cans. Sure sounds like a free market to me...

*that's a thinly veiled analogy to bandwidth and HD-lite

fredfa

10-16-06, 08:37 PM

I thought it was a very apt analogy, GeorgeLV -- but I am not sure I agree it was "thinly-veiled"! :)

Davinleeds

10-16-06, 08:43 PM

My wife appreciates this update. You just made her night. I on the other hand, just found an extra hour to sit on the computer...lol
Ditto, she likes it, more quiet time for me.

CPanther95

10-16-06, 08:47 PM

The games networks play….
TV Notebook
ABC Irked by NBC's NFL Scheduling Plan
By John Consoli MediaWeek Oct. 16, 2006

The whole Nielsen system is smoke and mirrors and all the networks manipulate the system (sweeps stunts, 1:01 run times, etc.). Can anyone really fault NBC for playing the game?

It's like ABC pulled an "ace" out of their sleve, but is pissed that someone changed it to a "2".

Davinleeds

10-16-06, 09:00 PM

I can see NBC and CBS do take the weekend games, and the forum is affected when the pigskin is in the air. The rotation of time will return to ABC. etc.

fredfa

10-16-06, 09:11 PM

I can see NBC and CBS do take the weekend games, and the forum is affected when the pigskin is in the air. The rotation of time will return to ABC. etc.

You have noticed, too, Dave?

Sundays from 1-7:30 PM ET, I could post every five minutes here and it wouldn't boost page views a bit.

Of course I often post a lot Sunday anyway, but that is my problem. :)

fredfa

10-16-06, 09:12 PM

The whole Nielsen system is smoke and mirrors and all the networks manipulate the system (sweeps stunts, 1:01 run times, etc.). Can anyone really fault NBC for playing the game?

It's like ABC pulled an "ace" out of their sleve, but is pissed that someone changed it to a "2".

Agreed. They all play the game as best they can. It seems to me NBC made a good move -- the 7-7:30 half hour is usually dominated by NFL runovers on CBS or Fox anyhow. And both those networks are happy to have the extra ratings.

foxeng

10-16-06, 09:17 PM

No, it doesn't sound anything at all like a free market. You can't just buy a "beer" from store A or store B, they'll only sell you the variety pack, even though you just want a Heineken. Oh, and store B doesn't have cooler capacity* problem so they don't have bottles, just unsatisfyings cans. Sure sounds like a free market to me...

*that's a thinly veiled analogy to bandwidth and HD-lite

I stand by my statement.

fredfa

10-16-06, 09:20 PM

I think it's time to get off the a la carte discussion, too.

We all know where we stand, and we aren't changing anyone's opinions.

I will continue to post interesting items -- pro and con -- about the issue as warranted, even though it is clear where I stand.

dean-l

10-16-06, 10:27 PM

^Boy, that's just great. The first domino has fallen in the FOX News assault on cable carriers. When the rest of the carriers knuckle under to this, as they undoubtedly will, I can expect my cable bill to increase by $.50 a month just to pay for this loathsome propaganda channel I never watch. Just great. :rolleyes:

Another person who probably doesn't bother to actually watch. The channel is more than just O-Reilly. The Sunday Morning news show, Beltway Boys, etc.

IF CNN (speaking of propaganda) has to lower its rates, because the channel stinks, then maybe it'll balance.

Anyway, why can't the otherside have "A" news channel? It's always OK....for ONE side, never the other.

fredfa

10-16-06, 11:08 PM

And Eric Burns' weekly look at the media...but let's get off the Fox News bashing and Fox News praising.

Please.

fredfa

10-17-06, 12:20 AM

TV Notebook
Reality Intrudes on ABC’s Big Reality Hit
By Edward Wyatt The New York Times October 17, 2006

LOS ANGELES, Oct. 16 — “Dancing With the Stars,” the ABC hit that is the highest-rated reality show on television this fall, will go on without one of the six final couples this week. Sara Evans, a country music star, has dropped out after filing for divorce from her husband of 13 years.

Ms. Evans, named female vocalist of the year by the Academy of Country Music earlier this year, filed for divorce in state court in Tennessee on Thursday from her husband, Craig L. Schelske, a Republican fund-raiser.

Ms. Evans, 35, informed the show’s producers and ABC executives last week that she would drop out of the competition, Hope Hartman, an ABC spokeswoman, said Monday. Ms. Hartman said the network would not otherwise comment on the withdrawal’s effect on the show until after this week’s installments, which will be broadcast Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Tennessean newspaper quoted Ms. Evans’s lawyer, John Hollins Jr., on Saturday as saying that the singer would tape an interview with ABC about her withdrawal, to be broadcast during Tuesday’s show. Mr. Hollins did not respond to a telephone message yesterday.

In unusually explicit court papers, Ms. Evans accused her husband of adultery with the couple’s former nanny, excessive drinking, soliciting sex via an Internet site and maintaining a library of pornography that included pictures of him having sex with other women.

Mr. Schelske, 43, could not be reached for comment. In a statement issued through a spokesman, he said: “I adamantly deny the allegations that are being made. As distressing as it is to have to communicate about this matter publicly, Sara has unfortunately become a dramatically different person over the last year, and it is something we have struggled to deal with. Sadly, it appears we have failed.”

According to court filings from Williamson County, Tenn., a state judge on Thursday approved a temporary restraining order and custody order based on the allegations in Ms. Evans’s divorce request.

The couple and their three children, who live near Nashville, had been residing in Beverly Hills, Calif., while Ms. Evans was participating in “Dancing With the Stars,” a ballroom-dance competition that is broadcast live Tuesday nights at 8 Eastern time on ABC. A results show, which combines viewer voting with the recommendations of a panel of professional dance judges, is shown live on Wednesdays, following the two-night format popularized by “American Idol,” last year’s top-rated television show.

According to Nielsen Media Research, “Dancing With the Stars” was the fourth-highest-rated show and the top-rated reality show in the first three weeks of the fall television season, drawing an average of 18.2 million viewers each week and trailing only “Grey’s Anatomy,” “CSI” and “Desperate Housewives.” The results show ranked seventh over all, with 16.1 million viewers.

In the 2005-6 television season, “Dancing With the Stars” ranked seventh over all, drawing an average of 18.5 million viewers each week. “American Idol” drew an average of 31 million viewers each week.

Although she was only one of the 11 celebrity contestants who began the season, each paired with a professional ballroom dancer for training and competition, Ms. Evans attracted more than the usual amount of attention. Tom DeLay, the former United States Congressman and Republican leader from Texas, recently sent out a mass e-mail message asking supporters to watch the show and vote for Ms. Evans, whom he called “a good friend of mine, country music singer and G.O.P. supporter.”

Saying that Ms. Evans “represents good American values in the media” and noting that one of her opponents in the competition was “ultra-liberal talk show host Jerry Springer,” Mr. DeLay added: “We need to send a message to Hollywood and the media that smut has no place on television by supporting good people like Sara Evans.”

Ms. Evans’s divorce filing says Mr. Schelske is unemployed, but he is listed online as the chairman of CraigPAC, a political action committee dedicated to electing Republicans in state and national races, whose name stands for Conservative Reform Agenda in Government. The committee’s Web site also says that Mr. Schelske is president of Gingerdog Inc., which promotes Ms. Evans’s singing career.

Mr. Schelske, who ran unsuccessfully in 2002 for the Republican nomination for the Fifth Congressional District in Oregon, is also listed online as the executive director of American Destiny, a nonprofit organization that promotes the role of religion in the founding of the United States.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/arts/television/17star.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=television&pagewanted=print

slocko

10-17-06, 04:18 AM

i still get a kick out of the fact that a Spanish soap (Ugly Betty) is a hit show on network television. i have to admit the title sounds horrible in english.

i remember watching the soap and it was very entertaining. one nice thing about spanish soaps is that they air at night and the entire family gathers around to watch it. haven't watched one in a while, but when my kids are older i plan to restart the tradition from my youth.

well, i'm still in italy. keeping my fingers crossed my tivo is recording everything i set up before i left.

i thought i would miss watching tv, but strangely enough i haven't missed it a bit.

fredfa

10-17-06, 10:31 AM

Good to hear from you, slocko!

I hope things are going well -- have you tried watching any of your favorites online?

slocko

10-17-06, 10:45 AM

strange thing is that once you break that cord that tethers you to the TV, watching TV just doesn't seem that important anymore. maybe it's the fact i know that everything that i want to watch is probably being recorded, if not i can download it from ********** and watch it on my big screen tv when i get back sometime next year.

also, i guess you get spoiled by watching tv on a 67 inch screen with a decent 5.1 system and rather wait until i can watch them in that medium.

grittree

10-17-06, 10:45 AM

Too bad ABC didn't insert Stacy Keibler for Evans. I'd vote for her even if she just stood there. :>

fredfa

10-17-06, 10:56 AM

fredfa

10-17-06, 11:01 AM

TV Sports
CBS and Fox Play Favorites as N.F.L. Flexes Its Schedule
By Richard Sandomir The New York Times October 17, 2006

Only 14 shopping days until the flexible schedule season starts.

That is when the National Football League will decide whether to replace the game now penciled into NBC’s Sunday night slate Nov. 12 with a potentially better one from CBS or Fox schedules that afternoon.

The process that begins with the selection of the Nov. 12 game in Week 10 will be repeated in Weeks 11 to 15, and once more in Week 17.

A decision to stick with the game tentatively situated on NBC’s schedule, or to jettison it, will be made no later than 12 days in advance.

The excitement of the inaugural Season of the Flex will not be seen on television. NBC is not planning a selection show. Neither is the NFL Network.

There isn’t even a sponsor for it. Yet. The league will simply issue a news release. Howard Katz, the league’s senior vice president for media operations, said, “We want to get the information out to our teams and our fans out as quickly as we can.”

The 12-day window is designed to let the league analyze the impact of the previous Monday night’s game, but NBC’s game could be selected and announced 13 or more days in advance.

The first phase of the Flex season has been completed, and it largely escaped the notice of those more interested in Terrell Owens.

After Week 4, CBS and Fox had to submit to the league four games they wanted to protect in Weeks 10 through 15, leaving two unprotected. That’s a lot of mandatory forecasting with a quarter of the season elapsed.

“It’s really difficult,” said Tony Petitti, the executive vice president of CBS Sports. “We looked at whether there was a dominating game we had to protect; at NBC’s games to see how likely they would hold up; and at our schedule, even when NBC’s game looks pretty good, to see what would happen if we lost X game.”

Before the season, Ed Goren, the president of Fox Sports, said, “Why should our crystal ball be better than NBC’s in trying to figure out which games are protected?”

Katz said that requiring the protected lists so early might have been overly conservative, but the league was guided by the possibility that another team would emerge from the cellar, as Cincinnati did last season.

“The concern was that if you let CBS and Fox protect too late in the season, a surprise team couldn’t play its way onto the prime-time schedule,” Katz said, “because they would always be protected.”

CBS and Fox will be called upon to protect a fifth game, but not until 6 to 12 days before the Pittsburgh-Cincinnati game in Week 17, which, for now, looks as if it is not going to be replaced.

The N.F.L. has never released NBC’s tentative schedule. They are all spaceholders in a way, although heading into Week 7, NBC seems to have four games it would want to keep: Chicago-Giants on Nov. 12, Philadelphia-Indianapolis on Nov. 26, Seattle-Denver on Dec. 3 and Pittsburgh-Cincinnati on Dec. 31. But injuries and other vagaries could render some of these games unattractive.

In Week 11, NBC is saddled with a weak-looking game: Washington (2-4) against Tampa Bay (1-4). In weeks like this, CBS and Fox will be tested for how intelligently they protect their best games. Has CBS used one of its protected picks to keep Indianapolis-Dallas out of NBC’s clutches? Has Fox kept Atlanta-Baltimore for that Sunday? Would the league then slide Cincinnati-New Orleans, Chicago-Jets or San Diego-Denver to NBC?

In Week 14, NBC has New England-Miami, but Miami’s 1-5 start is not a good omen. If CBS retains Indianapolis-Jacksonville, would Fox leave New Orleans-Dallas or Giants-Carolina unguarded?

In Week 15, common sense dictates that CBS has protected its Pittsburgh-Carolina game and that Fox would have designated the Giants-Philadelphia game as off limits. What would be left to slide over to NBC if the Kansas City-San Diego game is not solid enough to retain? Maybe Tampa Bay-Chicago, if the Bears remain hot and the Buccaneers improve.

Katz said that NBC would not get everything it wanted.

“We have to look at what losing a game will do to the competitive balance between CBS and Fox,” he said. “NBC can’t say, ‘I want this game because it’s unprotected.’ ” (Those are debates I’d want to see on “Flexible Selection Day in America.”)

A firm restriction is the limit on the number of times a team can appear in prime-time games. Currently, the basic limit is five total, on NBC, ESPN and the NFL Network, but three teams are exempt to appear six times. So NBC cannot load up on hot or popular teams like Pittsburgh, Dallas, Chicago or New England, which already have three to five prime-time commitments.

How much the Flex will matter to NBC’s viewership is unknown. For now, it’s good for chatter, a bit of an amusing Rubik’s Cube of scheduling.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/17/sports/17sandomir.html?adxnnl=1&adxnnlx=1161097168-U439q/eQEk5HWjs8upKKnw&pagewanted=print

fredfa

10-17-06, 11:06 AM

TV Notebook
Pick-up game: ABC won't disown "Brothers & Sisters"
By Melanie McFarland Seattle Post-Intelligencer TV Critic in her TV blog

Television makes its stars, not the other way around.

Don't believe me? Ask Ray Liotta and Virginia Madsen, recently pink-slipped from CBS when "Smith" got canned.

That said, there are some cases in which a series gets granted a reprieve strictly on the basis of the faith a network has in its cast, if not the show's ratings. Put "Brothers & Sisters" in that column. The series stars Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths and Sally Field, and in spite of decent acting, gets only so-so ratings. Undaunted, ABC gave it a full season pick-up.

Now, a little behind-the-scenes confessing: Many TV sponges get a good deal of help from a fine daily newsletter called The Programming Insider, written by industry soothsayer and Mediaweek columnist Marc Berman. Every day he gets the overnight ratings from Nielsen and crunches the numbers, breaking down the math on total viewers, households and pertinent demos, i.e., the all-important 18-49 and 25-54 categories.

(Note to self: Add Mr. Berman to holiday list of beef-log recipients.)

Anyhoo, because of his excellent work, I can tell you that ABC is doing "Brothers & Sisters" a favor here, because it ain't looking so hot. Sunday's episode averaged an 8.4 in the ratings, coming in second to "Without a Trace." To put this in perspective, its lead-in, "Desperate Housewives," earned a 13.7. The show kept only about 61 percent of that audience, and lost about 12 percent more halfway through the hour.

On the upside, according to ABC, it is the network's second-highest-rated new show. There are worse candidates to stick with, I suppose -- although Anne Heche's "Men in Trees" might defy the odds and squeak by for a season, too. It actually grows its audience out of its lead-in, a rerun of "Grey's Anatomy." Then again, that repeat attracted fewer than 6 million viewers last Friday. If a new show can't beat that, it doesn't deserve to live.

Congratulations, "Brothers & Sisters." Now you have enough time to liven things up a little.

http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/print.asp?entryID=107741

fredfa

10-17-06, 11:20 AM

TV Notebook
CBS Schedule Reality Show Finales
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/17/2006

CBS has scheduled the finales for reality series Amazing Race and Survivor for Sunday, December 10 and Sunday, December 17, respectively.

Race signs off on December 10th with a one-hour finale from 8-9, its regular time slot this season.

Survivor gets a full three hours a week later with the finale from 8-10 and a live reunion show from Los Angeles at 10.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6381920

fredfa

10-17-06, 11:24 AM

Critic’s Notebook
“Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip”
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

…As for ''Studio 60,'' I still think Matthew Perry is terrific. Am already tired of Maureen Dowd, or whatever it is they're calling the Christine Lahti character. Sarah Paulson's Nancy Grace isn't as good as her Holly Hunter, but I almost laughed at the premise of that sketch, which may be the only time I have even thought about laughing at one of the sketches within ''Studio 60.'' Didn't for a second believe the whole reality show/HBO show storyline.

Mildly amused by the shout-out to my colleague David Bianculli (you may have noticed ''Bianculli'' in the crawl in the Grace bit) and by the ''bad cack in the schoolyard'' line, which is the comment that caused Aaron Sorkin so much embarrassment on the TV critics' press tour this summer, but those are both way inside baseball.

Summing up, it wasn't good but it wasn't quite as annoying as last week's episode. Then again, I wasn't stufffing envelopes during last week. All things considered, I could have spent my time better by just watching last week's ''The Office'' again, twice….

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

RemyM

10-17-06, 11:37 AM

TV Sports
CBS and Fox Play Favorites as N.F.L. Flexes Its Schedule
By Richard Sandomir The New York Times October 17, 2006

The N.F.L. has never released NBC’s tentative schedule. They are all spaceholders in a way, although heading into Week 7, NBC seems to have four games it would want to keep: Chicago-Giants on Nov. 12, Philadelphia-Indianapolis on Nov. 26, Seattle-Denver on Dec. 3 and Pittsburgh-Cincinnati on Dec. 31. But injuries and other vagaries could render some of these games unattractive.

This is my problem with this whole flex schedule thing. I don't like that it is so secretive. It would have been nice to know back when the schedule came out that the Giants vs Bears on Nov 12 was penciled in for NBC. I share Giants season tickets and I hate going the Sunday and Monday night games because you get home between 1 and 2 am and have to work the next day. I would have never picked that as one of my games had I known. What, they don't want to hurt the fans feelings when they drop their teams game for a better one. Don't worry, we know when our teams stink and don't deserve prime time showing. I'd be much happier if my game is moved from 8:30 to 1:00, then the other way around. Tell us what games are protected now too so we don't have to worry about them moving.

fredfa

10-17-06, 11:47 AM

Sadly, RemyM, the fans who actually buy tickets are far, far down the list of priorities in most major sports.

shuttermaker

10-17-06, 11:47 AM

This is my problem with this whole flex schedule thing. I don't like that it is so secretive. It would have been nice to know back when the schedule came out that the Giants vs Bears on Nov 12 was penciled in for NBC. I share Giants season tickets and I hate going the Sunday and Monday night games because you get home between 1 and 2 am and have to work the next day. I would have never picked that as one of my games had I known. What, they don't want to hurt the fans feelings when they drop their teams game for a better one. Don't worry, we know when our teams stink and don't deserve prime time showing. I'd be much happier if my game is moved from 8:30 to 1:00, then the other way around. Tell us what games are protected now too so we don't have to worry about them moving.

At some point I may feel your pain. I drive about 250 miles from S.C to Jax for all of the Jags home games. Not sure if this flex will be affecting me yet but, the night games DO take their toll on weekday mornings.

fredfa

10-17-06, 12:14 PM

All other polls are interesting in their way, but a poll of advertising people probably is far more relevant about what will be happening to the new TV shows than any other. Here is a look at how some people on Madison Avenue them are feeling:
The New Season
Readers: TV-wise, an excess of riches
This season it's a case of too many good shows
By Diego Vasquez medialifemagazine staff writer Oct 17, 2006

Ever since TV began, the fall beef was always the same: too little quality television and way too much dreck. So critics complained, and so did viewers and pretty much everyone else.

This year, in what is surely a historic departure, there in fact may be too many good shows on television, new and returning, and simply not enough hours in the day to watch them. And in this competition for eyeballs, it means new shows that in other years stood a good chance of becoming hits are struggling to win even decent ratings.

That's the thinking of media planners and buyers in a Media Life poll last week. How else can one explain the number of shows with good reviews from critics, as well as media buyers, that just aren't bringing in audiences, such as "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," the high-concept NBC drama whose ratings may be stabilizing but are well below what media buyers had expected?

"There are too many good options. People are selecting their absolute favorites and sticking with them," wrote one respondent, while another opined. "People don't have the time to watch all. They have to be very selective. Also, cable is stronger than ever."

Wrote another: "I think too many shows required too much of viewers in terms of paying attention during the shows and not missing any episodes. There are only so many can't-miss shows viewers are willing to invest in. Sitcoms used to fill the void of shows which required no viewer loyalty to comprehend. The problem here is once one's missed the premiere, it seems pointless to try watching episode 2."

And yet another: "It's simply not possible to watch all of the good network TV these days. Ten years ago, I'd have been thrilled to have ‘Kidnapped’ or even ‘Men In Trees,’ but not now when there are quality drama/dramedies almost every night of the week."
But that said, media planners and buyers have little trouble deciding this early what are the new hits and the big disappointments.

Readers pick ABC to win the season, and by a healthy majority, 64.9 percent, way ahead of Fox, the presumed favorite, at 19.9 percent.

The most impressive new show? "Ugly Betty."

The ABC show was the top pick at 40.8 percent of respondents, ahead of NBC's "Heroes" at 33.8 percent. CBS's "Jericho" came in at 18.1 percent. Write-in favorites included "Brothers & Sisters," "Smith," "The Nine" and "Standoff."

The biggest disappointment for readers?

"Studio 60" at 33.2 percent, followed by "Smith" at 21.3 percent. Third was NBC's "Friday Night Lights" at 17.8 percent, just ahead of ABC's "Six Degrees" at 15.4 percent.

Among returning shows, nearly half of respondents, 44 percent, said ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” has been most impressive. Second was NBC’s “ER” at 20.9 percent, followed by ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” at 16.7 percent, Fox’s “House” at 6.4 percent, CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” at 4.3 percent, and CBS’s “Without a Trace” at 3.5 percent. Four percent chose other.

Media Life asked what the most surprising development of the new season has been, and nearly a third, 32.4 percent, agreed that it was the networks’ inability to launch strong new shows out of existing hits.

In second place, with 27.6 percent of the vote, was the success of NBC’s “Heroes” and third, with 24.4 percent of the vote, was the power shifts on weekday nights between ABC, NBC and CBS. Last at 12 percent was the slow start for the new CW network.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_7932.asp

fredfa

10-17-06, 12:23 PM

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

fredfa

10-17-06, 12:33 PM

Monday Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
NBC's 'Studio 60' tumbles to new low
Troubled drama falls 18 percent, to a 3.1 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald medialifemagazine staff writer Oct 17, 2006

After recording its first week-to-week uptick in ratings last week, NBC’s highly touted drama “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” dipped to a series-low for last night’s episode, erasing all of the previous week’s gains and then some.

The 10 p.m. show averaged a 3.1 in adults 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, down 18 percent from last week’s 3.8. It was also down 9 percent from the show’s previous low, a 3.4 on Oct. 2.

“Strip” dipped to third place in the timeslot, behind ABC’s “What About Brian,” which was up week to week from its premiere.

So what’s the problem with “Strip?” Though certainly one issue, already raised by media people, is that the show is too inside Hollywood to draw non-media junkies, it may also be that the show’s quality is sliding.

After an excellent pilot, the show has slumped into inertia of sorts, with a love story that doesn’t go anywhere and no overall plotline giving the show urgency. Another issue is the writing for the show-within-a-show’s comedy sketches. They’re rarely funny, and they take up too much of the program’s time.

Certainly all new shows go through ups and downs creatively, and though the stories may have faltered, creator Aaron Sorkin still offers crackling dialogue. But this latest ratings downturn is certainly not good for a show that media people already tabbed the year’s most disappointing in a recent Media Life poll.

Yet it’s worth noting that NBC still won the night among 18-49s, its fourth victory in five weeks, thanks to the strength of its 8-10 p.m. lineup of “Deal or No Deal” and “Heroes.”

Meanwhile, things looked much better at the CW, where its revamped Monday lineup debuted to much stronger ratings. The four-sitcom block was up 15 percent among 18-34s over the most recent original episodes of former timeslot occupants “Seventh Heaven” and “Runaway.”

The CW averaged a 1.5 on the night, and every show was up at least 17 percent over its first two outings on Sunday night.

NBC finished first for the evening with its 4.7 rating and 12 share among 18-49s, followed by CBS at 4.5/11, ABC at 3.6/9, Fox and Univision at 1.5/4 and the CW at 1.3/3.

ABC’s ratings may change when final numbers are released later today, as its Monday line-up was pre-empted in the Chicago market for the Chicago at Arizona ESPN “Monday Night Football” game. And at 8 p.m., ABC's “Wife Swap” was pre-empted in several markets for local political debates, including Detroit, Grand Rapids, Harrisburg, Flint, Green Bay, Syracuse and Cedar Rapids.

At 8 p.m., NBC’s “Deal” led at 5.2, followed by ABC’s 3.6 for “Swap,” CBS’s 3.2 for “How I Met Your Mother” (3.4) and “The Class” (3.1), Univision’s 2.0 for “La Fea Mas Bella,” Fox’s 1.5 for a “House” repeat and CW’s 1.3 for “Everybody Hates Chris” (1.3) and “All of Us” (1.3).

At 9 p.m., NBC’s “Heroes” remained steady at 5.7, followed by CBS’s 4.7 for “Two and a Half Men” (5.2) and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” (4.2), ABC’s 3.7 for “The Bachelor: Rome,” Fox’s 1.6 for another “House” repeat, Univision’s 1.5 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW’s 1.4 for “Girlfriends” (1.5) and “The Game” (1.3).

At 10 p.m., CBS’s “CSI: Miami” led at 5.6, followed by ABC’s “Brian” at 3.5, “Strip” at 3.1 and Univision’s “Cristina” at 1.1.

Among households CBS led with an 8.9/14, followed by NBC at 7.8/12, ABC at 6.2/9, Fox at 3.1/5, Univision at 2.0/3 and the CW at 1.9/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_7955.asp

fredfa

10-17-06, 01:08 PM

TV Sports
Post Season Baseball Gets New Player
Turner, MLB Expected to Announce Rights Deal for Remaining Playoff Games
By John Consoli MediaWeek Oct. 17, 2006

Major League Baseball and Turner Sports are expected to officially announce at a 4 p.m. media conference call today that they have reached a deal for Turner to acquire the TV rights to the remaining American League and National League Championship Series games each year from 2007-2013.

All other post-game series were previously awarded in earlier deals. No dollar figure was available, although sources said amounts being discussed were in the $45-$50 million range for the seven games. MLB initially was seeking as much as $70 million for the package. Fox has the rights to the other League Championship Series games in those years.

Fox had said it would be interested in the remaining ALCS and NLCS games, as did ESPN, but both, with significant amounts of MLB under new deals already, were not willing to pay what they felt was too high a price. Turner had also said it would only do a deal if the price was right. Comcast's Versus cable network was also interested in the post-season games.

Previously, Turner won TV rights to the MLB post-season Divisional League Series and also a new Sunday afternoon MLB package.

Earlier this year, MLB had also mentioned that it might also want to co-produce with a network a nightly baseball results show, similar to Baseball Tonight on ESPN. It is not known if that is part of this new package with Turner.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003255743

fredfa

10-17-06, 01:12 PM

(From Marc Berman’s Tuesday, October 17, 2006, Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com )
Ratings Box: What’s Hot/What’s Not

Morning News Scorecard:

Based on season to-date ratings through Oct. 8, the addition of Meredith Vieira on NBC’s The Today Show is a seamless fit, with the veteran morning news franchise in no danger of losing its ongoing dominance. Today has actually widened its lead opposite ABC’s Good Morning America, which is down by as much as 17 percent among key women 25-54 year-to-year. Today is flat in households and total viewers, with minor losses demographically. CBS’ The Early Show, meanwhile, remains locked in the distant No. 3 spot, with erosion of 8 to 20 percent in the four surveyed categories.

Here are the results (with percent change from the comparable year-ago period in parentheses):

Monday-Friday 7-9 a.m.
ABC: Good Morning America
CBS: The Early Show
NBC: The Today Show

-Households:
NBC: 4.5 rating/16 share (no change), ABC: 3.9/14 (- 7), CBS: 2.0/ 7 (- 9)

-Total Viewers:
NBC: 4.98 million (no change), ABC: 4.19 (-10), CBS: 2.28 (- 9)

-Women 25-54:
NBC: 2.8 rating/17 share (-10), ABC: 2.5/16 (-17), CBS: 1.1/ 7 (- 8)

-Adults 25-54:
NBC: 2.2/16 (- 4), ABC: 1.8/13 (-14), CBS: 0.8/ 6 (-20)

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/newsletters/proginsider/index.jsp

RemyM

10-17-06, 01:48 PM

Monday Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
NBC's 'Studio 60' tumbles to new low
Troubled drama falls 18 percent, to a 3.1 in 18-49s
By Toni Fitzgerald medialifemagazine staff writer Oct 17, 2006

After an excellent pilot, the show has slumped into inertia of sorts, with a love story that doesn’t go anywhere and no overall plotline giving the show urgency. Another issue is the writing for the show-within-a-show’s comedy sketches. They’re rarely funny, and they take up too much of the program’s time.http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_7955.asp

After last night I figured out what's wrong with this show for me. I can't figure out if I'm supposed to be watching this for the show, or the show-within-the-show. The show-within-the-show isn't very good and the characters on the show aren't very interesting. I'll give it a couple of more weeks, but I can't see it staying in my DVR's scheduled recording list after that.

fredfa

10-17-06, 01:54 PM

fredfa

10-17-06, 01:58 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Kouric’s Ratings Fall Even More
NBC Strengthens Lead
(NBC News Release) Oct. 17, 2006

According to Nielsen Media Research official ratings data, "NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams" was the No. 1 network evening newscast, winning the week of October 9 – 13, 2006 in total viewers, homes, and among the key demographic adults 25-54. "Nightly News" won all five nights - now for the fourth week in a row - averaging an impressive 8.841 million total viewers, 10% more (+805,000) than second place ABC "World News'" 8.036 million, and a 21% lead (+1,509,000) over last place CBS "Evening News'" 7.332 million. This represents the NBC's program's best advantage (+1,509,000) over CBS since Katie Couric became anchor and "Nightly's" best delivery since the week of March 27, 2006.

The NBC program has now placed first in total viewers for 115 of the last 119 weeks, and of the 29 days since Couric became anchor, "Nightly News" has been top-rated for 22 days (20 consecutive). CBS only placed first for seven days during Couric's first two weeks, and ABC hasn't placed first at all. (NBC was excluded on 9/7 due to football.)

Meanwhile, CBS' third place ranking continues to be on par with Bob Schieffer's entire last year (9/6/05 – 8/31/06) in both total viewers and among adults 25-54, with Schieffer averaging 7.338 million viewers and a 1.9 rating.

In homes, "Nightly News" was also No. 1 for the week, posting a 6.1 rating and a 12 share. ABC followed with a 5.7/12 and CBS trailed with a 5.2/11.

In the key demographic adults 25-54, the Williams-led newscast was top-rated with a 2.3 rating (2.792), a +5% advantage over ABC's 2.2 (2.751), and a 15% advantage over CBS' 2.0 rating (2.582). This represents the NBC program's best delivery among adults 25-54 since the week of March 27, 2006. "Nightly News" has now topped ABC in the key demographic adults 25-54 (000) for 13 consecutive weeks. In addition, the NBC program has now placed first in adults 25-54 for 45 of the last 56 weeks (eights ties), for 118 of the last 150 weeks (28 ties) and for 225 of the last 263 weeks (34 ties).

Versus last week, NBC is up 5% among adults 25-54, CBS is also up 5% and ABC is flat. And versus the fourth quarter-to-date average, "Nightly News" increased 10%, ABC was up 5% and CBS is down 5%.

fredfa

10-17-06, 02:02 PM

TV Sports
Fewer eyes on baseball's prize
Postseason TV ratings plummet, thanks in part to rain and short series. Selig insists it's all good.
By Larry Stewart Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 17, 2006

The television ratings for postseason baseball on Fox appear to be dropping faster than a Tom Glavine sinker.

The five first-round games televised by the network averaged a 4.9 rating, down from last year's 6.6.

Game 2 of the National League Championship Series between the New York Mets and the St. Louis Cardinals on Friday night couldn't beat an old game show. Or even a new one.

Game 4 Sunday night came in No. 4, well behind the front-runner, "Desperate Housewives."

Commissioner Bud Selig, who keeps a close eye on baseball's ratings, doesn't feel desperate, though.

"Under the circumstances, we're pleased with the overall ratings," he said Monday. "And now we've got a chance of having a seven-game series with the Mets and Cardinals. It takes time to build to a climax, and so far we've had a lot of short series."

Two of the four first-round series ended in three-game sweeps, and the other two were over in four games. And then the Detroit Tigers swept the Oakland Athletics in the American League Championship Series.

Short series may not build drama or a bigger audience, but they don't necessarily mean bad news for Fox financially. The many pitching changes that have occurred so far have allowed Fox to air more commercials. An average 30-second prime time spot is believed to go for $185,000.

Still, viewer numbers haven't looked great.

Game 2 of the NLCS Friday night drew a 6.1 national rating, down slightly from a 6.2 for the comparable game last year. But that Friday night game was beaten by two NBC game shows. A new one, "1 vs. 100," drew a 7.8/13. "Deal or No Deal" got a 7.3/13.

Saturday night's Game 3 drew an overnight 5.7, which compares with a 6.5 for Game 4 of the 2005 American League Championship Series between the Chicago White Sox and the Angels.

Sunday's Game 4 got only a 6.4 national Nielsen overnight rating with a 10 share. The comparable game last year — Game 5 of the ALCS — got an overnight 8.8/14.

But Game 4 also was up against tough competition. "Desperate Housewives" on ABC got a 13.6/19, CBS' "60 Minutes," which featured a much-publicized report on the Duke lacrosse scandal, received a 12.9 overnight rating, and CBS' "Without a Trace" got a 10.8.

"Every year, MLB's postseason faces the toughest competition in all of television and consistently holds its own against any program on any network," said Dan Bell, vice president for communications at Fox Sports.

"And just as important, each game attracts the coveted, hard-to-reach male demographic audience."

Even so, rain in New York last week and St. Louis on Monday night hasn't helped. The postponement of Game 1 of the NLCS in New York led to programming changes.

Instead of having a split national telecast last Wednesday — which, according to Bell, would have attracted a better rating — the network ended up with an unplanned day game Friday. That spot went to Game 3 of the ALCS between the A's and Tigers. The Mets-Cardinals Game 2 again went prime time.

Another factor in the declining ratings is that the Dodgers and New York Yankees, big-market teams with national followings, were eliminated in the first round. Tom Lasorda, who was hired by Major League Baseball to do ads promoting the postseason, said Monday that a Yankees-Dodgers World Series would have drawn a large television audience.

"Those two teams would have linked the nation," the Hall of Fame manager said, quickly adding that he believes the World Series can still do well.

"The Tigers are an amazing story, the way they have come back. I think it would be better if the Mets get in, but St. Louis is a great, interesting team."

In the national ratings for the second round through Friday, Fox was down 15% from a year ago. And the network was off 7% in the overnight ratings through the weekend.

Overnight ratings cover 55 of the nation's largest markets. National ratings for the weekend games were not available Monday.

"In a perfect world, yes, we'd like the ratings to be better," Selig said. "But by every other barometer that we measure our success, everything is so positive. We set attendance records throughout baseball and local ratings overall were up."

In Los Angeles, the Dodgers averaged a 1.7 on FSN Prime Ticket this season, up from a 1.3 last year, and averaged a 2.4 on Channel 9, up from a 2.1. The Dodgers' over-the-air station last year was Channel 13.

After this season, Fox will be cutting back on its postseason baseball coverage, partially because of the competition it faces in the fall and also to give its own fall entertainment lineup more early exposure.

Under a new contract that takes effect next fall, Fox will not televise the first round of the playoffs and will televise only one league championship series, plus the World Series. TBS has the first round and the carrier of the other league championship series has not been determined.

Selig addressed two other issues that could affect ratings over the long haul, both of which he said will be discussed with owners during baseball's winter meetings in December.

One issue is a change in the format for the first round to make it more challenging for wild-card teams. One way to do that, he said, would be to give a wild-card team only one home game in the best-of-five series.

The other issue to be reviewed involves playing at least one World Series game during the day. The problem with that, he said, is ratings. Night games, even on the weekends, get better ratings because more people are watching television.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-sp-bbratings17oct17,0,7455116,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

Michael252

10-17-06, 02:03 PM

The New Season
Readers: TV-wise, an excess of riches
This season it's a case of too many good shows
By Diego Vasquez medialifemagazine staff writer Oct 17, 2006

From a viewer's perspective, not EVERY show can be in first place. Something has to be 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The problem I have is that the networks will cancel a low-to-mediocre-performing show and replace it with another unknown, possibly low(er)-performing show. Meanwhile, the 3-8 million fans of the cancelled show are left out of consideration. If the programming/scheduling geniuses at the networks deem a program worthy of airing in the first place, they should commit to no less than 13 episodes.

as Dennis Miller would say, "That's just my opinion. I could be wrong."

flint350

10-17-06, 02:13 PM

As for me, I guess I now should start going back and taking a look at the TiVo'd episodes. I frankly thought it wasn't going to make it.

The above, ref Brothers and Sisters, is what happened to me. I was going to watch, then read all the negative stuff about cast problems, re-writes, etc. So, I neither watched, nor Tivo'd (is that a real verb?). Now, it seems to be good and is being picked up. Kind of like the opposite of my usual problem, where I watch what is heavily praised and serialized, only to invest my time and it's canned. Hard to win these days.

shuttermaker

10-17-06, 02:13 PM

From a viewer's perspective, not EVERY show can be in first place. Something has to be 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. The problem I have is that the networks will cancel a low-to-mediocre-performing show and replace it with another unknown, possibly low(er)-performing show. Meanwhile, the 3-8 million fans of the cancelled show are left out of consideration. If the programming/scheduling geniuses at the networks deem a program worthy of airing in the first place, they should commit to no less than 13 episodes.

as Dennis Miller would say, "That's just my opinion. I could be wrong."

I totally agree. Here is yet another option. Why cant/wont the networks that cancel a show put it up for sale to a smaller network?

For example, im still upset that last years Invasion and Surface were cancelled. Those 2 shows would be perfect for a network like Sci Fi or USA. I guess if I had to answer my own question, the original network would be afraid to lose viewers as a result of the move.

keenan

10-17-06, 02:18 PM

Yet there are flashes. I thought the scenes of Harriet talking about her mother were some of the most sensitive, best written TV I have seen in a while.

On the other hand, so much of the show just rings untrue.
You know, there have been a few flashes of brilliance with Studio 60, but to be completely honest, I've pretty much been watching this show because I've been "told" I should like it, well, that's not really going to wash with me much longer, it just isn't that good, and I don't care if William Shakespeare himself has his name in the credits.

keenan

10-17-06, 02:21 PM

The above, ref Brothers and Sisters, is what happened to me. I was going to watch, then read all the negative stuff about cast problems, re-writes, etc. So, I neither watched, nor Tivo'd (is that a real verb?). Now, it seems to be good and is being picked up. Kind of like the opposite of my usual problem, where I watch what is heavily praised and serialized, only to invest my time and it's canned. Hard to win these days.
Just the opposite with me, I watched because of all the bad press, and I'm glad I did. :D

fredfa

10-17-06, 02:58 PM

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

harley1

10-17-06, 03:59 PM

I watch more sports- football,and hockey during week nights than regular tv shows. So I have not watched all the shows. I also don't own a tivo either.

On the broadcast networks in the new fall season:

1. Best new show: 30 Rock , Studio 60,Shark and Kidnapped

2. Worst new show: Class

3. New show you thought you would love -- but don't: Friday Night Lights, too much like watching the movie.

4. New show you are surprised you enjoy: Men In Trees

5. Returning show you are losing interest in: NCIS - Hopefully it gets back on track.

6. Aside from categories 1 and 4, other additions to your TiVo or DVR:
- None, I don't have tivo

fredfa

10-17-06, 04:06 PM

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

fredfa

10-17-06, 04:36 PM

The New Season
Nielsen Freefall for “Studio 60”
Ratings Consistent: Down each week

Here are the numbers for “Studio 60” so far this season. They are not pretty.

(The first four weeks are final national numbers, week five are the fast nationals.)

Week 1: #22 13.14 million viewers
Week 2: #33 10.82 million viewers
Week 3: #47 8.85 million viewers
Week #4 #50 8.66 million viewers
Week #5 ** 7.76 million viewers

(** 7.76 million viewers would have placed “Studio 60” in 60th place in last week’s ratings.)

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

archiguy

10-17-06, 05:17 PM

Wow. 'Studio 60' is sinking fast. It looked like the bleeding was about over and they'd stabilize at about 8 and a half million, but they're still leaking oil. I was one of those who was fairly certain that for a whole host of reasons, NBC would stick this one out. Now, it's looking like the best hope is to just get 13 in before the ax falls. Sheesh, who knew? I really like this show. :(

mike_somd

10-17-06, 05:25 PM

On baseballs post season ratings...

I can't stand to watch baseball on fox. Their announcers seem to talk down to any knowledgeable fans. I also can't stand the constant sound effects. And who cares what the players or managers family is doing in a given situation. I haven't watched a single playoff game start to finish this year yet. I have watched a few minutes here and there. I wish they would go back to the ways the games used to be broadcast in the late 80s and early 90s. Show me the game and have intelligent announcers. I could care less if they were a former player that sucked, give me someone that does a good job.

Sorry for the rant, but I truly don't enjoy fox's and espn's announce crews for baseball. What happened to announcers in the vein of Vin Scully. Now he was an announcer that I liked.

I guess what I am really trying to say is that the ratings falling are in part to the announce crews and production. KISS...keep it stupid simple

jluzbet

10-17-06, 05:37 PM

On baseballs post season ratings...

Is simple ... The Yankees are not in it :mad:

fredfa

10-17-06, 05:50 PM

But even the ratings for the (few) games the Yankees were in were way off from last year.

fredfa

10-17-06, 05:55 PM

Cable Nielsen Notebook
MNF Lifts ESPN to Top of Cable Ratings Heap
by Anthony Crupi MediaWeek Oct. 17, 2006

ESPN rushed to another ratings win last week, averaging 3.15 million total viewers and a 2.6 household rating in prime time, thanks to its continued success with Monday Night Football and its Saturday night NCAA pigskin coverage.

The network’s Oct. 9 presentation of the rain-drenched Baltimore Ravens-Denver Broncos matchup delivered 12.5 million total viewers, making it the most watched program on ad-supported cable for the week ending Oct. 15 by a measure of nearly 5 million viewers. The game also lured the week’s largest 18-49 audience, with 6.39 representatives of the demo tuning in.

For the week, ESPN was tops in the three core demos, averaging 1.55 million adults 18-49, 1.57 million adults 25-54 and 747,000 in the 18-34 category.

ESPN also boasted ad-supported cable’s fifth-most-watched program, with its coverage of the Oct. 14 SEC clash between the #11 Auburn Tigers and the #2 Florida Gators, luring 5.17 million total viewers and 2.49 million adults 18-49.

Second place belonged to USA Network, which averaged 2.44 million total viewers and a 2.0 household rating in prime during a week that featured a three-hour WWE special marking the first anniversary of the wrestling league's return to USA after a five-year hiatus. The Monday night special averaged 5.02 million viewers, with the 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. segment getting the highest ratings (5.47 million viewers, good for third place on the week). USA also took second for the three core demos.

TNT ended the week in third place with 2.02 million viewers and a 1.7 household rating, according to Nielsen Media Research data. Rounding out the top five were Cartoon Network (1.69 million/1.5) and TBS (1.53 million/1.3).

All things being equal, non-ad-supported Disney Channel finished second among all measured cable nets with 2.88 million total viewers and a 2.4 HH rating, buoyed as it was by strong showings of its original series Hannah Montana and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody and a Friday night showing of the Pixar theatrical Monsters, Inc.

One of the week’s biggest surprises came courtesy of Public Enemy curiosity Flavor Flav and his adopted network, VH1. The Sunday night finale of Flavor of Love 2 delivered a staggering 7.52 million total viewers, making it the #1 non-sports telecast in all of basic cable for 2006. The episode also delivered the biggest 18-34 audience of the week, as 3.37 million representatives of the demo tuned in to see Flav choose Deelishis over perennial also-ran New York. In keeping with the precedent he established last season, the rapper presented his new special lady-friend with a set of 14-karat gold teeth.

While a clearly disappointed New York bade farewell to her would-be catch with a torrent of bleeped-out invective and a display of her posterior, for VH1, true love conquered all last week. The network finished third among 18-34s (502,000), behind ESPN and USA, and sixth among 18-49s (735,000).

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003255890

keenan

10-17-06, 06:09 PM

But even the ratings for the (few) games the Yankees were in were way off from last year.
Yes, but you have to admit, a Yankees/Dodgers series would have been far more of a media event than Detroit/St Louis. I'm a baseball fan, but I guess not a diehard one as I can't wait for baseball to be over with and FOX can put House and Bones back on the air.

Davinleeds

10-17-06, 06:20 PM

Detroit has and is working hard, But dread to be like me with no HD fox till 09. OTA that is.

fredfa

10-17-06, 06:34 PM

Yes, but you have to admit, a Yankees/Dodgers series would have been far more of a media event than Detroit/St Louis. I'm a baseball fan, but I guess not a diehard one as I can't wait for baseball to be over with and FOX can put House and Bones back on the air.

Of course, they are the nation's two biggest markets.

And ESPN has been counter-programming on more than half the nights with college football. That has made a dent, too.

And with Turner and Fox splitting the playoffs starting next year, we can assume ESPN will be even more aggressive in throwing football against the playoffs.

flint350

10-17-06, 07:55 PM

I can't wait for baseball to be over with and FOX can put House and Bones back on the air.

What he said.

fredfa

10-17-06, 08:02 PM

Then get your friends to tune in to "Bones". The ratings have not been all that great this season.

Davinleeds

10-17-06, 08:10 PM

What is the affect/effect of a network chosing a sports spot that interrupts the "season" programing?

fredfa

10-17-06, 08:41 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Last Week’s Bottom Five Shows By Network
(Original Programming Only)
Rank Program Net Viewers
64 20/20 ABC 7.42
66 Men in Trees ABC 7.13
68 What About Brian ABC 7.00
70 Saturday Night Football ABC 6.21
81 College Football Pre-Game ABC 4.22
34 Jericho CBS 10.86
36 Ghost Whisperer CBS 10.18
44 The Class CBS 9.34
45 48 Hours Mystery CBS 9.18
46 How I Met Your Mother CBS 9.09
53 NLCS #4: NY-StL (Sun.) FOX 8.57
54 NLCS, #1 1: StL-NY (Thu.) FOX 8.51
63 NLCS #3: NY-StL (Sat.) FOX 7.51
82 Prison Break FOX 4.07
89 Justice FOX 3.58
61 “Lowe’s 500” NBC 7.80
65 Biggest Loser 3 NBC 7.23
67 20 Good Years NBC 7.05
71 Friday Night Lights NBC 5.87
74 FB Night America, Part 2 NBC 5.48
103 All of Us CW 2.51
104 Girlfriends CW 2.47
110 The Game CW 2.14
112 America’s Top Model (Sun.) CW 2.01
113 Runaway CW 1.79

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

keenan

10-17-06, 08:43 PM

Then get your friends to tune in to "Bones". The ratings have not been all that great this season.
I don't know if the ratings are reflecting it, but I think they screwed up a good formula by bringing in the new director character, it reduces screen time for the others and I thought they all carried the show just fine by themselves.

fredfa

10-17-06, 08:44 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Last Week’s Bottom Five Shows By Network
(Original Programming Only. Ranked by total viewers in millions)
Rank Program Net Viewers
64 20/20 ABC 7.42
66 Men in Trees ABC 7.13
68 What About Brian ABC 7.00
70 College Football ABC 6.21
81 College FB Pre ABC 4.22
34 Jericho CBS 10.86
36 Ghost Whisperer CBS 10.18
44 The Class CBS 9.34
45 48 Hours Mystery CBS 9.18
46 How I Met Your Mother CBS 9.09
53 NLCS NY-StL Sun FOX 8.57
54 NLCS StL-NY Thu FOX 8.51
63 NLCS NY-StL Sat FOX 7.51
82 Prison Break FOX 4.07
89 Justice FOX 3.58
61 “Lowe’s 500” NBC 7.80
65 Biggest Loser 3 NBC 7.23
67 20 Good Years NBC 7.05
71 Friday Night Lights NBC 5.87
74 FB Night America, Part 2 NBC 5.48
96 Veronica Mars CW 2.96
103 All of Us CW 2.51
104 Girlfriends CW 2.47
110 The Game CW 2.14
113 Runaway CW 1.79

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Davinleeds

10-17-06, 08:45 PM

Uncle. You're good.

fredfa

10-17-06, 08:47 PM

I don't know if the ratings are reflecting it, but I think they screwed up a good formula by bringing in the new director character, it reduces screen time for the others and I thought they all carried the show just fine by themselves.

I agree entirely, Jim. The interesting part of the show IMO was the echoes of "Moonlighting" with their reaction to each other. The new director just confused things.

fredfa

10-17-06, 09:04 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Last Week’s Top Five Shows By Network
(Original Programming Only. Ranked by viewers in millions)
Rank Program Net Viewers
1 Grey's Anatomy (Thu.) ABC 22.88
3 Desperate Housewives ABC 20.64
4 Dancing With the Stars ABC 20.10
5 Dancing/Stars Results ABC 18.21
10 Lost ABC 16.89
2 CSI CBS 21.85
6 CSI: NY CBS 17.97
7 "NFL Post-Game" CBS 17.95
8 CSI: Miami CBS 17.60
9 60 Minutes CBS 17.28
40 ALCS Det-Oak (Wed.) FOX 9.87
47 NLCS StL-NY (Fri.) FOX 9.01
52 ALCS Det-Oak (Tue.) FOX 8.59
53 NLCS NY-StL (Sun.) FOX 8.57
54 NLCS StL-NY (Thu.) FOX 8.51
15 Deal or No Deal (Mon.) NBC 15.41
18 E.R. NBC 14.57
22 Law & Order: SVU NBC 13.89
23 Heroes NBC 13.34
26 "1 vs 100" NBC 12.77
73 America's Top Model CW 5.50
76 Smallville CW 4.88
78 Gilmore Girls CW 4.71
85 Friday Night Smackdown CW 3.83
86 Supernatural CW 3.78

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

fredfa

10-17-06, 09:05 PM

(Thanks, Dave!) :)

fredfa

10-17-06, 09:18 PM

TV Sports
TBS signs on to air LCS games
Cable network will broadcast AL, NL series in alternate years
By Barry M. Bloom MLB.com Oct. 17, 2006

ST. LOUIS -- The Turner Broadcasting System has reached a seven-year agreement with Major League Baseball to broadcast the National League Championship Series and American League Championship Series in alternating years from 2007 to 2013.

The new deal, revealed on Tuesday by both parties, marks the first time that either the NLCS or ALCS will be the exclusive property of a cable network. Until now, both series, which were born in 1969, have been shown on broadcast television in the United States.

"This made a great deal of sense," Commissioner Bud Selig said during a conference call. "That's a very, very attractive part of our entire postseason landscape."

TBS will have the NLCS in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013 and the ALCS in 2008, 2010 and 2012. As part of another deal reached earlier this summer, FOX will continue to broadcast the ALCS, in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013, and the NLCS, in 2008, 2010 and 2012. Fox will also continue to carry the All-Star Game and the World Series on its over-the-air network through 2013.

"We at Turner believe that the television landscape has changed," David Levy, president of Turner Sports, whose TBS and TNT networks reach 90 million cable subscribers, said on the call. "The lines between cable and broadcast television are now virtually non-existent. They are less defined as distinct, different properties."

TBS had previously agreed to broadcast 26 regular season games on Sunday afternoons, beginning in 2008. Also, beginning in 2007, TBS will telecast all regular-season tiebreaker games, all Division Series games and the All-Star Game Selection Show each year. Any conflicts between games starting at the same time will be resolved by rolling postseason games over to TNT, Levy said.

"We'll have to work out all the scheduling or problems that we have," Selig said. "I kind of hate when we put two games on at the same time. So we'll try to make all the adjustments that we can. And for the most part we've been able to work that out."

The TBS regular-season slate will replace the 70 Atlanta Braves games, which will disappear from its menu after the 2007 season. Turner, which still owns the Braves, is hoping to divest itself of the club by the start of the 2007 season. Liberty Media has been in negotiations to purchase the team, which moved to Atlanta from Milwaukee in time for the 1966 season.

Selig said that there was no timetable for the sale of the team.

"I try not to make predictions on that score," Selig said. "There's no question that we're making progress. It could happen [at the owners meetings] in November or January. I'm not sure right now. But we're definitely heading toward a resolution of this whole situation."

Ted Turner, the former owner of the Braves, NBA Hawks and the cable network, hatched the concept of placing his baseball team on what was then called a cable "Super Station," which broadcast the games nationally for the first time, not long after he bought the team in 1976.

In the aftermath, Turner was demonized by the other baseball owners, who believed that the Braves were encroaching on their local television territory.

"I remember it well," said Selig, who owned the Brewers back then. "It stunned the other owners. There are many who thought it would be the death knell of our sport. There was a lot of concern. In fact, [Turner] helped the sport. The sport has never been more popular. There are a lot of factors at work, but Ted's enlightened television policy didn't hurt anything at all. He played a great role in the maturing of the relationship between television and MLB."

(Barry M. Bloom is a national reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.)

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/news/article.jsp?ymd=20061017&content_id=1715532&vkey=ps2006news&fext=.jsp&c_id=mlb

rebkell

10-17-06, 11:12 PM

I don't know if the ratings are reflecting it, but I think they screwed up a good formula by bringing in the new director character, it reduces screen time for the others and I thought they all carried the show just fine by themselves.

I liked the old boss better too, he had some of the best lines, especially loved the interactions he had with Hodgins. I'm not sure I'm too crazy about the Hodgins and Angela budding romance either.

kizzo

10-17-06, 11:32 PM

What is the affect/effect of a network chosing a sports spot that interrupts the "season" programing?

Well it sure affects me... I hate when a season is interrupted for a stupid sports event!! Especially for baseball :mad: Its been 2 weeks since a new Prison Break episode has aired...

fredfa

10-17-06, 11:58 PM

But you could look at it this way, kizzo: if there were no baseball, "Prison Break" probably would have begun airing several weeks later, and so you would have seen the same number if episodes by now anyhow.

fredfa

10-18-06, 12:12 AM

TV Notebook
As Couric Stays in Third, CBS Stresses the Positive
By Jacques Steinberg and Bill Carter The New York Times October 18, 2006

Katie Couric passed the six-week mark on the “CBS Evening News” last night, having fallen behind NBC and ABC in the ratings in recent weeks and having lost much of the momentum her program had early on.

Still, the program continues to post significant gains when compared with last year at this time, when it was led on camera by Bob Schieffer.

Ms. Couric’s performance last week, as tallied in figures released yesterday by Nielsen Media Research, was fairly typical of her run so far. The 7.3 million viewers her broadcast drew, on average, each night last week lagged “NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams” (8.8 million) and “World News With Charles Gibson” on ABC (8 million). The standings were the same among ages 25 to 54, which is the demographic category that advertisers typically use when buying commercial time on the evening news.

“I’m very happy with the newscast and our competitive position,” said John Reiss, executive producer of Mr. Williams’s program, which has been the ratings leader since he succeeded Tom Brokaw in December 2004. “Right now we’re in the lead. There’s a clear No. 2. And for the moment at least, it looks like there’s a clear No. 3.”

He added, “What I really like is the trend line.”

The viewership of Ms. Couric’s program, which CBS hyped in advance of its arrival as if it were a new prime-time drama, had dropped every week since its opening week after Labor Day (when it drew about 10.2 million viewers a night) until last week, when it regained about 300,00 viewers.

Also last week, Ms. Couric’s broadcast drew about 400,000 viewers more than Mr. Schieffer’s had during the same period a year ago, an increase of about 6 percent, according to Nielsen. Mr. Williams’s broadcast, by contrast, was down by more than 300,000, or 4 percent, when compared with a year ago, and Mr. Gibson’s broadcast was down by a similar margin.

“We really believed that we would have a huge amount of initial curiosity, and we would then settle in for a long, hard pull, which is what we’ve done,” said Rome Hartman, executive producer of Ms. Couric’s program. “This is when the real competition is going to begin.”

Now that Ms. Couric’s initial weeks on the air have passed, the next test that the three broadcasts will face — arguably, their first meaningful test — begins during the so-called November sweeps period. At that time the programs that lead into them — including syndicated shows (like “The Oprah Winfrey Show”) and local newscasts — will use their best material, mindful that advertising for local stations for the next quarter-year is sold on the basis of the sweeps ratings.

So far this season the 7.9 million viewers Ms. Couric has drawn, on average, represents a 17 percent increase over the same period a year ago on CBS, while the overall audiences of Mr. Williams’s program (8.2 million) and Mr. Gibson’s (7.6 million) are down over that period.

Among viewers 18 to 49 — a significant barometer for CBS, which has sought to attract young people to its newscast — Ms. Couric has drawn an average of 2.1 million a night, an increase of 23 percent over a year ago. Mr. Williams and Mr. Gibson are down slightly among these viewers. Though Ms. Couric started out as the most popular with younger viewers, she finished third in that category last week.

If you believe her competitors, and some critics, Ms. Couric’s program is the softest of the three in terms of its content. On Monday night, for example, she devoted nearly three minutes to an interview with the choreographer Twyla Tharp, the director of a new Broadway show featuring music by Bob Dylan.

In addition, each night Ms. Couric gives 90 seconds of her broadcast to a segment called “Free Speech,” in which unsung citizens, as well as heavyweight pundits like Rush Limbaugh, have been permitted to give their opinions on matters that interest them.

When asked about the piece on Ms. Tharp, Mr. Hartman said it was perfectly appropriate for the evening news.

“I don’t doubt our competitors are trying to sell the line that we’re less newsy,” he said. “They’re doing back-of-the-book features, too.”

“Brian Williams has been like the Bono king for the last six months,” Mr. Hartman said. He was referring to an extended feature on Friday night about that Irish rock singer and his campaign for economic assistance and AIDS relief in Africa.

Asked if he wished to respond to Mr. Hartman, Mr. Reiss of NBC laughed, before saying, “Bono does have a political issue he’s dealing with.” And yet, Mr. Reiss volunteered that his broadcast was readying a feature on Madonna’s efforts to adopt a baby boy from an orphanage in Africa.

The one creative element that may most set Ms. Couric’s broadcast apart from those of her competitors is the one that also been the most criticized: those on-camera editorials.

“People either like it or hate it,” Mr. Hartman said. “People who hate it really hate it. And some of those people work here.”

Mr. Hartman acknowledged that perhaps the hardest essay for him to approve had been prepared by Brian Rohrbough, the father of a victim of the Columbine High School killings. In reacting to the shooting at an Amish schoolhouse in Pennsylvania, Mr. Rohrbough argued that the teaching of evolution in schools was a contributing factor to such violence.

While conceding that the political point the father made “was jarring,” Mr. Hartman said that to have insisted it be changed would have run counter to the segment’s “Free Speech” title.

“It was a judgment call,” he said. “I made it. I guess I would make it again.”

He and other CBS News executives continued to defend “Free Speech” overall: they cited it as one of the chief lures for young people, and said they had no immediate plans to jettison it.

And what of ABC’s newscast with Mr. Gibson, which is widening its second-place lead over Ms. Couric?

“It’s early,” said Jon Banner, the program’s executive producer. “My take on this is that things are still fluid. There’s still sampling going on.”

“We’re very happy with the direction we’re moving,” he said, before adding, “Our goal is to be No. 1.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/18/arts/television/18kati.html?8dpc=&_r=1&adxnnl=1&oref=slogin&adxnnlx=1161144618-PRN/Tkia4dhMnk45tjO+lw&pagewanted=print

TommyK

10-18-06, 12:12 AM

Then get your friends to tune in to "Bones". The ratings have not been all that great this season.
I'll be doing my part. I have quite a few friends who are already into Bones. There's even a Bones thread here on the forum that I occasionally try to resurrect from archive limbo. Let's hope Fox continues to exercise the patience with this show that they did last season.

fredfa

10-18-06, 12:21 AM

Nielsen Notebook
30' + '20' = 4th for NBC
By Gary Levin USA Today

•Numerology. NBC's new sitcom combo wasn't much of one: 30 Rock (8.1 million) and 20 Good Years (7.1 million) ranked fourth in the Wednesday hour and didn't fare much better than the premiere of doomed The Apprentice: Martha Stewart in the same time slot last fall.

Monday's season opener of ABC's What About Brian (7 million) was also modest and on par with last spring's tryout.

•Slot swap. CBS' Monday time slot switcheroo didn't hurt How I Met Your Mother (9.1 million viewers) but helped struggling comedy The Class (9.3 million) rebound 19% from the prior week's season low.

•Mixed bag. CW's move of its comedy block from Sunday to Monday was more muted. Everybody Hates Chris and All of Us improved, thanks to later time periods, but Girlfriends and The Game were lower. New-to-Sunday 7th Heaven (3.2 million) hit a series low, while Runaway — though low — didn't go much lower. The network's top series, America's Next Top Model, hit a season-high 5.5 million Wednesday.

•Men solid. Two and a Half Men averaged 16.4 million viewers Monday, its biggest audience since March. And a CSI repeat (10.1 million) filled in Tuesday for Smith, outperforming the last two telecasts of the canceled drama. CBS won the week overall and tied ABC for first among young adults.

•Extra flavor. The second-season finale of VH1's Flavor of Love set a channel record with a huge 7.5 million viewers Sunday, up from the then-record first-season finale last March (5.9 million). Among adults ages 18 to 34, Flav finished second for the night behind Desperate Housewives.

•Week 2 doldrums. NBC's Friday Night Lights went from bad to worse, dropping 18% to 5.9 million viewers for Tuesday's second episode. And ABC's The Nine tumbled 31%, to 8.3 million, for Wednesday's second outing.

•Fox baseball. Hurt by playoff ratings down about 20% from last year, Fox finished fourth for the week with an anemic 8.2 million viewers. NBC's Sunday Night Football (12.3 million) scored a third-place season low.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-10-17-nielsens-analysis_x.htm

fredfa

10-18-06, 01:31 AM

Obituary
Christopher Glenn, 68

(CBS)—Christopher Glenn, a CBS news correspondent for 35 years who anchored numerous broadcasts including the 1986 coverage of the space shuttle Challenger explosion, has died of liver cancer at the age of 68.

Glenn, who retired in February and is to be inducted in the Radio Hall of Fame next month, died Tuesday at Norwalk Hospital near his home in Connecticut.

Most recently the anchor of CBS Radio's flagship newscast, The World News Roundup, the longest-running news program in broadcasting, Glenn had "done just about everything there is to do, from producing to writing to reporting in the field and anchoring and writing inside."

He began anchoring WNR in April 1999, after 11 years as the anchor of The World Tonight, the original CBS News evening broadcast and now called World News Round-Up Late Edition.

Glenn and WNR producer Paul Farry won a Radio Television News Directors Association award last year for "best newscast."

What was his favorite role at CBS News?

"I would be hard-pressed to say. I've had a great deal of enjoyment from the jobs that took me into the field as a reporter, but I've also very much enjoyed being an anchor the last 10-15 years of my career," he told CBSNews.com upon his retirement.

In addition to two editions of the Round-Up, Glenn also wrote and anchored several hourly newscasts each day.

Glenn produced, wrote and narrated the daily CBS Radio Network broadcast What's in the News since its inception in 1995. He also anchored and reported coverage of dozens of space shuttle missions, national political conventions and many other major news stories.

One of those space shuttle missions was particularly memorable, he said.

"Definitely being there when Challenger blew up in front of my face in 1986. (audio) I had to get back on the air real fast to describe that, and had a very difficult time doing that," said Glenn, in an interview after announcing his retirement. "It was a very, very emotional moment — probably the most emotional of my career. It was tough to keep it under control while I was doing the broadcast."

He did - and uttered the words that so many were thinking: "A great tragedy here. This flight, which was to have been such a bright chapter in the history of the manned space flight program, turning in the flash of an instant into a terrible, terrible tragedy.”

Another memorable story for Glenn was a happier moment in history - the 1984 Democratic national convention, when Geraldine Ferraro became the first female vice presidential candidate. "People standing up, locking arms and rocking back and forth, and singing and cheering and clapping," Glenn recalled as he looked back on his career last winter.

He also handled numerous assignments for CBS Television. He was the reporter/narrator for the over 5,000 broadcasts of the Emmy Award-winning program In The News, aimed at kids and sandwiched between entertainment programs on Saturday mornings from 1971 through 1986.

"We're a little didactic, we try to teach in some way," Glenn once said of the series. "A surprise bonus," he said, was the adults who tuned in, many telling him that they really understood a news event for the first time after watching "In the News."

Glenn also anchored several editions of What's It All About? an award-winning television series for young people in the early 1970s. From 1978-1982, Glenn was a reporter and co-anchor on another award-winning TV series for young people, 30 Minutes.

He was co-anchor and interviewer for CBS News Nightwatch, an overnight four-hour news and information broadcast on CBS-TV from its debut in 1982 until 1984.

Which did he like better, radio or television?

"My personal preference would be radio, I think," he said. "That's where I started, and I've always thought that the medium was especially good for communicating with audiences because you don't just have to sit there and stare at the pictures. You have to tell them the story and make them understand, and I think that that's much more of a challenge for a journalist, and it makes it more interesting in the long run."

Prior to joining CBS News, Glenn was managing editor of the Metromedia Radio News Network in Washington, D.C., (1970-1971) and a reporter/editor/documentary producer for WNEW Radio in New York from 1964 to 1970. He also worked for the news departments of WICC Radio in Bridgeport, Conn., Radio Press International in New York and Armed Forces Broadcasting in Korea and New York City.

"I've been doing it, in the business, at least, for about 50 years, 35 here. Done it all, seen a lot, had a very good time, very few disappointments, very few bad days if you want to put it that way, and I'm sorry to go, but it's time now," he told CBSNews.com in February.

A native New Yorker, Glenn received a B.A. degree from the University of Colorado in 1959.

His advice for young broadcast journalists just starting their careers was:

"Get a job, want to do it real bad, do it real good, and stick with it. Practice, practice, practice — same old story," Glenn said.

He is survived by his wife, Dianne; daughters Rebecca and Lindsey; and a sister, Patricia Rooney.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/02/22/entertainment/main1337111.shtml

fredfa

10-18-06, 01:43 AM

TV Notebook
'Runaway' lost in shuffle
CW axes first drama
By Staff report The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 18, 2006

"Runaway" has run aground.

The CW drama has been axed after four airings. The series from Sony Pictures Television, revolving around a family who goes on the lam after the father is wrongly accused of murder, opened to weak numbers in the Monday 9 p.m. slot behind "7th Heaven" late last month.

CW shifted "Heaven" and "Runaway" from Monday to Sunday last week, but the change didn't help "Runaway," which averaged 1.8 million viewers in its last airing. CW has pulled the show entirely and will fill the Sunday 9 p.m. slot with repeats for the time being.

"Runaway" joins the CBS drama "Smith" as one of the first causalities of the new television season, and it now has the distinction of being the first cancellation by the network born out of the fusion of UPN and WB Network. CW fielded only two new series in its first fall slate, "Runaway" and the comedy "The Game."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003256238

GeorgeLV

10-18-06, 01:58 AM

^^ The only CW news I'm waiting for is: "Veronica Mars recieves full-season order."

joblo

10-18-06, 02:11 AM

New reader here. Kudos for a thoroughly excellent digest of TV news reporting from around the country!

One nit though:

Sunday’s network prime-time ratings are now just under the HD football listings at the top of RATINGS NEWS (the first post in this thread).
Could you please post ratings within the thread in addition to the first post, so that they remain available for historical reference after the first post is updated? (Or is there another location for old ratings info?)

fredfa

10-18-06, 02:20 AM

GeorgeLV: I think the best thing "Veronica Mars" has going for it is the incredible weakness of the CW schedule from top to bottom.

So far it has ranked:

Two weeks ago: #93 (3.36 million viewers) The CW averaged 3.52 million
Last week: #96 (2.96 million viewers) The CW averaged 3.45 million

And it has had baseball as a competitor, not "House" which returns to 9 PM Tuesdays in two weeks.

Somewhat on the plus side, last year, in all showings (including reruns) it averaged 2.24 million viewers.

fredfa

10-18-06, 02:27 AM

New reader here. Kudos for a thoroughly excellent digest of TV news reporting from around the country!

One nit though:

Could you please post ratings within the thread in addition to the first post, so that they remain available for historical reference after the first post is updated? (Or is there another location for old ratings info?)

Thanks for the compliment, joblo.

To respond to the nit: old ratings don't remain posted. Nielsen insists that all websites remove ratings material within seven days. I usually leave the Berman or zap2it ratings compilations for 3-4 days simply to avoid totally overloading the first post.

I do post the 18-40 overnights, which also give (most) show's ratings, in the body of the thread. So if you can manage to find them they are available. That source usually doesn't give Friday and Saturday numbers. But when they are printed I post them.

If you have a specific ratings question I can often rummage through my files and find an answer if it doesn't take me too much time.

By the way, welcome to the thread. (And nits are welcome, too.)

fredfa

10-18-06, 02:54 AM

More about how much many cable channels are paid per sub:
TV Notebook
Fox's triple play
News net ups rate at Cablevision
By Michael Learmonth, John Dempsey Variety.com

The Fox News Channel has muscled into the top tier of cable carriage. But it hasn't scored quite as much money as it first sought.

Channel will more than triple its monthly fee in a new carriage deal inked with Cablevision, the nation's sixth largest cable operator.

Deal, reached a week after the previous agreement expired, pays News Corp. an average of just over 75¢ per subscriber per month over the course of multiple years. That's less than the $1 per sub the channel had wanted but nonetheless vaults FNC into the ranks of the five most-expensive national cable nets. (That roster also includes ESPN, TNT, Disney Channel and USA Network.)

New deal between Cablevision and Fox News sets a template for talks with other major cable operators, such as Cox Communications, Time Warner Cable and Comcast. FNC's high fee also may make things tougher for CNN and MSNBC when they come to the table to reup with cable and satellite operators, who already feel they're getting squeezed by the news nets. CNN currently gets about 44¢ per subscriber, MSNBC 15¢.

Cablevision was the first cabler to carry Fox News Channel back in 1996, when News Corp. paid millions to secure carriage for its fledgling news net and accepted 10-year deals that paid the web 25¢ per subscriber per month.

That was long before Fox News blew past CNN in the ratings and became a cultural phenomenon behind its "Fair and Balanced" slogan, big personalities like Bill O'Reilly and Sean Hannity and previously unknown anchors like Shepard Smith.

As the expiration dates on Fox News' carriage agreements began to approach last year, topper Roger Ailes signaled the asking price would be $1 per sub.

Operators shuddered but were resigned to big increases because FNC's viewers are a loyal bunch: Dropping the channel could cause mass defections to satellite or telcos, which are pushing into an increasing number of markets.

At $1 per sub, Fred Dressler, exec VP of programming for Time Warner Cable, admitted he would have little leverage over Fox News. But he'd consider retaliating by demanding license fee cuts for other News Corp.-owned cable nets, such as FX and Speed, when those contracts come up for renewal.

There's also a dispute between FNC and the cable operators over the value of the two minutes an hour on Fox News that the operators get to sell to local advertisers. FNC claims the ops pocket so much money from the two minutes that they end up offsetting a lot of the license fee cost.

But the ops dispute that, saying the network skews older than ESPN, TNT and USA, which reach a larger percentage of viewers in the adults 18-49 and 25-54 demos.

News Corp. is seeking carriage for a new offering, Fox Business Channel, as well as retransmission fees for the Fox network, but those were not included in the FNC deal.

FNC, one of News Corp.'s most profitable and fastest-growing business units, earned $235 million in operating income with 35% margins in the fiscal 2006 year ended June 30, according to a Merrill Lynch estimate. Merrill analyst Jessica Reif Cohen predicted 15% annual revenue growth even with a 50¢ affiliate fee, which FNC has significantly exceeded.

Deal, negotiated personally by News Corp. prexy Peter Chernin and Ailes, sets Fox News' carriage fee higher than that of the USA net, which gets about 60¢ a month, and just lower than TNT at 89¢ and Disney Channel at 79¢.

The cabler with the highest fees, ESPN, takes in an off-the-charts $2.96 per subscriber per month, according to Kagan Research, the result of tough talks in 2004 that saw heated battles with Charlie Ergen's Dish Network and Cox Communications.

A FNC rep declined to comment on the specifics of the deal. Cablevision also declined to comment except to say, "We are happy with our new deal with Fox News Channel."

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117952034&categoryid=14

fredfa

10-18-06, 03:06 AM

TV Notebook
Sorkin crack written in to 'Studio 60' script
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Oct. 18, 2006

Waste not, want not: That could be Aaron Sorkin's motto.

(Though possibly in Latin.)

In July, the creator of NBC's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" feigned chagrin when, during a press conference, he used a drug analogy to describe some unnamed "reality" TV shows.

"I do think that television is a terribly influential part of this country and that when things that are very mean-spirited and voyeuristic go on TV, I think it's bad crack in the school yard," said Sorkin, whose own drug history has been all too well-publicized.

A moment later, he added:

"Why did I use that word?"

And a few minutes after that, when Matthew Perry, who's had some drug issues of his own, was asked what it's like to play a character so clearly based on his new boss, he did what he could to help, replying, "I think it's mostly like bad Vicodin in the school yard."

The ad lib was funny - OK, maybe you had to be there - but Sorkin must've preferred the original, because on Monday's "Studio 60," it was "bad crack in the school yard" that TV executive Jordan McDeere (Amanda Peet) appropriated to describe a certain mean-spirited and voyeuristic show she wasn't interested in seeing on her network.

That's fair: They're Sorkin's own words, after all, and he can use them anywhere he likes.

But you'd think that sometime between the moment they left his mouth and the moment he put them in Jordan's he might have paused to ask himself whether "crack in the school yard" can ever be anything but "bad."

"Studio 60's" ratings are still falling even as the show itself seems to be improving - according to the preliminary Nielsens, Monday's episode averaged fewer than 7.3 million viewers. And it continues to be a steady source of inside jokes.

This week, there was a shout-out to New York Daily News TV critic David Bianculli, whose last name showed up in the crawl for the show-within-a-show's Nancy Grace sketch as someone who'd lost a cell phone.

The Grace sketch, the first I've laughed at since the show began, makes "Studio 60" at least the fourth show on television now parodying the CNN Headline News host, whose polarizing personality is already a feature on NBC's "Saturday Night Live," Fox's "Justice" (where she's called Suzanne Fulcrum) and ABC's "Boston Legal" (where the character goes by the moniker Gracie Jane).

Which means, I guess, that far more people are watching actresses make fun of Nancy Grace than are actually watching Grace herself.

And that, unlike crack in a school yard, can only be considered a good thing.

Gone, but not forgotten

Monday's column hailing the upcoming return of NBC's "Medium" got some readers wondering - and e-mailing - about two other shelved favorites, CBS' "King of Queens" and NBC's "Crossing Jordan."

Both shows were renewed last spring but listed for midseason, which translates into "waiting in the wings till a new show tanks."

And that, their respective network representatives said yesterday, is still where they are.

"No news yet," says CBS of "King."

"Definitely coming back," says NBC of "Jordan."

Just not yet.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15785348.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

keenan

10-18-06, 03:32 AM

^^ The only CW news I'm waiting for is: "Veronica Mars recieves full-season order."
Me too, and like Fred says, The CW is so weak everywhere else we just might get lucky.

trbarry

10-18-06, 07:50 AM

Veronica Mars is, and has been, one of my very top favorite shows. It is a mystery and disappointment to me it has not yet become more popular. If the CW cannot find a way to make VM succeed then it is hard to believe they will succeed with much else either. :(

- Tom

DoubleDAZ

10-18-06, 09:56 AM

My take is that too many older folks simply ignore the "other" networks because they have historically catered to younger and minority viewers. If it's not ABC, CBS, or NBC, the AARP generation simply dismisses it out of hand. Granted, they've somewhat embrassed FOX, but that is probably because FOX is in your face with advertisments on several channels much more than the CW can probably even afford. Programs on The Big 4 are also the subject of talk shows, watercoolers, newsprint, etc. They are highlighted during the networks other venues; morning shows, soaps, etc. The CW has no similar venues and it relies on loyal followers and word of mouth, not where big ratings numbers come from.

Xesdeeni

10-18-06, 10:12 AM

Obituary
Christopher Glenn, 68
...
He also handled numerous assignments for CBS Television. He was the reporter/narrator for the over 5,000 broadcasts of the Emmy Award-winning program In The News, aimed at kids and sandwiched between entertainment programs on Saturday mornings from 1971 through 1986.That was my first exposure to news as a kid. I remember it and his name well. Thanks, Christopher Glenn!

Xesdeeni

Xesdeeni

10-18-06, 10:16 AM

^^ The only CW news I'm waiting for is: "Veronica Mars recieves full-season order."Me too, but don't hold your breath: Last Week’s Bottom Five Shows By Network Rank Program Net Viewers
96 Veronica Mars CW 2.96
Xesdeeni

fredfa

10-18-06, 11:24 AM

The TV Column
The Week’s Winners and Losers
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff WriterWednesday, October 18, 2006; C01

CBS has won all four weeks of the new season among viewers of all ages, and this week it tied ABC among the younger ones advertisers lust after. And Flavor Flav, making a tough final choice between hotties Delishis and New York on the latest edition of VH1's "Flavor of Love," copped a bigger crowd than the season debut of ABC's "What About Brian" or the premiere of NBC's "Twenty Good Years." It's going to be one of those TV seasons.

Here's a look at the week's tops and bottoms:

WINNERS

Flavor Flav. About 7.5 million viewers tuned in to see Mr. Flav pick Ms. Delishis to be his main, er, squeeze on the second-season finale of "Flavor of Love." It was the biggest audience ever for VH1. (Just under 6 million caught the first-season wrap-up.) Among viewers advertisers love the most -- younger ones -- Flav's Sunday finale clocked the best rating for a non-sports program on any basic cable network this calendar year to date. And, in one of those happy endings we love, Flav's final rejectee, Ms. New York, will get her own spinoff, "Flavorette," in which she will get to stick it to a bunch of men the way Flav has done to so many women over the years on VH1. To recap, the Public Enemy turned VH1 heartbreaker stole Brigitte Nielsen's heart on the third season of "The Surreal Life," after which the crazy-in-love couple starred in the spinoff "Strange Love." That, in turn, begat "Flavor of Love," in which Flav slowly worked his way through a pack of hotties, a show so successful that VH1 ordered another round. And the rest, as they say, is ratings history.

"Brothers & Sisters." ABC gave its new Sunday series a full-season pickup because, while no ratings home run, it's at least doing a better job of hanging on to its enormous "Desperate Housewives" lead-in audience than new time-slot slackers "Six Degrees" and "The Nine" are doing post-"Grey's Anatomy" and "Lost," respectively. "B&S" is the second-highest-rated new series among young viewers, behind NBC's "Heroes," which, we ought to mention, is No. 1 without the benefit of a "Desperate Housewives" lead-in or an all-star cast that includes Calista Flockhart, Rachel Griffiths and Sally Field.

"Heroes." NBC gave "Heroes" a full-season order because it remains the No. 1 new series of the season among the 18-to-49-year-olds advertisers crave. And, among the 18-to-34-year-olds advertisers crave even more, it's the No. 3-ranked series, behind only mega-hits "Grey's Anatomy" and "Desperate Housewives" and tied with "CSI."

"1 vs. 100." NBC's new game show accomplished the impossible: It delivered nearly 13 million viewers to NBC, scoring the network's biggest Friday 9 p.m. premiere in 13 years among young viewers and the best Friday non-sports debut among young viewers on any network in about two years. And it made "Deal or No Deal" look like Mensa brainteasers. Oh, wait. NBC says in this week's edition of "1 vs. 100" a contestant will match wits with actual Mensa members. Never mind.

"Jericho" beat the time-slot debut of "30 Rock" among young viewers; CBS gave the delivering series a full-season pickup.

"Criminal Minds." Just a couple hundred thousand viewers separated this CBS drama from time-slot competitor "Lost" last week -- and by the second half-hour "Criminal Minds" was ahead, though its audience skews older, which means advertisers give it less respect.

LOSERS

"I Pity the Fool." Has time passed Mr. T by? His new TV Land reality series attracted just 628,000 Wednesday at 10, though his lead-in, a "Jeffersons" rerun, averaged 925,000 viewers. Over the prior four weeks, the cable net had averaged 723,000 viewers in T's time slot. And, in March '05, the first episode of TV Land's being-Farrah Fawcett reality series, "Chasing Farrah," lured more than 800,000.

"30 Rock." Tina Fey's much-ballyhooed "Saturday Night Live"-ish comedy series scored just 8.1 million viewers on Wednesday. That's considerably fewer than caught the first episode of NBC's other new "SNL"-ish series, Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," which opened to a crowd of more than 13 million. NBC noted that "30 Rock" aired at 8 while "Studio 60" debuted at 10, when far more homes are using television, and that the network hadn't tried comedy in the "30 Rock" time slot since the Cretaceous Period. Cry me a river. Among young viewers, "30 Rock" finished behind ABC's ballroom dancing in the time slot, and even behind CBS's new sky-is-falling drama, "Jericho."

"Six Degrees." Last week ABC's new strangers-get-connected series hung on to just 38 percent of TV's biggest lead-in audience -- "Grey's Anatomy's" nearly 23 million viewers. And yet -- not canceled.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/17/AR2006101701579_pf.html

fredfa

10-18-06, 11:29 AM

Nielsen Notebook
Spry '60 Minutes' livens CBS's Sunday
Network is up 14 percent in 18-49s for the night
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct 18, 2006

When CBS moved “Without a Trace,” its successful Thursday drama, to Sunday nights this year, the idea was to become competitive among adults 18-49 on a night the network has long been uncompetitive.

And suddenly it is nosing closer to leader ABC with ratings up over last year. But while “Trace” certainly has helped, it’s a show that didn’t switch timeslots, older-skewing “60 Minutes” that’s accounting for a good part of the gains.

The long-running newsmagazine is off to a surprisingly strong start to the season in its Sunday 7 p.m. slot. Sunday’s episode averaged a 4.5 rating in adults 18-49, up 50 percent over last season’s 3.0 average and the show’s best 18-49 average since Jan. 8. It tied “Trace” for CBS’s second-highest rated show of the night, behind the NFL overrun.

Through four weeks of the new season, CBS’s Sunday night average has jumped 14 percent compared with last year, from a 3.5 to a 4.0. And “Minutes” and “Trace” account for a good portion of that, as gains for the night’s other two shows, “Amazing Race” and “Cold Case,” have been modest compared with last year.

Sunday is one of just two nights showing year-to-year double-digit gains for CBS, which is down 3 percent season to date from a 4.0 to a 3.9 rating.

So why is “60 Minutes” suddenly a big draw? Certainly its weekly football boost helps, but even taking that into account, Sunday’s show was 13 percent ahead of the same week last year, when “60 Minutes” also had a big football lead-in.

Another reason is that the show recently has featured some compelling guests. Sunday’s show included the first interviews with the defendants in the Duke lacrosse rape case.

And two weeks ago Washington Post star reporter Bob Woodward talked up “State of Denial,” his new book about the Iraq war, which bumped the show to an above-average 3.7.

A third thing that should boost the show in coming weeks is that Yahoo’s popular TV site has begun posting footage of high-profile “60 Minutes” in advance of their TV air date.

Meanwhile, in broadcast ratings for the week ended Oct. 15

Among adults 18-49, ABC and CBS tied for first with a 4.0 rating and 11 share, followed by NBC at 3.7/10, Fox at 2.5/7, the CW at 1.5/4, Univision at 1.4/4, Telemundo at 0.4/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1, and Pax and Azteca tied at 0.1/0.

Among adults 18-34, ABC was first at 3.3/10, followed by NBC at 3.1/10, CBS at 2.8/9, Fox at 2.0/7, the CW at 1.7/5, Univision at 1.6/5, Telemundo at 0.4/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1, and Azteca and Pax tied at 0.1/0.

Among adults 25-54, CBS led easily with 5.2/13, followed by ABC at 4.6/11, NBC at 4.3/11, Fox at 2.9/8, the CW at 1.4/3, Univision at 1.3/3, Telemundo at 0.4/1, Telefutura at 0.3/1, Pax at 0.2/0 and Azteca at 0.1/0.

Top five (18-49s): 1. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 9.4; 2. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 8.3; 3. CBS’s “CSI” 7.5; 4. ABC’s “Lost” 6.9; 5. NBC’s “ER” 6.1

Top five (total viewers): 1. ABC’s “Grey’s Anatomy” 22.89 million; 2. CBS’s “CSI” 21.85 million; 3. ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” 20.64 million; 4. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” 20.10 million; 5. ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars Results” 18.21 million

Bottom five (18-49s): 80. CW’s “Girlfriends” 1.1; Tie-81. CW’s “All of Us” and “America’s Top Model Encore” 1.0; 83. CW’s “The Game” 0.9; 84. CW’s “Runaway” 0.7

Bottom five (total viewers): 80. CW’s “All of Us” 2.51 million; 81. CW’s “Girlfriends” 2.47 million; 82. CW’s “The Game” 2.14 million; 83. CW’s “America’s Next Top Model Encore” 2.01 million; 84. CW’s “Runaway” 1.79 million

Show on the rise: "Dancing with the Stars” ABC Tuesday, 8 p.m. Speculation over whether contestant Sara Evans’ divorce would force her to quit the contest should just keep driving up ratings. Last week its average among 18-49s went from 5.2 to 5.6. The show also claimed 20.1 in million total viewers for its competition show, up from last week’s 18.38 million.

Show on the decline: “Friday Night Lights” NBC Tuesday 8 p.m. Down from 50th place and a 2.7 rating last week to 63rd with a rating of 2.2, the sinking show is starting to spawn rumors of a timeslot change. But NBC did order more scripts last week.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_7958.asp

fredfa

10-18-06, 11:37 AM

TV Notebook
“Las Vegas” Delayed a Week

At MediaWeek, Marc Berman reports this morning that NBC is delaying Friday’s scheduled season premiere of “Las Vegas” by a week to allow its new game show “1 vs. 100” a chance to get some benefit from its “Deal Or No Deal” lead-in.

Las Vegas now will premiere on Friday Oct. 27, instead of this week.

fredfa

10-18-06, 11:47 AM

TV Notebook
About that story line. . .
'Studio 60's' fictional focus on ratings is becoming a real-life scenario at NBC
By Scott Collins Los Angeles Times Staff Writer in the Channel Island TV Industry blog. October 18, 2006

Matt and Danny may be pulling good ratings with their fictional TV show, but NBC's real-life numbers for "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" are another story.

Matthew Perry and Bradley Whitford star as a bickering writing duo on "Studio 60," a show that presumes to rescue a once-funny late-night comedy show à la "Saturday Night Live." But it's become clear that writer Aaron Sorkin's backstage drama needs a lifeline of its own. On Monday the show slipped to its lowest rating so far in the critical bracket of adults aged 18 to 49, with a 3.1 rating/8 share (7.8 million total viewers), according to early data from Nielsen Media Research.

"Studio 60" dragged down NBC's performance for the night, although the network still narrowly beat CBS in the 18-to-49 demographic (4.7 average rating versus 4.5). The fantasy thriller "Heroes" has turned into a solid hit for NBC, this week handily winning the 9 p.m. time slot with a healthy 5.7 rating/13 share (13.1 million total viewers).

But "Studio 60" retained just 54% of that audience — an anemic figure by any yardstick and especially for an expensive, heavily promoted show once considered NBC's ace in the hole this season. Worst of all, "Studio 60" was beaten in both the demographic and among total viewers by ABC's drama "What About Brian?" (3.5 rating/9 share; 8.3 million total viewers), a sluggish holdover from last season. CBS' forensics fest "CSI: Miami" as usual dominated the 10 p.m. slot, with a 5.6 rating/14 share and 17.6 million viewers.

NBC is rightly touting its improved ratings performance this year. It's the only network posting a year-to-year increase (up 15%) in the 18-to-49 demographic through the first four weeks of the season. However, all of that gain is attributable to NBC's high-rated Sunday night NFL games. When Sunday nights this season and last are taken out of consideration, the network is flat in 18-to-49, with a 3.5 rating. That means that NBC's entertainment programming is, taken as a whole, failing to find traction so far.

http://www.calendarlive.com/tv/cl-et-channel18oct18,0,2754806,print.story?coll=cl-tvent

fredfa

10-18-06, 12:00 PM

TV Notebook
CBS Picks Up “Close To Home”

CBS has given a back end order for nine more episodes of its sophomore Friday drama “Close To Home” which brings it to the full complement of 22.

fredfa

10-18-06, 12:12 PM

TV Notebook
Of summer's sleeper, 'Criminal Minds'
CBS copper quietly built audience with reruns By Diego Vasquez medialifemagazine staff writer Oct 18, 2006

Every year there’s an under-the-radar show that takes off over the summer during reruns and blossoms into a hit come fall.

Two years ago it was ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” which rose to a top 10 finisher among adults 18-49. Last year it was CBS’s “NCIS,” which is now a top-20 show in total viewers.

This year it looks like that show is CBS’s “Criminal Minds,” which last week nearly managed what once seemed impossible. It came within 160,000 viewers of matching ABC’s hit “Lost” in total viewers in their shared 9 p.m. Wednesday timeslot. The closest it got last year, “Minds’” first season, was 3.5 million viewers.

“Lost” remained well ahead among 18-49s, with a 6.9 rating to the latter’s 4.5. But media people will be monitoring tonight’s ratings for the two shows closely to see if “Minds” can move ahead in total viewers.

“Minds” had two weeks to warm up viewers before “Lost” returned for a late debut on Oct. 4. In those first two weeks, the show averaged a 4.7 in 18-49s, up 27 percent over last season’s 3.7 average, and 16.1 million total viewers, up 28 percent over last season’s 12.62 million average.

Over the summer, “Minds” reruns were among broadcast's most-watched repeats and did far better than “Lost,” which aired in a later timeslot, suggesting that some viewers who watched first-run “Losts” switched over during the summer and never went back.

By contrast, “Lost” is down by more than 20 percent in total viewers and 18-49s to start the season.

What’s more, CBS could well build “Minds’” numbers after November sweeps, when “Lost” goes on hiatus for a few months and gets replaced by the Taye Diggs drama “Daybreak.”

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_7956.asp

fredfa

10-18-06, 12:21 PM

The New Season
NBC's `Studio' fails to reveal dramatic ratings
Phil Rosenthal Chicago Tribune Media Columnist October 18, 2006

NBC ripped up its fall schedule shortly after unveiling it to advertisers last spring to protect the network's hefty investment in Aaron Sorkin's "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip."

It looks as though the fourth-place network has been ripped off to the tune of $3 million an episode.

The most-hyped show of the new TV season has become the biggest disappointment. "Studio 60" is a bust.

The drama about backstage intrigue at a "Saturday Night Live"-esque show from "The West Wing" auteur Sorkin that NBC outbid its rivals to land, is dying like one of those mirthless "SNL" sketches shoe-horned in just before the closing credits.

It's not entirely clear why, though viewers historically have not swarmed to inside showbiz dramas. It's also possible they've found Sorkin's tale of how a big-shot heroic writer deigned to return to network TV a tad smug. The allegedly brilliant work his fictional alter ego churns out seems very ordinary indeed.

It's a drama about making comedy, but the comedy being made isn't funny.

Even less amusing is that "Studio 60" has been on five weeks, and each episode has drawn fewer viewers. The show's only saving grace from a business standpoint is that its dwindling fans might be attractive to marketers.

"60" is the most upscale regular series on TV, according to Steve Sternberg of Magna Global. "As long as the show's ratings stabilize," Sternberg noted Tuesday, "the case can certainly be made that it's actually doing well."

But they haven't yet, so it's not.

Monday's show attracted just 7.74 million viewers, 920,000 fewer viewers than the week before and less than 60 percent of the 13.4 million viewers the show opened with a month ago. What's more, viewers seem to bail in the second half-hour each week.

A friend of mine who works on a top-rated series tells me he and his fellow writers make sure they catch "60" each Monday just so they can all trash it on Tuesday. That might explain the upscale thing, but it's a narrow niche.

Most damning is that on Monday, "60" shed 5.2 million viewers from its lead-in, "Heroes," the fantasy series launched with far less fanfare, which is NBC's top new show this fall and its fourth-highest rated program overall after "ER," the Monday "Deal or No Deal" and "Law & Order: SVU."

The situation is reminiscent of 2000, when CBS' heavily promoted "The Fugitive" did so-so, overshadowed by the program that followed it on Fridays. That initially overlooked program that barely made it onto network chieftain Leslie Moonves' schedule that year was "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."

If "Heroes" is a bit of mismatch for "Studio 60," they weren't originally paired. But NBC had so much invested in "60" that when ABC moved "Grey's Anatomy" opposite it and "CSI" on Thursdays, NBC programming exec Kevin Reilly overhauled his entire schedule so "60" wouldn't be D.O.A.

He yanked the drama "Medium" off his schedule (though it's set to return Nov. 15) and dropped "60" into its slot. For the record, going into this week, "60" was doing 22 percent worse in households than "Medium" was a year ago.

Among the many other shows uprooted to aid "60," the new drama "Kidnapped" was shifted to Wednesdays, where it's already been toe-tagged and shunted to little-seen Saturdays to tie up its loose ends before vanishing in a few weeks. "Kidnapped" might not have done better in its original Tuesday slot, but who knows?

Of course, much was made going into the season about how "Studio 60" was one of two "SNL"-inspired shows on NBC's schedule. The other was Tina Fey's sitcom, "30 Rock," which debuted last week even weaker than "Studio 60," with just 8.13 million viewers.

Among the four major networks, that's the fifth-least watched debut for a new show this fall. Notably, four of those bottom five were NBC shows. But "30 Rock" mitigated its shortcomings by including a sales pitch from Alec Baldwin touting NBC parent General Electric's Tri-Vection Oven. Fey might have intended the plug to be ironic, but then NBC ran ads for said oven during the show--at least twice.

But NBC Universal needs all the help it can get. While net income at parent General Electric was reported up 6.1 percent to nearly $5 billion for the quarter that ended in September, NBC Universal was cited as a drag with a 10 percent decline in profit.

It takes a lot of ovens to offset that.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/columnists/chi-0610180061oct18,1,626741,print.column?coll=chi-ent_tv-hed

fredfa

10-18-06, 12:28 PM

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

fredfa

10-18-06, 12:31 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Brighter night for 'Friday Night Lights'
NBC's endangered sports drama springs back
By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct. 18, 2006

Last week NBC gave “Friday Night Lights,” its struggling new drama, a symbolic vote of confidence, ordering several more scripts for the series. While short of a full season order, the gesture indicated that NBC will stand behind the series for a bit in hopes that its audience will build.

And last night it did. “Lights” averaged a 2.7 rating in adults 18-49, up 13 percent over last week’s 2.4, according to Nielsen overnights. That puts “Lights” even with its premiere rating two weeks ago.

It’s hardly a strong number – “Lights” still placed fourth in its timeslot. But stopping the previous week’s ratings slide was a good sign, as was the show’s 12 percent growth from its first half hour to its second, going from a 2.5 to a 2.8.

However, unless “Lights” continues to build and pushes over a 3.0, it seems likely the show will be relocated in the not-so-distant future. Friday night is a good possibility for the show, perhaps swapping with strong new game show “1 vs 100” or being replaced by midseason returner “Crossing Jordan,” whose timeslot still hasn’t been determined.

NBC has remained aggressive in promoting the show, which got very good reviews, on new shows like “Sunday Night Football” and its Monday dramas.

Elsewhere last night, ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” hit its best Tuesday rating of the season, a 5.8, likely driven by viewers curious about what the show would do after Sara Evans left for personal reasons late last week.

And Fox’s National League Championship Series coverage, which had been slumping, was actually up slightly compared with last year, according to fast national ratings, which measure timeslot data and not actual program data. Fox’s true performance will be more clear when final numbers come out later today, but an uptick of any sort is encouraging after low ratings for postseason baseball thus far.

ABC won the night for the fourth time in five weeks, averaging a 4.6 rating and 12 share in adults 18-49. NBC was second at 3.8/10, followed by CBS at 3.6/9, Fox at 3.4/9, the CW at 1.7/4, and Univision at 1.5/4.

At 8 p.m., ABC led with a 5.5 for “Stars,” followed by a 3.8 for CBS’s “NCIS,” a 2.9 for Fox’s NLCS, a 2.7 for NBC’s “Lights,” a 2.0 for the CW’s “Gilmore Girls” and a 1.7 for Univision’s “La Fea Mas Bella.”

At 9 p.m., ABC kept its lead with a 5.0 for the final half hour of “Stars” (6.6) and the sitcom “Help Me Help You” (3.3), followed by NBC’s “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” and CBS’s “The Unit” at 3.7, Fox’s baseball at 3.5, Univision’s “Mundo de Fieras” at 1.5 and the CW’s “Veronica Mars” at 1.4.

NBC led at 10 p.m. with a 4.8 for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” followed by a 3.7 for Fox’s NLCS, a 3.3 for ABC’s “Boston Legal,” a 3.1 for CBS’s “Criminal Minds” rerun and a 1.2 for Univision’s “Ver para Creer.”

Among households, ABC led with a 10.4/16, followed by CBS at 8.1/13, Fox at 6.9/11, NBC at 6.7/10, the CW at 2.5/4 and Univision at 2.0/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7984.asp

harley1

10-18-06, 02:46 PM

fredfa

10-18-06, 02:50 PM

Interesting thought, harley1.

I think perhaps NBC will be able to find a timeslot to save "FNL" although I can't really figure out where that would be at the moment.

mike_somd

10-18-06, 03:12 PM

Friday Night Lights

I think this show calls for a 13 episode season. Roughly the length of the season. If they drag the season out over 22 episodes it could drag on. I however really like this show, so that means it probably will get cancelled. It seams to happen to most shows I like and start watching from the get go.

grittree

10-18-06, 03:26 PM

I wonder if they consider the ratings by anything other than age group. It seems people watching FNL would be more likely to buy things than those watching Wife Swap. Other than beer and lottery tickets, that is.

fredfa

10-18-06, 03:48 PM

Advertisers feel older people, who often do have more disposable income, are also more set in their ways and thus less liable to change their preferences and purchase new brands of products.

Thus they favor the younger demographics.

I am not defending their attitudes, but that is what drives them to the 18-49 demo and even other young demographics.

dad1153

10-18-06, 03:58 PM

I wonder if Friday Night Lights would have done better if it started in Feb during sweeps.

After watching football live Thur- Mon, maybe viewers just don't want more football content on Tues night.

But in Feb , viewers start missing football and maybe the ratings would be higher then.

I also hope NBC is patient with 'Studio 60' and keeps it around until 2007, so that it escapes the massive audience tuning into ESPN's 'Monday Night Football' right now. By the time 'Studio 60' starts on the East Coast 'MNF' is in either the 3rd or 4th quarter of play, when audiences tune in the most if the game is any good (like last Monday's come-from-behind Bears shallacking of the Cardinals). You can't tell me a significant number of "upscale" viewers that are also football fans won't be interested in a quality show like 'Studio 60' is there were no football around.

fredfa

10-18-06, 04:03 PM

(Please note: spoilers are included for Veronica Mars and Friday Night Lights)
Critic’s Notebook
“Veronica Mars” and “Friday Night Lights”
A World Of Pain
By Alan Sepinwall of the Newark Star-Ledger in his blog “What’s Alan Watching”

‘Twas a football-themed night of TV for me. Spoilers for, in order, "Veronica Mars" and "Friday Night Lights," just as soon as I pour myself a white Russian...

I have a friend who's a massive Veronica/Logan 'shipper, so when a "Veronica Mars" episode barely has the two interacting, she gets mad, no matter how good the rest of the hour might have been. After the two of them shared only one scene last week, I think she was on the verge of driving to the production office and smashing all the windows on Rob's car while bellowing something about how this is what happens when you do something bad to a stranger...

Sorry, went on a "Lebowski" digression there for a second, though I was helped along by maybe the best shout-out to The Dude and Walter that they've done so far, with the Wichita linebacker's "Where's the playbook, Larry? Where's the playbook? You're entering a world of pain, Larry." Really, the only thing that would have made it better was if Larry's roommate was in an iron lung at the time.

Anyway, back to Veronica and her fella. This was a rare episode when all the mysteries took a backseat to Veronica's love life, with the playbook story in particular almost feeling like an afterthought. But I suppose you have to feed the 'shippers from time to time, and I liked that Veronica realized what a paranoid loon she was becoming. Plus, that story featured my favorite non-Lebowski line, with Logan's joke about Madison Sinclair being able to testify to Dick's status as a minute man.

This was a fairly light-hearted hour, with the two darkest events -- Weevil beating up the abusive boyfriend and the blonde getting raped -- taking place off-screen. And if the purpose of doing shorter arcs was to avoid the loss of momentum that both the bus crash and the bridge stabbing suffered in the middle of last year, I'm not sure it's working yet. There's going to be a significant rape storyline next week, but that'll still mean two out of the first four episodes barely dealt with it at all.

And am I the only one who wishes Weevil got to keep his job as Keith's new guy Friday?

Meanwhile, "Friday Night Lights" offered up its first non-Berg-directed episode. At first, I didn't feel the same sense of urgency I got in the first two episodes (the ditching of the day of the week title cards didn't help), but then we got to Taylor taking a page out of the Herb Brooks playbook and making the guys run until they came back together. (Though as a huge fan of "Miracle," the blatant theft/homage was a little distracting even there. It's one thing for "Battlestar Galactica" to steal from a 40-year-old movie like "The Great Escape," and another for this show to steal from a movie that came out two years ago.) Even without Berg behind the camera, the show continues to look amazing, particularly those shots at the end of the ringer QB from New Orleans wandering through the Dillon practice. And Kyle Chandler, usually such a mellow guy on screen, really had me believing in Taylor's new red-ass approach….

http://sepinwall.blogspot.com/2006/10/world-of-pain.html

fredfa

10-18-06, 04:19 PM

More details on the Turner Sports – MLB deal
TV Sports
Turner lands LCS rights
Atlanta outlet to show one series a year through 2013
By Tim Tucker The Atlanta Journal-Constitution Oct. 18, 2006

Atlanta-based Turner Broadcasting became a bigger player in baseball's television lineup Tuesday.

Turner and Major League Baseball announced a seven-year deal under which one of the two league championship series will be televised on TBS each year from 2007 through 2013.

The deal marks the first time MLB has put an LCS on cable, rather than broadcast, television.

TBS will carry the National League Championship Series in 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2013 and the American League Championship Series in 2008, 2010 and 2012.

Fox will carry the other LCS each year.

Turner, which has not previously televised postseason baseball, struck a separate deal with MLB earlier this year that will put all division series playoff games on TBS starting next season and a package of 26 regular-season, league-wide Sunday afternoon games on TBS starting in 2008.

The LCS adds a "crown jewel," as Turner Sports president David Levy put it, to the earlier deal.

The deals underscore TBS' switch from its three-decades-long tradition of televising Braves games nationally to its new strategy of televising league-wide games. National ratings for Braves games on TBS have dropped precipitously through the years, and TBS won't televise them nationally after next season.

"Baseball has been the fabric of TBS for many years," Levy said Tuesday.

"Having postseason baseball on TBS for the first time is something the whole network, the whole organization, the whole company, is excited about."

While the movement of a sporting event of the LCS' stature to cable would have been a shocking development some years ago, it continues a recent trend.

The NFL's "Monday Night Football" moved to ESPN this season after 36 years on ABC. And Turner's TNT televises an NBA conference final series each year.

"We believe at Turner that the television landscape has changed, where the lines between cable and broadcast television are virtually non-existent," Levy said.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said "it makes a great deal of sense" for TBS to add an LCS to its division series package. "And frankly," he added, "the economics were what we wanted."

Neither MLB nor Turner would comment on the LCS rights fee, which is probably in the ballpark of $45 million-$50 million per year based on recent market trends.

Levy said "it's a little early" to discuss who will announce the postseason games on TBS, but Braves broadcaster Chip Caray is expected to have a prominent play-by-play role.

Although ending its national Braves telecasts after next season, TBS will air 45 Braves games per season in the Atlanta TV market beginning in 2008.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2006/10/17/1018turner.html

fredfa

10-18-06, 04:39 PM

TV Sports
Fork in the Road
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable in the BCBeat blog

The MLB has taken a chisel to its diamond. Only time will tell whether the result is two diamonds or a pile of fragments.

Or to paraphrase Yogi, it has come to a fork in the road, and taken it.

The pennant race will now be concluded on cable for one or the other of the Major League Baseball leagues. The American and National leagues will alternate their championship series (LCS) on cable's TBS for the next 7 years.

That means if you don't have cable, or are not in one of the two home cities, you will only see one half of the pennant race's checkered flag, to mix sports metaphors.

Sports siphoning to cable used to be a big issue in Washington.

Not anymore, although the flap over carriage of the Washington Nationals did recall the knicker-twist that legislators used to get in when faced with the possibility that sports would migrate to pay TV, stripping the hard-working, non-cable voter of their slice of Apple Pie, their Hot Dog, their Chevrolet.

Now, it is just a fact of life and economics. Monday Night Football, All-Star games, baseball playoffs.

From TBS to ESPN to CSTV, cable's got game, and it looks like there's no going back.

http://broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138.html

steverobertson

10-18-06, 04:43 PM

I wonder if TBS will do the games in HD? As a limited fan of BB I find that having 3 channels do the games gets confusing and will probably in some cases make me forget about the games. I never watch TBS so even if they run advertisements I will not see them.

fredfa

10-18-06, 04:48 PM

I have been looking for any mention of HD in the deal.

I have to assume the games will be in HD -- but have seen no word yet at all.

fredfa

10-18-06, 04:51 PM

TV Notebook
Terror on TV
Television is getting into the horror spirit early, with Halloween-themed programing.rs
By Diane Werts Newsday Staff Writer October 18, 2006
(Note: all times are Eastern)

Horror starts haunting the tube in earnest now. Tomorrow there will be 13 days till Halloween night, and that unlucky number ushers in a frightfully full lineup of scare-themed shows. Among the offerings:

EPISODES

Ugly Betty (Oct. 26 at 8 p.m., ABC) -- Oops, there is no office costume contest.

Masters of Horror (Oct. 27 at 10 p.m., Showtime) -- Hour anthology starts a second season from big-screen directors, with Tobe Hooper's "The Damned Thing."

The Munsters (Oct. 28, 6 a.m.-6 a.m., TV Land) -- Vintage sitcom for 25 straight hours (thanks to daylight saving time).

Hex (Oct. 29, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., BBC America) -- Ten episodes of the creepy boarding school drama.

Saturday Night Live (Oct. 31 at 1 p.m., E!) -- Collection of Halloween sketches.

Roseanne (Oct. 31, 11 p.m.-1 a.m., Nick at Nite) -- Spook-com outings from the tube's most dedicated tricksters.

The Tonight Show (Oct. 31 at 11:30 p.m., NBC) -- Marilyn Manson does TV to do "This Is Halloween."

The Simpsons (Nov. 5 at 8 p.m., Fox) -- The 17th Treehouse of Horror extravaganza, with Fran Drescher.

Other themed episodes:

Six Degrees (Oct. 19, 10 p.m., ABC)

Ghost Whisperer (Oct. 20, 8 p.m., CBS)

The Class (Oct. 23, 8:30 p.m., CBS)

CSI: Miami (Oct. 23, 10 p.m., CBS)

NCIS (Oct. 31, 8 p.m., CBS)

Law & Order: CI (Oct. 31, 9 p.m., NBC)

Jericho (Nov. 1, 8 p.m., CBS)

MOVIES

Return to Halloweentown (Oct. 20 at 8 p.m., Disney) -- Premiere of fourth film in the suburban witch family series with Lucas Grabeel and Debbie Reynolds. All entries air back to back Oct. 21 at 3:30 p.m.

The Initiation of Sarah (Oct. 22 at 8 p.m., ABC Family) -- Joanna Garcia ("Reba") and Morgan Fairchild in new TV movie about soul-selling sorority sisters.

Biography: Bela Lugosi (Oct. 23 at 8 p.m., Biography) - Five nights of fright continue through Oct. 27, in order: The Munsters, Boris Karloff, Linda Blair, Carolyn "Morticia" Jones.

Hollywood's 10 Best: Ghost Stories (Oct. 26 at 11:30 p.m., Biography) -- Clips and commentary from showbiz celebs.

Halloween marathon (Oct. 28, 7 a.m.-10:30 p.m., FX) -- Includes 6 p.m. screening of "The Blair Witch Project."

Pumpkinhead: Ashes to Ashes (Oct. 28 at 9 p.m., Sci Fi) -- Lance Henriksen in a new film with the revenge demon.

The House Next Door (Oct. 30 at 9 p.m., Lifetime) -- A residence built by architect Mark-Paul Gosselaar is rough on Lara Flynn Boyle and Colin Ferguson.

Night of the Living Dead (Oct. 31 at 8 p.m., G4) - The 1968 thriller, screened live from Milwaukee amid heartland Hallo-wildness, hosted by the makers of "American Movie."

The Rocky Horror Show (Oct. 31 at 8 p.m., LOGO) -- Tim Curry's sweet transvestite musical/chiller.

European erotic chillers (Oct. 31 at 10 p.m., Sundance) -- Triple feature of Jesus Franco '70s flicks: "She Killed in Ecstasy," "Vampyros Lesbos," "The Devil Came From Akasava."

Going to Pieces: The Rise and Fall of the Slasher Film (Oct. 31 at 11 p.m., Starz) -- New survey of the bloody genre.

FESTIVALS

Month of Creeps (continues through Oct. 31, Monsters HD) -- High-definition horrors include themed marathons: vampires Oct. 20, zombies Oct. 22, Frankenstein Oct. 27, "Halloween" films Oct. 31.

13 Days of Halloween (Oct. 18-Oct. 31 on Sci Fi) -- Day and night airings of spooky movies and shows ("Twilight Zone," "Tales From the Darksie").

13 Nights of Halloween (Oct. 18-Oct. 31 on ABC Family) -- "Tim Burton's Corpse Bride" tonight at 8 kicks off movie/series/cartoon festival.

Monsterfest (Oct. 22-31 on AMC) -- Horror both vintage ("Frankenstein," "Dracula") and modern ("Child's Play," "Gothika") runs 24/7, climaxing Oct. 31 with six "Halloween" flicks.

Fear-Fest 2006 (Oct. 27-30, 8 p.m., Encore) -- Nightly double features, plus an all-day marathon Oct. 31 from 6 a.m.

Frightfest (Oct. 27-31, Universal HD) -- Includes "Army of Darkness," "Bram Stoker's Dracula," "The Triangle" miniseries.

Scary Sunday films (Oct. 29, 8 a.m.-6 a.m., Fox Movie Channel) -- Including "Young Frankenstein" (11 a.m.), "The Omen" (6 p.m.), eight others.

Scare-a-thon (Oct. 30-31, Sleuth) -- Both movies ("The Frighteners") and creepy series episodes ("Knight Rider").

REALITY

Lisa Williams: Life Among the Dead (Oct 22 at 10 p.m., Lifetime) - British psychic helps Americans connect with departed loved ones.

Is It Real?: Vampires (Oct. 23 at 8 p.m., NatGeo) -- Seeking answers in Transylvania and Las Vegas.

Ghost Moms (Oct. 27 at 10 p.m., WE) -- Tulsa 'burbanites conduct paranormal investigations.

Most Haunted Live 2006 (Oct. 29-31 at 4 p.m., Travel) -- Real-time ghost-hunting in England.

Most Extreme (Oct. 31, 8-10 p.m., Animal Planet) -- Animal horrors and monster myths.

Criss Angel Mindfreak (Oct. 31 at 10 p.m., A&E) -- Celebrity séance includes Deborah Gibson.

Girls Next Door (Oct. 31 at 10 and 10:30 p.m., E!) -- Hugh Hefner's playmates[CQ LOWERCASE] get ghoulish.

Ghost Hunters (Oct. 31, 11 p.m.-5 a.m., Sci Fi) -- Live from Colorado's Stanley Hotel.

ETC.

Even Scarier Movie Moments (Oct. 20 at 9 p.m., Bravo) - Sequel to "100 Scariest Movie Moments," which repeats Oct. 26 at 9 p.m.

Emeril's Halloween Contest (Oct. 22 at 8 p.m., Food) - Creepy recipes. Other Food shows this day carry the Halloween theme, too.

Fangoria Chainsaw Awards (Oct. 22 at 10 p.m., fuse) -- Honoring horror-themed films, television and music, with performances from 30 Seconds to Mars and Avenged Sevenfold. Black-carpet preshow at 9:30.

Yin Yang Yo! (Oct. 23 at 8 p.m., Disney) -- Halloween special.

X-Play: The Scariest Games of All Time (Oct. 25 at 3 p.m., G4) -- Homage parody of "Saw" films reveals the top 10.

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (Oct. 27 at 8 p.m., ABC/7) -- Annual airing of the Peanuts gang's 1966 special.

America's Scariest Halloween Attractions (Oct. 27 at 9 p.m., Travel) -- What Americans do to scare themselves.

Shriekin' Weekend (Oct. 27-29, Nickelodeon) -- Animated and live-action faves, highlighted by holiday episode of "Ned's Declassified" (Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m.). Another monstrous marathon Oct. 31 (6 a.m.-9 p.m.).

Halloween on Ice (Oct. 29 at 6:30 p.m., Style) -- Nancy Kerrigan, Kurt Browning and others in costume.

http://www.newsday.com/entertainment/tv/ny-halloweentv1017,0,589118,print.story?coll=ny-television-headlines

fredfa

10-18-06, 04:54 PM

TV Notebook
CBS Launches YouTube Channel
By Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable 10/18/2006

A week after signing a deal with YouTube, CBS has launched its branded channel on the site. The channel, for which CBS will sell ads and split revenues with YouTube, will offer clips from current CBS-owned shows, library sports footage and the online preview for its evening newscast.

Initial content on the "CBS Brand Channel" will include the Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, NCIS and CSI: Miami in addition to old sports footage, such as March Madness highlights, and CBS News First Look With Katie Couric, the daily Webisodes the network has been offering on its own site to precede the TV newscast.

CBS plans to offer other network-owned programming, such as Survivor, CSI, CSI: NY, Jericho and Numb3rs; newsclips from programs including the Evening News, The Early Show and 48 Hours; sports video from CBS-owned college sports network CSTV and analysis from the network; and clips from CBS-owned pay-cable network Showtime.

CBS' branded network represents the network's effort to cautiously embrace YouTube at a time when all of the networks are struggling to figure out whether the online video behemoth is a friend or a foe. NBC, which initially scorned YouTube for posting a clip of SNL, paired with the site on a branded channel of its own over the summer (see our article on the topic).

So far, YouTube has protected itself from copyright infringement lawsuits by pulling network content posted without their consent, upon request. As part of CBS' YouTube deal - cut hours before the site was bought by Google -- if CBS allows user-posted network content to remain on the site, YouTube can sell ads ads against it and split the revenue with CBS.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6382771

fredfa

10-18-06, 05:26 PM

TV Notebook
ABC News Writers Headed For Strike?
Contract Offer Reflects New Realities, Says ABC
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 10/18/2006

Citing competition from nonunion shops like Fox and CNN, and hits from Fox News Radio defections, ABC tells news staffers it has put its best contract offer on the table.

Saying their union has been stalling talks and "denying reality" on the "few occasions" they have met, ABC has told news staffers represented by the Writers Guild of America East that they have until Oct. 31 to accept its final contract offer or it could be off the table.

ABC does not discuss ongoing contract negotiations--and these have been ongoing for 20 months. But according to a letter obtained by B&C and delivered Monday to the affected staffers, ABC tells those staffers it has agreed to a number of compromises while the guild has agreed to "zero."

ABC says that the union is defending "antiquated and non-competitive contract provisions" that deny ABC the "operational efficiency" of its nonunion competition "like Fox News, CNN, MSNBC, CNBC, Bloomberg News and others."

ABC says it is also feeling the crunch from satellite radio and new network competition, arguing that it needs to lengthen work days and cut costs on the radio side given the "sudden emergence of Fox News Radio as the news supplier of many Clear Channel radio stations which have disaffiliated from ABC News Radio."

The network also said it is losing news and non-news audience to DVD's. the Internet, iPods, computer games" and more, serious challenges to the network business it says the union is ignoring.

"The guild rejected each and every one of our most critical proposals and made no counterproposals to virtually any of these at any time," ABC said in its the letter.

ABC says one of those proposals was a 10.25% pay increase over three years, "real wage and fee increases" that it says are designed to keep those employees "among the highest paid in the industry."

WGA East has complained that the pay increase, which it pegged at 9.5%, is not retroactive to the end of the contract and so is smaller than it appears, but ABC says it has made clear from the outset that the pay would not be retroactive. If it were, unions would arguably be under less pressure to avoid protracted negotiations.

ABC wants to remove news writer/producers from the union news writersnewswriters who have gained some management functions), saying news show producers should be treated like managers, and that having them also do some writing outside of union coverage is "a fact of life for the overwhelming majority of local TV stations nationwide."

Removing those news writers/producers is a key issue with the guild, which has complained, including in an FCC media-ownership hearing in L.A. two weeks ago, that removing them from the union would have an adverse impact on news quality by reducing their editorial independence, a rationale ABC called "insulting."

The contract, which expired Jan. 31, 2005, covers about 250 staffers in New York (including WABC TV) and Washington.

The ABC offer was made in an Oct. 4 meeting, the first talks since June 29. New talks have been scheduled for Friday, Oct. 20, with ABC saying it hopes the union's bargaining committee "now recognizes the realities and challenges facing ABC."

WGA East is also in protracted contract negotiations with CBS over similar news staffers, though WGA says there was been progress in its latest talks Sept. 29-30, with more meetings scheduled.

CBS also proposed removing writer/producers from the union, but has revised that proposal, says WGA. CBS' last pay-increase proposal was also not retroactive.

A federal mediator has been present at each of the most recent negotiations with ABC and CBS, at the request of the guild.

"ABC's letter threatening to punish their own employees is very disturbing," said Mona Mangan, executive director of Writers Guild of America, East.

"When negotiations first started, they came to the table with proposals that cut salaries by 20% and removed members from the bargaining unit. Our members refused to agree to the proposals, and the company spent the next 21 months inflexibly demanding to have its own way.

"Now, the company announces that members won't get any increases for the past 21 months of hard work, and members still must come out of the bargaining unit," she told B&C. "ABC's message is simple. Anyone who refuses to bend to the corporate will will be punished and broken. That ABC missed the ethical implications of what they are saying is frightening."

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6382777

fredfa

10-18-06, 05:30 PM

TV Notebook
Big bucks for Couric, but still third place for CBS News?
By Gail Shister Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist Oct. 18, 2006

Is CBS getting its money's worth from Katie Couric?

After a $13 million promotional campaign touting the $15 million-a-year anchor of CBS Evening News, the network has yet to see a real payoff in its investment.

Despite CBS's incessant spin about Evening News' ratings improvement from '05, two developments are beyond dispute:

Since winning the first two weeks following Couric's Sept. 5 debut, Evening News is back in third place in the weekly network-news Nielsens.

Couric, 49, is delivering about the same viewership as did her lower-paid "interim" predecessor, Bob Schieffer, 69, over his last year.

In last week's race, for example, Brian Williams' No. 1 NBC Nightly News enjoyed its largest advantage over Evening News since Couric became anchor.

Nightly averaged 8.8 million total viewers, 1.5 million more than Evening News' 7.3 million, according to Nielsen Media Research figures released yesterday. It was Nightly's best delivery since March and its 115th blue ribbon in the last 119 weeks.

Charlie Gibson's ABC World News was No. 2 with 8.0 million viewers. Among the target 25-to-54 year-old viewers, it's almost a dead heat among the three broadcasts.

Nightly chief John Reiss, among others, isn't surprised at the back-to-the-future finish.

"We knew in the beginning we'd be in for a painful week or two, but I was absolutely confident that people would come back," Reiss says. "You can't be No. 1 for that long by accident.

"People watch Brian because they like him. It's not a casual habit to watch the same broadcast five nights a week... . Things have pretty much gone back to where they were before all this began."

Schieffer averaged 7.3 million total viewers from September '05 through August, according to figures cheerfully supplied by NBC.

As CBS was quick to point out, however, Evening News was up 6 percent in viewers last week compared with the same week a year ago, while NBC and ABC were down 4 percent and 3 percent, respectively.

NBC's Reiss says many Nightly viewers sampled Evening News the first few weeks because they were fans of Couric's when she coanchored NBC's Today. Now, "I think they're coming back" to NBC, he says.

Kimberly Meltzer, a journalism professor at Lehigh University and former Couric assistant, says Evening News' troubles stem from its attempt to "stifle" Couric's naturally ebullient personality.

"She's not doing what she's best at," says Meltzer, author of Irreconcilable Differences: An Analysis of Television's Difficult Marriage with Journalism Through the Lens of Its Anchors, 1950-2006.

"When her personality is allowed to shine through, she's bubbly and candid, with self-deprecating humor," Meltzer says. "That's what viewers loved about her. Now she's become much more formal on the air."

If CBS had taken a bigger risk by letting Couric show more personality, "maybe the news would be doing better," Meltzer says. (Hey, who needs gravitas?)

As for showing more personality, don't look for NBC's Williams to follow Couric's lead by exposing a little leg.

"Brian refuses to wear a skirt," says Reiss, tongue firmly in cheek.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//15783920.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

10-18-06, 06:33 PM

TV Notebook
What's your TV pet peeve?
Plus more news and views
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher”October 18, 2006

In an effort to remain calm, let’s pretend for a moment that we didn’t see this coming.

“Runaway” has been canceled by the CW. And the other show that aired – for a couple weeks – on the CW’s Monday night, “Seventh Heaven,” is – can you believe it? – not getting great ratings either. Switching both shows to Sunday night didn’t help much, and now the Donnie Wahlberg drama is history.

Now, let me think. Was there a Monday night drama that a rabid core of fans would watch every week, no matter what? Perhaps a drama that never got gangbuster ratings, but drew a loyal, reasonably-sized audience every week, thanks to its thoughtful writing and terrific acting? Would it be an audience that the CW would likely be glad to have show up regularly any night of the week?

I seem to recall -- yes, it’s coming to me -- a show that had that kind of loyal following and critical acclaim. Wasn’t it called… “Everwood?”

And wasn’t “Everwood” canceled by the folks who thought it would be a great idea to extend the run of the formerly canceled “Seventh Heaven” and bring us a new family drama that was not, if you’ll pardon the fuming, nearly in “Everwood’s” league?

It’s really not possible to convey the sound of gnashing teeth via a computer keyboard, but here’s an approximation: grsgtgd$&#*graaaarr$#@ggh!

In any case, the “Everwood” alumni have moved on; Greg Berlanti’s working on his own pilots as well as the ABC drama “Brothers and Sisters,” which just got a full-season pickup, and Chris Pratt will be on “The O.C.” soon. A quick IMDB.com check (which isn’t always reliable) indicates that the rest of the cast all have new projects in the works. It’s great to see them all working, but wouldn’t it have been a treat to get one more year of “Everwood” -- which, let’s review, drew a steady audience for four seasons?

Way to go, CW. First you cancel “Everwood,” then allow “Gilmore Girls” to go off the rails (I have no problem with new showrunner David Rosenthal, but I think, plot-wise, Amy Sherman-Palladino left Rosenthal and his staff in an unsalvageable situation), inflict one middling (now canceled) new drama and one lame new sitcom like “The Game” on us, and expect us to rally to your new network?

Warning: Do not even think about canceling “Veronica Mars.” It’s on a creative roll this year, and it’s the best thing on the network. So do not pull it from your schedule: That would be your worst move yet -- and that’s saying something.

In other TV news:

• To wrap up the longrunning sci-fi drama “Stargate SG-1,” MGM is planning two direct-to-DVD films. It is not yet known whether the films will air on Sci Fi Channel, “SG-1’s” longtime home. Ten more episodes of the series air next year on the network, and if I hear that the movies will air there too, I’ll let you know.

• Sunday’s finale for “Flavor of Love 2” was the most watched program in VH1 history; it garnered a staggering 7.5 million viewers overall. If you must see the entire spectacle, seasons 1 and 2 of the show are now available on iTunes. It’s also rumored that runner-up New York will be starring in a dating show of her own, “Flavorette.” You just know that spinoff, if it does star New York, will give ample time to her, uh, decisive mother.

What is it about this show that kept me -- and so many other people -- watching, despite the fact that I often felt like it was destroying my brain as well as heralding the decline of civilization as we know it? I just don’t know. I know I can’t hate on Flav, he’s just too funny and out there to blame for the sleazier aspects of the show. And despite all his wackiness, he still appears to have a streak of sanity in there somewhere (evidenced by him choosing Deelishis over the high-maintenance New York).

The women on the show – now they are a trip. Crazy, scheming, sane, drunk, weird or just plain goofy – they may not have presented womanhood’s finest hour on the tube, but they made for bizarrely watchable reality TV. I don't really subscribe to the concept of "guilty pleasures" -- good TV is good TV -- but I can't really call "Flavor of Love" good TV, and I still feel some guilt for watching this silliness. But then again, I have 7.5 million other folks with me in Guiltland.

• Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly goes another round with David Letterman on the [date corrected here] Oct. 27 “Late Show With David Letterman.” The two had a well-publicized, testy exchange on the air a few months ago.

• “The Lot,” Mark Burnett’s reality show for filmmakers, is now accepting applications. According to a Wednesday Fox press release, “to enter, applicants must be over 13 years of age, must submit a self-directed short film up to five minutes in length” to thelot.com. Some submissions to the program, which airs in the spring on Fox, are already up at the site, for your critiquing pleasure.

• RealityBlurred reports on rumors that the next season of “The Amazing Race” might be an all-star edition.

• Speaking of reality, TVGasm.com has unveiled its Golden Gasm Awards for best TV moments of the year. Two great ones are at the head of the list: Edgar’s death on “24,” and Santino Rice’s Tim Gunn impression on Season 2 of “Project Runway.” Check here for all the gory details on the well-chosen winners.

• Don’t forget, my interview with Tim Gunn goes up on this site midday Thursday. We are going to dish on all of Season 3 of “Project Runway” and I can’t wait.

• I’m going to do an upcoming column on some of my pet peeves of television. One of them, the way that journalists are portrayed, was featured in Monday’s episode of “Studio 60.” The star reporter played by Christine Lahti DID NOT WRITE ANYTHING DOWN during interviews. She DID NOT EVEN CARRY A PEN! Heaven forbid she should actually record anything so that her interview subjects couldn't squawk, “I never said that.” That sort of portrayal of journalists DRIVES ME NUTS.

Here’s another example: My spouse absolutely hates the increasingly overused “three days earlier” conceit. Meaning, a program starts in the middle of some crazy action sequence or something intense, but soon flashes to a screen that says “four days earlier” or “24 hours earlier” or “three weeks earlier,” etc. I don’t get as steamed about that as he does, but that technique – formerly a rarity on TV -- is starting to become annoyingly common.

So, dear reader, what are your television pet peeves? What makes you froth at the mouth and speak in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS because you are so angry when you see it? Please share with the class below.

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

fredfa

10-18-06, 06:34 PM

(You can reply to Maureen Ryan's question about your TV pet peeves to her blog, or feel free to vent a little here on the thread.)

Whitearrow

10-18-06, 07:32 PM

In December, Sci Fi will debut supernatural-based mystery miniseries The Lost Room, followed in January by The Dresnan Files, about a crime-fighting wizard.

*facepalm*

zomg its DRESDEN. His name is Harry Dresden. He uses magic to fight crime! Did this appear in a real newspaper? sheesh.

fredfa

10-18-06, 07:33 PM

TV Notebook
Nets Start Outlining Election-Night Coverage
By Ben Grossman and Allison Romano Broadcasting & Cable 10/18/2006

The broadcast and cable news networks are gearing up for coverage of election night on Tuesday, Nov. 7, mobilizing top anchors and reporters.

CBS' new star anchor Katie Couric will lead her networks coverage, including anchoring a prime time special at 10 p.m. ET. During prime time, CBS plans hourly updates will reporting from Bob Schieffer, Lee Cowan, Jim Axelrod and others. CBS News Political Analysts Mike McCurry and Nicolle Wallace will join Couric on the desk.

CBS also plans to use its Web site to extensively cover Congressional and gubernatorial races. Features will include live results updated every minute and a half and detailed exit polling. CBS Radio will simulcast the 10 p.m. Couric special, which will be updated for the West coast.

On ABC, plans also call for a live, one-hour election night specials at 10 p.m. on both coasts .The network will make both specials available to stations.

Charles Gibson will anchor the Vote 2006 specials from New York, along with George Stephanopoulos.
The network also plans live updates at the top and bottom of the 8 and 9 o’clock hours.

Terry Moran will anchor special editions of Nightline at 11:35 ET and PT that will also feature Gibson and Stephanopoulos.

Fox News will kick off its special features the Sunday before, with its morning show Fox News Sunday airing from New York. On Monday night, anchor Brit Hume will host an election night preview. And on Nov. 7, beginning at 6 p.m., Hume will lead coverage that includes Fox News Sunday anchor Chris Wallace analyzing exit polls and reports from anchor Shepard Smith and Fox News' prime time lineup will focus on election results.

MSNBC is getting a jump on its coverage on Oct. 24 when, as part of its ongoing election reporting, the network will devote the entire day to politics. That day's theme is Decision 2006: Battleground America -- The Home Stretch. It will begin at 9 a.m. with White House correspondent David Gregory anchoring. At 1 p.m., Nightly News anchor Brian Williams takes over, followed by Meet the Press moderator Tim Russert at 2 p.m. Also anchoring that day will be Chris Matthews, Lester Holt and Campbell Brown, leading into special election-themed prime time shows.

Details of NBC and CNN's plans were not yet available.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6382694

SJKurtzke

10-18-06, 07:33 PM

"Sunday’s finale for “Flavor of Love 2” was the most watched program in VH1 history; it garnered a staggering 7.5 million viewers overall. "

Does it bother anyone that this gathered more ratings than any episode of Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Everybody Hates Chris, or Dead Like Me?

I guess that would count as my ALL CAPS hatred. This leads good networks to turn evil and cancel wonderful shows.

kizzo

10-18-06, 07:41 PM

Davinleeds

10-18-06, 08:07 PM

[QUOTE=fredfa

feel free to vent a little here on the thread.)[/QUOTE]

Television demographics equal advertiser endorsements and hence the circle and leave Veronica alone. And we're all in the circle.

cocoon

10-18-06, 08:43 PM

"Sunday’s finale for “Flavor of Love 2” was the most watched program in VH1 history; it garnered a staggering 7.5 million viewers overall. "

Does it bother anyone that this gathered more ratings than any episode of Veronica Mars, Gilmore Girls, Everybody Hates Chris, or Dead Like Me?

Even more amazing is that people have to pay to watch VH1 which isn't the case for those CW shows you mentioned not counting showtimes dead like me of course.

Davinleeds

10-18-06, 09:14 PM

I think network ota shows are getting better and they're capitalizing on "shown in HD". I think the networks have up'd the antee. I find myself watching more network.

TommyK

10-18-06, 09:15 PM

That was my first exposure to news as a kid. I remember it and his name well. Thanks, Christopher Glenn! Xesdeeni
Me too. You took the words right out of my mouth. His voice doing "In The News" is burned into my childhood memory.

Davinleeds

10-18-06, 09:17 PM

Seems like last Saturday morning.

Davinleeds

10-18-06, 09:57 PM

Thank you, post 16941, printed and next to the remote.

fredfa

10-18-06, 11:14 PM

I hope you got the Dresden correction, Dave!

About Christopher Glenn. He was quite a wonderful man as well as being a consummate professional. He was sick for quite a while, but I still miss him on the CBS World News Roundup. He was quiet, steady, dependable, and very, very conscious that what he spoke or presented should be as close to the truth as he could possibly make it.

I remember In The News as being one of those things broadcasters used to do almost routinely as a payback to their listeners or viewers. Something that probably didn't make much, if any money, but was just the right thing to. do.

I think it is great that some of you remember it as well, of course, as Christopher Glenn himself.

fredfa

10-18-06, 11:40 PM

TV Notebook
'100' a big winner at NBC
Net orders 10 episodes of game show

By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 19, 2006

NBC has picked up 10 additional episodes of its promising new game show "1 vs. 100." The network also has ordered six more scripts from its critically praised but low-rated new drama "Friday Night Lights."

Meanwhile, CBS has pulled the plug on the midseason drama series "Waterfront."

The 10-episode pickup for "100" brings the order for the Endemol USA quiz show to 15 episodes. In its premiere last week, the show, hosted by Bob Saget, dominated the competition with 12.6 million viewers and a 4.1 rating/13 share among adults 18-49, NBC's best demo delivery with non-Olympics programming in the Friday 9 p.m. hour in nearly four years.

"100" originally was scheduled to move to its regular Friday 8 p.m. slot this week, leading in to the season premiere of "Las Vegas." NBC has decided to keep the game show in the 9 p.m. period behind "Deal or No Deal" for another week, pushing the season debut of "Las Vegas" to Oct. 27.

The six-script order for "Lights," combined with network's pickup of three more scripts last week, brings the order for the NBC Universal TV Studio drama to nine scripts, matching the number of episodes the series needs for a full-season order.

In its three airings, "Lights" has struggled in the Tuesday 8-9 p.m. hour, most recently posting 6.6 million viewers and a 2.7/7 in 18-49.

To boost the show's profile, the network will air an original episode Oct. 30 in the Monday 10 p.m. period, after NBC's breakout drama hit "Heroes." The episode of "Lights," which will repeat in the series' original Tuesday 8 p.m. slot the next night, will replace a repeat of soft freshman drama "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," which airs in the Monday 10-11 p.m. hour.

"Lights" is executive produced by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, David Nevins, Sarah Aubrey and Jason Katims.

Production on "Waterfront" has been shut down with four episodes, including the pilot, completed. According to sources, the decision was based on creative reasons, high production costs and limited shelf space at CBS.

"Waterfront," from Warner Bros. TV, was a last-minute pilot pickup this past development season. The show stars Joe Pantoliano as the charismatic and ethically challenged mayor of Providence, R.I.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003285102

fredfa

10-18-06, 11:44 PM

TV Notebook
Crime serials vanish from TV
By Robert Bianco USA Today

On TV, stretching out crime is a crime itself.

The networks have relearned a number of old lessons in this flat-so-far fall, such as it's unwise to introduce too many shows that look alike, or too many shows period. But in a year when so many new series were multipart, cliffhanging, continuing stories, the season also may hold a fresher message: All serials are not created equal, and crime serials are least equal of all.

That's something of a change from the preseason chatter, which tended to lump all serialized shows together. The focus then was on the sheer number of these stories and whether viewers would be willing to make the weekly time commitment such shows require. So far, the networks have given full season orders to four successful new hours, all of them serialized: Heroes on NBC, Jericho on CBS, and Brothers & Sisters and Ugly Betty on ABC.

Unfortunately for fans of the format, the only two series that have been officially canceled are also serials: CW's Runaway and CBS' Smith. And two other shows, NBC's Kidnapped and Fox's Vanished, have been moved to dump-zone time slots — Saturday at 9 ET/PT and next Friday at 8 respectively — and told to resolve their stories by December.

If you're looking for a common link among the fatalities, it's crime: Kidnapped and Vanished had intended to spend the entire season searching for a missing person; Runaway told the story of an accused murderer on the lam with his family while he tried to discover who was framing him; Smith followed the exploits of a group of sociopath crooks trying to avoid capture while they carried off their next caper.

Every TV show fails for its own reasons, from casting to scheduling. Stranded on CW, a network that has little discernable identity, Runaway never had a chance. Kidnapped and Vanished both would have benefited from more compelling heroes — and Vanished, from more coherent scripts. As for Smith, does it shock you that a show built around criminals who were not just loathsome but also lifeless failed?

Still, the shows' unifying mistake was to place demands on viewers without offering compensating benefits. If you want people to commit upfront to watching your show on a weekly basis, which is what a serial asks, you'd better give them something they can't get from CSI or Law & Order.

Certainly the two shows that inspired this flood, Lost and 24, fill the bill. Lost offers a sweeping combination of adventure, suspense and visual splendor that can be found nowhere else on network TV. 24 audaciously uses time as an engine to propel a story that annually puts the world at risk.

In similar fashion, the fall's successful new serials spotted some empty niches in the TV landscape and found a way to fill them. From the candy-colored comedy of Ugly Betty and the comic-book sensibility of Heroes to the family soap of Brothers and the nuclear horror of Jericho, the shows are at least trying to give viewers an experience their more compact competitors don't provide.

What did the other crime serials have to offer? Vanished and Kidnapped tried to add layers of conspiracy and complexity to their stories, but in the end, many viewers probably felt they were being sold confused, over-extended versions of Without a Trace. You get a missing person on that show, too — along with better acting, better writing and a weekly resolution.

Which means the only thing the crime serials really added to the procedural mix was delayed gratification. In America, that's more of a detriment than a draw.

Still, there is one more serialized lesson at work here, and that's the one Fox learned last year when it canceled its murderous Reunion mid-mystery. People will be even less willing to commit to these shows in the future if they think they're going to be left hanging, which is why the producers of Kidnapped and Vanished have been given a few more weeks to wrap up their plots. (Fox is saying Vanished could continue with a new story, but it won't.)

In effect, the shows are being turned into miniseries, which is what they should have been in the first place.

Consider that another lesson.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-10-18-serials_x.htm

fredfa

10-18-06, 11:52 PM

TV Notebook
NBC Orders More Friday Night Lights
By Ben Grossman Broadcasting & Cable 10/18/2006

NBC has ordered nine more scripts of Friday Night Lights in an apparent signal the network will stick with the modestly performing rookie drama.

NBC is also planning on airing an original episode on Monday night, October 30 at 10 p.m., in place of a planned repeat episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.The network will try and use a lead-in from freshman hit drama Heroes to draw new viewers to the show.

In the one-off Monday night airing, the football-themed Friday Night Lights will go head-to-head with a New England Patriots-Minnesota Vikings Monday Night Football game on ESPN in much of the country.

This past Tuesday, Friday Night Lights airing in its Tuesday 8 p.m. timeslot averaged a 2.7 rating/7 share in the adult 18-49 demo, up 23% from last week’s performance (2.2/6) and matching the numbers for its premiere.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6382801

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:04 AM

It is getting toward the end of the week (when networks traditionally make their cancellation moves) and with the November sweep looming, those moves could be coming tomorrow or Friday.

Anyone have any thoughts about what we should expect?

For example, what would you do if you were running NBC?

And what about Fox? Once the World Series ends, what can itdo to limp along until American Idol returns in the new year?

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:12 AM

TV Notebook
Nielsen numbers show TV is still a dominant force in life
By Tom Dorsey Louisville Courier-Journal Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Talk about getting your homework in late.

Nielsen Media Research just recently churned out its annual report on what we watched last TV season.

It says the average household had the TV set, or sets, turned on 8 hours, 14 minutes a day, according to the trade journal Media Week.

Really?

Think about that a minute. There are 24 hours in a day. Ours is a sleep-deprived culture, but just for fun let's say most people sleep eight hours. Add in another eight hours for work and maybe an hour to commute.

We're a nation of gulp-and-run residents, but let's say we take an hour a day to eat three meals or pick them up at a fast-food joint.

Toss in an hour for arguing with your kids or your mate, taking a shower, hauling out the trash, doing the laundry, going to the grocery, mowing the lawn, brushing your teeth or whatever.

That comes to a grand total of 19 hours. Add in Nielsen's 8 hours, 14 minutes, and we just invented the 27-hour day.

But wait a minute.

That's for a whole household, whatever that means these days. If you live alone, more than eight hours of watching TV is way too much. But if you divide it among a husband, wife and three kids, it gets reduced to an amount you're not so embarrassed to admit.

Still, you're thinking 8 hours, 14 minutes must be somebody else's household. It couldn't be you, right?

Do you flip on a morning show when you get up and leave it on while you get ready for work? Does the TV come on when the kids come home from school? Are you watching prime time from after dinner until the late news? Do you set the sleep timer on your TV to click off David Letterman at midnight?

How many three-hour football games do guys watch on weekends, not to mention just about any night of the week on ESPN-something-or-other channel? How many movies do you see a week?

Stop counting. Nielsen wins.

If you want to feel better, the TV bean counters say the average person only watched 4 hours, 35 minutes a day.

If you're sure that you don't fit these statistics, then it means a lot of other people must be watching more than the four to eight hours.

Yeah, but are people really watching or doing something else, like yakking on the phone while Dr. Phil is trying to lecture them or that cutie on "Grey's Anatomy" is sneaking a smooch?

Nor does Nielsen have a way of knowing how many hours are spent snoozing through shows. Maybe we really aren't sleep-deprived when you add in TV naptime.

It turns out that we are only watching 1 hour, 54 minutes of prime time per night. See, people are smart enough to know that shows end five minutes early to run all those commercials.

Nielsen also says that we watched three minutes more last season than the season before. My guess is that those were the three extra minutes of commercials they squeezed into the middle of shows.

If you want something to really feel guilty about, check out the numbers that show that TV viewing by kids 2 to 11 years old went up by 4 percent.

If you're a person who shrugs off these kinds of numbers games, here's a little fodder for your potshots. Nielsen says that the overall increase in viewing can probably be attributed to teenage girls who increased their tube time by 6 percent. And what hours were they watching the most? Survey says between 6 and 9 a.m. and 11:30 p.m. and 2 a.m.

We hope that last figure applied to Friday and Saturday nights after Mom and Pop pooped out and went to bed. It might inspire a new vigilance slogan: "It's 1:30 a.m.; do you know what your kids are watching?"

It's the 6-9 a.m. result that sounds suspicious. I don't know about elsewhere, but around these parts most teenagers are at the bus stop or in school at those hours. Maybe they added in weekend hours, but I never met a teenager who was up at 6 a.m. on Saturday.

What would they be watching at those hours anyway? The news, "Washington Journal," exercise classes, old black-and-white movies? I don't think so.

But they may have been peeking at "Saved by the Bell," a teenage sitcom on TBS, or "Angel," another teen favorite on TNT, or more likely music videos on one of the many MTV channels.

Anyway, Nielsen's conclusion is that the tube is still the dominant non-work/sleep force in our lives despite the talk of Internet, iPods, video games and all that other electronic razzle-dazzle.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061018&Category=COLUMNISTS15&ArtNo=610180482&SectionCat=FEATURES07&Template=printart

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:15 AM

TV Notebook
NBC Says Cost-Cutting Will Include Some Layoffs
By Bill Carter The New York Times October 19, 2006

The NBC television network is planning a series of cost-cutting measures that include some layoffs and the relocation of MSNBC, its all-news cable channel, from its home in Secaucus, N.J., executives who have been told of the plans said last night.

The chief executive of the NBC Universal Television Group, Jeff Zucker, will announce the specific plans for the cost cuts in the television group at a town hall meeting today at NBC’s headquarters, the executives said.

The plans for reduction in the television division are part of an overall cost-cutting program at NBC Universal, which also encompasses a film studio and theme parks. NBC is owned by General Electric.

The extent of the layoffs was not made public last night, though the executives said various reports posted on Web sites that described the layoffs as extensive were not correct.

Mr. Zucker had mentioned at a previous town hall meeting at NBC that his group would be looking for cost cuts and that what he called “head count reductions” would be part of those moves.

That meeting, which was in July, addressed a broad strategy for NBC’s future, which Mr. Zucker labeled as “TV 2.0.”

Since then, NBC staff members have reported several ideas for cost savings that have been floated as part of that strategy. Some have focused on the NBC News division and the possibilities for savings by eliminating some overlapping costs between NBC News and its cable sister MSNBC.

Last June, Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, who also oversees MSNBC said, “Closing Secaucus, if we get to that point, is a long way down the road.”

NBC has apparently not decided where it will relocate MSNBC. The company could move the operation to the large facility it owns in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., or combine it with its network news operation in Manhattan.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/19/business/media/19nbc.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print

dad1153

10-19-06, 02:06 AM

It is getting toward the end of the week (when networks traditionally make their cancellation moves) and with the November sweep looming, those moves could be coming tomorrow or Friday.

Anyone have any thoughts about what we should expect?

NBC will probably bench 'Friday Night Lights' after its special Monday airing (where it will be trounced because the MNF game on ESPN will draw the attention of most football fans) and then air its remaining episodes in December '06 and January '07 to try to drum-up support. If it fails during rerun-plagued Dec. and Jan. then its lights out for 'FNL.' 'Studio 60' presents a puzzle for NBC. If its demos (however small) weren't so attractive I'd say pre-empt it for November and bring it back afterwards. But not airing 'Studio 60' during Nov. sweeps means those desirable wealthy demos NBC likes won't get tabulated into the overall monthly tallly. This means NBC could be off a few percentage points in the golden demo which literally translates into hundreds of thousands of dollars in lost profit. Then again, at $3 million a pop, 'Studio 60' TV spots aren't coming anywhere near covering NBC's costs.

I still think NBC is nuts for (a) not moving 'Medium' into its old Monday time slot to create a killer supernatural combo block with 'Heroes' as the lead-in (maybe for February?) and (b) not moving 'Law & Order' back to Wednesday at 10PM. With '1 Vs 100' a big hit NBC can afford to play around more with 'Dateline' and its gameshows to fill the Friday and Wednesday time slots vacated by 'Kidnapped's' meltdown and 'L&O' moving back to Wednesday.

CBS is OK, ABC needs to brace itself for potential high-profile Wednesday and Thursday 10PM meltdowns with '6 Degrees' and 'The Nine' just losing so much of their lead-in and Fox... well, they get 'Idol' in January. The WB... meh, bring back 'Reba'! :rolleyes:

RussTC3

10-19-06, 02:20 AM

TV Notebook
NBC Orders More Friday Night Lights
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6382801
It would be nice if they could somehow try to keep this show on the air for just a tad bit longer. I still find it crazy just how many good shows have premiered this fall.

Also glad Brothers & Sisters was given a full-season. That one is really growing on me, I really like the characters.

And on an unrelated note and for you BSG fans out there, the second episode of Battlestar Galactica this past Friday dipped a little more than 11% from a 1.8 to a 1.6.

That is a new low for the series (it was previously a 1.7 by the fourth to last episode last season--"The Captain's Hand").

jabbathespud

10-19-06, 03:02 AM

'Law & Order' Boss Dick Wolf Ponders
The Future of TV Ads (Doink, Doink)
By BRIAN STEINBERG
October 18, 2006; Page B1
Long before he created the popular crime-solving TV series "Law & Order," Dick Wolf was an ad man working for Benton & Bowles and other agencies. One of his big accomplishments was helping to devise the slogan "You can't beat Crest for fighting cavities" for the Procter & Gamble toothpaste. When working with P&G, Mr. Wolf says, "the sacred mantra was brand extension, and the biggest negative was a brand extension which would hurt the brand. That was to be avoided like the plague."

He took P&G's lesson to heart when building "Law & Order" and its critically-acclaimed spinoffs, which are broadcast so frequently on NBC and cable stations that their familiar "doink, doink" sound effects between scenes seem ubiquitous. Mr. Wolf gives P&G full credit. "There are some tips you never forget," he says.

Dick Wolf, creator of the ubiquitous 'Law & Order,' learned brand extension as an ad man.

These days, however, even the most successful TV producers face an uncertain new world. Consumers can watch entertainment programming whenever they please, on venues other than traditional television, and speed through the commercials. Mr. Wolf, 59, recently spoke with The Wall Street Journal about the changing relationship between advertisers and television. Excerpts:

The Wall Street Journal: We see producers trying to come up with ideas that will play well on mobile phones or the Web. Are these ventures worthwhile?

Mr. Wolf: I'm feeling that maybe I'm totally out of touch. I've been pitched Webisodes. I've been pitched everything. ... C'mon. Please, you think ringtones are going to be a major revenue stream for studios or networks? ... Unfortunately, the business model is irreparably broken, and people are going to have to figure out something new. ... I'm 59 years old. I don't think the world is going to come crashing down in five to six years, but I guarantee you, if anyone tells you what the television business is going to look like a decade out, they are on drugs.

WSJ: The CW recently unveiled two-minute-long themed ad breaks known as "Content Wraps." They're meant to be as entertaining as the programs they interrupt. As a producer, how would you feel if an advertiser ran something they hoped was as compelling as one of your programs during one of your programs?

Mr. Wolf: I'd love nothing better than to have people be watching interstitial moments in the show, so they didn't go channel surfing. In reality, I think it's an absolute pipe dream. Look, the bottom line is Americans don't like commercials. ... I don't think anybody wants to watch two-minute spots, but the wonderful thing about show business, television and advertising is nobody knows nothing. ... When I got into the advertising business, they still sold 60 [second commercials]. Then it went to 30s. ... The idea that people in their chairs want to watch something six times as long as that, I don't buy it.

WSJ: Decades ago, many programs were sponsored by a single advertiser, who often got to showcase their products during the show itself. Would you want to work with an advertiser in the early stages of coming up with scripts?

Mr. Wolf: In the old days, that was one of the only ways shows were done. Basically, networks were leasing systems. They leased their air to the advertisers. Kraft would come in and say, 'We want Saturday at 10 this week, and we'll pay for it,' and it was Kraft's television. This is very, very old wine in new bottles.

I've had the talks for the last decade with most of the major advertisers in terms of trying to get advertiser-supported television.. .. If there is a way to integrate [an advertiser] positively and seamlessly, I would have absolutely no objection to anybody who is willing to shoulder some of the cost of a program in a significant way. I'd be more than delighted to talk to them. It's very hard to do it correctly, and it's one of those things where there is a tipping point [of advertiser exposure in the program], and as soon as you hit the tipping point, the audience goes away.

WSJ: Your programs are known for hewing to pretty basic storylines -- a crime is committed, the cops solve it and the legal system tries the perpetrator. So do the 'CSI' series. Would you consider adding more elements of the detectives' personal lives to the L&O series, for example, if advertisers demanded it?

Mr. Wolf: There is a method to ['CSI' executive producer] Jerry Bruckheimer's and my madness, and it's an interest in stand-alone episodes and very little serializing, and very few personal things that are continued over multiple episodes. You can't expect people to make appointment television for off-network viewing five days a week if you script a show and you have to go to people who miss Tuesday and Thursday. It's going to be a continuing problem going forward and the bottom line is the audience is continuing to erode every day. ... I've never heard of advertisers demanding creative changes. They just want ratings.

WSJ: What do you think of 'CSI,' which has sort of grown up into a rival to the Law & Order empire?

Mr. Wolf: 'CSI' is a franchise. It is like the Palm restaurant. You can go to Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles. You want a great steak? You go to the Palm. ... That's what 'CSI' is. It's a great hour of television set in New York, Miami or Las Vegas. 'Law & Order,' I've developed it as a brand. It is more like a Mercedes. There are a lot of models, but you'll get a good car. If you go back to my advertising days, it's more like Crest. When I started on Crest, it was essentially one flavor. Then they brought out mint. Now they have a gel. They've got different flavors. They've got every permutation of various kinds of toothpaste delivery systems that have been invented. What that means is they are different, but if you want toothpaste, you grab Crest.

WSJ: What's the outlook for the rerun value of programs like yours, given DVDs and other new technologies?

Mr. Wolf: DVDs are already a mature business. The serialized dramas do better on DVD than procedurals [shows where the procedure, or police work, is more important than the characters], which are more commonly available in reruns. ... Notwithstanding, the economic model is getting further fractured and the real place where the rubber is going to meet the road is downloads. I don't know if USA or TNT is going to pay top dollar for shows that have been downloaded for six months, nine months, before the DVDs even come out, which means the hard-core fans of the show have probably got a permanent copy on their hard drives.

WSJ: 'Law & Order' has been on the air for almost 17 years, while the spinoffs are a little younger. How long can they last?

Mr. Wolf: They should last as long as the ratings stay at the level they have been. ... At a certain point, the numbers will not support the expense of making the shows, and at that point, they will be canceled. ... I have often stated my goal, which is to beat 'Gunsmoke,' and to become the longest-running scripted hour in history. ['Gunsmoke' aired for 20 years]. That would be great.

WSJ: With the three shows on NBC and cable channels USA and TNT and sometimes elsewhere, isn't there a concern about oversaturation?

Mr. Wolf: The best way to answer the question is USA. If there was a problem about that, I don't think it would be [a significant part] of their prime-time schedule. ... Nothing would make me happier than total ubiquity, [if people could] at some point get one of the branded episodes 24 hours a day, seven days a week. It would be fine with me.

WSJ: You tried to launch a fourth L&O series and another legal drama, 'Conviction.' Can you take this thing any further? What other ideas would you try?

Mr. Wolf: We've got eight projects in development for next fall. Two of them are comedies. I would love to be in the comedy business. I would love to be in a situation to get another drama that could run 17 years. It's not very likely, but hope springs eternal. ... Is there going to be another legal drama? Sure. Most of the ones that have been put on in the past 2½ years haven't worked, but one of the reasons is that are some pretty good ones still on. You have to beat that benchmark. I'm not sniping at other shows, but if you are going to do a show about a prosecutor, such as 'Shark,' you'd better do better stories than we are doing on 'Law & Order.' If you are going to do a forensic show, you'd better do it better than 'CSI.'

WSJ: Do you think that if you were entering the business today that you'd be able to have as much success as you've had?

Mr. Wolf: No. The business has changed so massively. ... You will never have the market forces again that, how do I put this, that allow people to get rich. ... The reality is you will never have the licensing fees negotiated again that resulted in 'ER' getting [millions of dollars] an episode, and that's where a lot of people made what many would probably insist is an unconscionable amount of money. ... The upside home runs for shows have been sort of flattened out by the new economic models of how shows are produced.

Write to Brian Steinberg at brian.steinberg@wsj.com

fredfa

10-19-06, 03:41 AM

It would be nice if they could somehow try to keep this show on the air for just a tad bit longer. I still find it crazy just how many good shows have premiered this fall.

Also glad Brothers & Sisters was given a full-season. That one is really growing on me, I really like the characters.

And on an unrelated note and for you BSG fans out there, the second episode of Battlestar Galactica this past Friday dipped a little more than 11% from a 1.8 to a 1.6.

That is a new low for the series (it was previously a 1.7 by the fourth to last episode last season--"The Captain's Hand").

I thought it was not a good time to bring back BSG. I would have waited until after November and put it up against reruns and holiday specials.

drkashner

10-19-06, 08:53 AM

I thought it was not a good time to bring back BSG. I would have waited until after November and put it up against reruns and holiday specials.

Does anyone know when this season of BSG will start on UHD? I didn't previously watch it, until I got my HD TV and HDDVR. Now I'm hooked. Maybe Jan.? It's just not the same on SciFi in SD.

fredfa

10-19-06, 10:28 AM

The Business of TV
NBC 2.0--Minus 700 Employees
By John M. Higgins and Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable 10/19/2006

Struggling under weak ad sales and profits, NBC Universal set a structuring plan to slash annual expenses by $750 million in part by cutting 700 jobs. The moves, which have been in the works for more than a year, were announced today by GE Vice Chairman and NBCU Chairman/CEO Bob Wright.

The plan, which the company is calling "NBCU 2.0," will streamline NBC U's news operations and drop pricey scripted dramas from the 8 p.m. hour on the network as NBCU redirects resources from analog to evolving digital businesses, according to the company and published reports.

Restructuring that will touch all of NBCU's divisions - broadcast, cable, movies, theme parks and others - is aimed at cutting annual administrative and operating expenses by $750 million by the end of 2008 and cutting the company's workforce by 5% in the same period. The company says reallocated expenses will lead to digital revenues that top $1 billion by 2009.

NBC U profit dropped 10 percent during the third quarter, pulled down by lower ratings at NBC, parent company General Electric reported last week.

"Success in this business means quickly adjusting to and anticipating change," said Wright in a statement. "This initiative is designed to help us exploit technology and focus our resources, as we continue our transformation into a digital media company for the 21st century."

Affecting the TV Group, cable network MSNBC will shutter its Secaucus, New Jersey operations and the channel will move to production facilities at NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York headquarters, and New Jersey--a move that has been talked about for years. The company is also consolidating news operations in California, creating a central facility in Burbank to house news ventures from NBC and Telemundo KNBC, KVEA and KWHY.

In its entertainment TV division, the company says it will reduce its "dependence on traditional content distribution methods and advertising models." That includes delivering programming on various digital distribution platforms, including its own broadband websites and iTunes. NBC also looking to ease off of scripted dramas, that can cost several millions of dollars per episode, in the 8 p.m. time slot in favor of less expensive game shows and other fare, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The network has struggled since falling from first place after losing top-rated shows Friends and Frasier. The network invested heavily in new programming this season and, despite bright spots which include the new drama Heroes, NBC has placed a solid third so far this TV season behind CBS and ABC most nights during primetime.

"We have to recognize that the changes of the next five years will dwarf the changes of the last 50," said NBC U TV Group CEO Jeff Zucker in a statement.

Changes elsewhere include a increased focus on Hispanic network Telemundo, consolidation of marketing departments within movie studio Universal Pictures, and cost cuts at the NBCU's theme parks in L.A. and Orlando.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6382886

fredfa

10-19-06, 10:32 AM

The New Season
For 'ER,' fit as a fiddle, and then some
NBC's medical drama is back from the dead
By Diego Vasquez medialifemagazine Oct. 19, 2006

Last May, even NBC seemed to be losing confidence in “ER.” At the upfront, the network announced that the 13-year-old hospital drama would be replaced for 13 weeks at midseason with the highly touted new drama “The Black Donnellys,” after a season in which “ER’s” adults 18-49 average slipped 28 percent, from a 7.2 to a 5.2.

Two days later, CBS decided to move “Without a Trace” from Thursdays at 10, where it had been sapping “ER’s” ratings, to Sundays. And five months later, “ER” has reestablished itself as the dominant 10 p.m. drama on TV’s most lucrative night. It's one of this season’s biggest shockers.

“ER” has averaged a 6.4 rating thus far this season, up 23 percent over last year’s average, and its household average is also up 21 percent, from an 8.1 to a 9.8.

Part of show’s turnaround is certainly the lighter competition. With “Trace’s” exit from the timeslot. viewers no longer need choose between the two programs, and the show that took “Trace’s” place on CBS, “Shark,” has averaged a 4.1, compared to “Trace’s” 5.6 last year. ABC’s “Six Degrees,” which is averaging a 4.3, hasn’t provided much competition either.

But “ER” has also been stronger creatively this year, with new actors and plotlines giving the show fresh life. John Stamos has come on as a regular, and last week “Frasier’s” John Mahoney gave a moving guest performance as a closeted cross-dresser.

Tonight Forest Whitaker, who’s getting major Oscar buzz for the new movie “The Last King of Scotland,” begins a five-week stint on the show playing a stroke victim suing Kovacs for malpractice.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_7986.asp

mmace

10-19-06, 10:36 AM

http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/article/ds38359.html

great news for Lost fans in the UK, season 3 & 4 will (hopefully) be in HD after missing out for the last 2 years!

Sky One poaches 'Lost' rights from Channel 4
Sky One has picked up the exclusive rights to air new seasons of Lost in the UK.

The deal with distributor Buena Vista International Television covers seasons three and four of the cult drama, which has an audience of around 4 million viewers in the UK.

Channel 4 originally signed the series on a two-year deal in 2004 and has been in contract renewal negotiations with BVITV for several months. It is understood that Sky - who successfully poached 24 from the BBC in 2003 - outbid C4 and other rival broadcasters for the new contract.

"We are confident that Sky will build upon the established success of Lost, bringing the series to viewers in flexible ways, ideally suited to its watercooler, must-see status," said Tom Toumazis, evp at BVITV EMEA.

The "flexible ways" will include opportunities to watch the latest episodes via broadband and mobile platforms. The series is also likely to air in high definition on the Sky One HD channel.

Sky One head Richard Woolfe said that Lost had been "the envy of every network" since its launch on Channel 4 last year. "The series has defined TV drama over the last two years," he added. "We are absolutely thrilled to bring it to Sky One."

Having lost Lost - one of its most acclaimed imports ever - Channel 4 will now be fighting hard to retain another of its key acquisitions, Desperate Housewives. The broadcaster signed the drama on the same two-year deal as Lost but has yet to agree terms for a new contract.

fredfa

10-19-06, 10:43 AM

TV Sports
Lyons Had Been Warned
By Larry Stewart Los Angeles Times Staff Writer October 19, 2006

Fired Fox baseball commentator Steve Lyons, who has won support nationwide since losing his job, acknowledged Wednesday that he signed an agreement not to say anything else the network deemed inappropriate after a 2004 incident involving then-Dodger Shawn Green.

Lyons acknowledged the agreement only after being asked whether Fox had ever given him a warning.

"It said, 'If I mess up again, they can fire me,' " Lyons said. "But it's what they deem a mess-up-able offense."

Lyons, who was fired even though his contract was due to expire at the end of the season, strongly believes that what he said last Friday during Game 3 of the American League Championship Series does not fall under that category.

In that game, commentator Lou Piniella talked about Oakland's Marco Scutaro and the unusual success he had at the plate during the division series.

Piniella compared it to finding a "wallet on Friday" and hoping it happened next week. He also spoke some Spanish. Said Lyons: "Lou is habla-ing some Espanol there, and I'm still looking for my wallet. I don't understand him, and I don't want to sit close to him now." The implication, as Fox saw it, was that Lyons was saying Piniella, because he's Hispanic, stole his wallet.

"The joke was about the wallet — not that he was speaking Spanish," Lyons said Wednesday. "He could have been French or any nationality. The fact that I coupled the sentence together with him speaking Spanish is the reason that some people — very few people — were calling for my head."

His flippant style also brought him trouble two years ago with the Green incident. During that game, Lyons made light of the fact that the outfielder, who is Jewish, had chosen not to play on Yom Kippur.

"I didn't know that I would be offending anybody by trying to bring levity to a serious, serious situation, an anguishing thing for Shawn Green," Lyons said Wednesday. Lyons recalled that after that broadcast he was summoned to the office of Fox Sports Chairman David Hill.

And it was then, according to Lyons, that Hill cited an earlier incident involving a Minnesota Twins game. Lyons, seeing Doug Mientkiewicz and A.J. Pierzynski standing together, had asked on the air, "Are those their names on the back or some disease?"

No one at the network had ever mentioned that incident before, according to Lyons, who added that Hill then asked him, "How would you like it if someone were making fun of your name?"

Lyons said he replied, " 'I'd probably laugh.' I didn't think it was that big a deal."

Lyons also said he told Hill at the time, "I find it a little disheartening that I have worked for you for nine years and never had a problem. No one has ever said I'm not prepared. No one has ever said, 'Hey Steve, you said something in the fifth inning that was a little shaky. Be careful, watch yourself.' "

Lyons knows better now.

"Obviously, there has come a time now, because of this, that I have to look at what I say little more carefully," he said. "I have to look at the fact that what I find humorous may be insensitive."

The Dodgers have retained him as a part-time television commentator, but with stipulations. One of those is that he has to attend sensitivity training.

Said Lyons: "The biggest thing for me was, had the Dodgers decided to let me go, I would have been a broadcaster that was fired twice, labeled a racist without a job and no prospect of a job."

http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-lyons19oct19,1,6663253,print.story?coll=la-headlines-pe-sports

shuttermaker

10-19-06, 10:45 AM

The Business of TV
NBC 2.0--Minus 700 Employees
By John M. Higgins and Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable 10/19/2006

They should have put "Surface" on NBCU, instead of cancelling it.

fredfa

10-19-06, 10:49 AM

A personal aside.

I have worked with Steve Lyons and never have I known a former athlete who spent as much time actually working at improving himself on and off the air as a broadcaster. He is a good and decent man, with a sense of humor I often find amusing -- even though there are times he certainly lacks sensitivity. But let's be serious -- he was hire for his work ethic and his wacky sense of humor.

It seems to me that if his mouth was considered such a risk by Fox suits, the game’s producers should have immediately caught his inappropriate comments and had had Lyons correct or apologize for them on air. Within moments.

But clearly no one in the production team either a) felt the comments were offensive, or b) had the guts to correct Steve on them.

David Hill basically created Fox Sports. David Hill is as close to a genius as has ever worked in TV. But in this case, I think he overreacted. And if not, folks in that production truck should have been severely – and very publicly -- disciplined, too.

fredfa

10-19-06, 11:42 AM

Nielsen Dayparts Update
In Katie vs. Charlie, the win is Charlie's
ABC's 'World News' seemed most vulnerable
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct. 19, 2006

When CBS hired Katie Couric as its new anchor amid much hype last spring, ABC's "World News" seemed at the greatest risk of losing viewers. The show, with newly seated anchor Charles Gibson, was already in a slide, having posted its lowest-viewed week in nearly two decades shortly after Gibson joined.

But after a brief slip following Couric’s debut, ABC is actually thriving. Gibson earned the best numbers of his five-month tenure last week and has actually been finishing ahead of both Couric and NBC's Brian Williams in women 25-54 over the past month.

Most promising of all, the sharp rating swings are evening out, and ABC is now a firm No. 2 behind NBC, the same spot it held when the late Peter Jennings was in the anchor chair two years ago.

For the week ended Oct. 15, the most recent available, "World News" averaged 8.04 million total viewers, about 800,000 behind NBC’s "Nightly News" but 710,000 ahead of CBS’s "Evening News," its largest margin in Couric’s six weeks.

It was ABC's best delivery in six months.

In the critical 25-54 demo, ABC was just 0.1 behind NBC with a 2.2 average, but it won the week in women in that demo, and it was its fourth such win in six weeks.

That's some turnaround. Since Couric's first week, in which she clocked huge gains, CBS's viewership has declined by nearly 3 million while ABC has gained 1.1 million.

Just why is not clear. Both Gibson and Couric had been longtime morning show hosts, and there were doubts about whether either could assume the gravitas necessary to lead a nightly news show. After these few weeks, it appears Gibson had done a better job of it.

Gibson's news instincts may also be playing a role. The anchor and his network made the decision, a smart one, it turns out, to travel to the scene of the Nickel Mines, Pa., Amish school shootings two weeks ago. Couric remained in New York.

That week "World News" finished ahead of CBS. It also finished ahead of even NBC on Gibson’s first night in Pennsylvania.

ABC’s ratings may be up yet again this week, as Diane Sawyer begins filing her highly hyped reports from North Korea.

Meanwhile, for the week ended Oct. 8, NBC’s “Meet the Press” held onto its lead for Sunday morning, its 4.2 million viewers and 3.2 household rating easily besting CBS’s “Face the Nation’s” 2.59 million viewers and 2.0 share. ABC’s “This Week” came in third with 2.32 million viewers and a 1.8, while Fox’s “News Sunday” trailed with an audience of 1.16 million and a 0.9 rating.

In late night, NBC’s “Tonight Show with Jay Leno” remained ahead of rival CBS’s “Late Show with David Letterman,” Leno bringing in 5.6 million viewers and Letterman 4.1 million. Leno commanded a 1.8 rating among 18-49, versus Letterman’s 1.4. Conan O’Brien’s 2.6 million viewers kept NBC ahead in late-late shows, besting CBS’s “The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson” and ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” tied at 2.0 million viewers.

The “Today” show continued NBC’s lead in weekday mornings, averaging a 4.3 rating and 16 share. ABC’s “Good Morning America” managed a 3.9/14, while CBS’s “Early Show” got a 2.0/7.

CBS led in total viewers for both daytime dramas and full daytime, 3.80 million and 4.01 million respectively, but it was ABC that scored with the prized women 18-49 demographic, getting a 1.6 rating in both. CBS drew a 1.3 for daytime dramas and 1.2 for full daytime in that demo, and NBC managed a 1.4 for both. In total viewers, ABC was second to CBS, with 2.88 million for daytime dramas and 2.93 million for full daytime, and NBC brought in 2.31 million to its soaps, 2.31 million to full daytime.

A glitch with Nielsen’s web site delayed ratings for syndication for the week ended Oct. 8.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_7988.asp

fredfa

10-19-06, 11:57 AM

The TV Column
Viewers Lap Up 'Dancing's' Off-Screen Drama
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff WriterThursday, October 19, 2006; C07

A record number of viewers sat drooling like Pavlov's pooches through the entire 1 1/2 hours of "Dancing With the Stars" Tuesday in order to get their liver treat at the end -- an exclusive interview with one of the semi-washed-up "celebrity" contestants of whom most had never heard until she joined the hit series and then quit abruptly, citing her husband's alleged infidelity, porn viewing, interesting nude self-portrait work and even more interesting Craigslist entries.

"This week a second unexpected departure rocked the series as country superstar Sara Evans made the difficult decision to leave 'Dancing With the Stars' behind! Tonight she explains why!" Voiceover Guy said at the very top of the show.

Pant, pant, pant. Drip.

"As you heard mentioned at the top of the show, our friend Sara Evans has left the competition for personal reasons. What you have not heard is what Sara has to say. We've got her only interview, coming up later in the show," host Tom Bergeron said about three minutes later.

Drool, drool, drool. Slurp.

Bergeron again at 8:10: "Plus, I sit down with Sara Evans for an emotional and exclusive interview!"

Bergeron at 8:51: "And also, the only place to get Sara Evans's story is from Sara Evans. Our exclusive interview is later."

Bergeron at 9:18: "Sara Evans opens up in an exclusive interview to reveal the reason why she left 'Dancing With the Stars'!"

Pant, pant, pant. Slosh.

Ironically, Evans was former House majority leader Tom DeLay's pick to win this round of the popular dancing competition. Shortly before this edition debuted, DeLay launched an e-mail campaign urging people to vote for Evans because her kind "represents good American values."

More than 21 million people watched Tuesday's broadcast in hopes of hearing Evans say more about her husband. By the time Bergeron got around to "interviewing" Evans, the crowd had grown to more than 23 million. That's the show's biggest night ever, excepting the Seasons 1 and 2 finales. The first-season finale edged it out by only 1 million viewers. And DeLay says "smut has no place on television" -- ha!

During her prerecorded "interview" with Bergeron, Evans said, "I'm completely against divorce" and while there were "some things in motion" about her marriage to Republican wannabe-officeholder Craig Schelske, "it was always my intention to continue to try to take things very slowly."

But then, after last week's results show, she said, "something happened. It was something personal and traumatic and hard for my children. Things went drastically downhill -- 100 miles an hour." She did not elaborate.

So she decided she had to quit the show.

"Somehow, 'Mommy has to go disco dance' might not have been the thing," Bergeron suggested.

"I would have had a nervous breakdown," Evans agreed.

Which, ironically, is just what the woman whom Evans claims her husband had an affair with -- that would be her children's nanny -- says Evans has had already.

In an exclusive interview with ABC News Radio -- and don't you just love synergy? -- Alison Clinton said the singer "had a hard time back in December" and "kind of had an exhaustion breakdown, and then in January we started a Bible study together."

Speaking to Bergeron in that Tuesday "interview," Evans said, "I believe I was put on ['Dancing With the Stars'] for a reason."

We're betting ABC thinks so, too, after seeing the numbers on Tuesday's show, and we suspect they spent the afternoon offering their sincere and most humble thanks to the TV god.

• • • • • • • • • • •

Hey, have you caught CW's new drama series "The Runaway"?

Of course you haven't, silly, which is why CW has yanked the show after just three broadcasts, sending trade papers into pun overdrive: " 'Runaway' has run aground," "The CW has sent 'Runaway' packing," " 'Runaway' flees CW sked," "CW Cuts 'Runaway' Loose" and, our personal fave, " 'Runaway' dead."

The move also fells in one swoop half the fruits of Dawn Ostroff's labor in her maiden season as head of CW. The network -- begat of the late WB and UPN -- only has one other new series on its fall schedule, the comedy "The Game."

"Runaway" starred former New Kid on the Block Donnie Wahlberg as a guy on the lam with his family, which includes at least one idiot child who does not seem to understand "Dad's wanted for murder so we're on the lam" means no cellphoning girlfriends. Anyway, the show averaged just 1.7 million viewers.

Bye, bye.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/18/AR2006101801851_pf.html

fredfa

10-19-06, 12:03 PM

TV Notebook
“ER” Safe for Season

NBC had announced it would show 13 episodes of the venerable Thursday night drama “ER” and then put it on hiatus for 13 weeks while it showed a new drama “The Black Donnelys”.

That szeemed like a great idea considering last year’s softeninf numbers of ER.

But things have changed, and now NBC has (very quietly) let it be known it will not replace ER and will find another spot on its schedule for The Black Donnellys.

Finding such a new slot , considering the burning embers of so many of NBC’s hopes for the season, should not be a difficult problem.

fredfa

10-19-06, 12:14 PM

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
NBC Wednesday sitcoms get a beating
'30 Rock' and 'Twenty Good Years' fall 19 percent
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Oct 19, 2006

Today came word that NBC is refocusing its 8 p.m. programming strategy to emphasize less-expensive reality and game shows instead of scripted series. With Wednesday’s new comedies struggling, they could become an early casualty of that plan.

Last night the second episodes of “30 Rock” and “Twenty Good Years” both fell from their already-low premieres, down a combined 19 percent in the 8 p.m. hour, according to Nielsen overnights.

“Rock” averaged a 2.3 adults 18-49 rating, down 21 percent from last week’s 2.9, while “Twenty” dipped even lower at 8:30 p.m., down 16 percent from a 2.5 last week to a 2.1.

They finished fifth in the timeslot, behind the CW’s “America’s Next Top Model” and just 0.2 ahead of Univision’s “La Fea Mas Bella.”

The two shows combined averaged just 5.5 million total viewers, 400,000 more than “Model.”

NBC may well yank the shows, one of which, “Twenty,” was eviscerated by critics, after yesterday’s results. It seems doubtful either show will last until November sweeps. NBC ordered 10 more scripts of promising new game show “1 vs 100” yesterday, and plugging that show into the slot would fit with its new 8 p.m. strategy.

Last night also saw “Criminal Minds,” CBS’s growing 9 p.m. drama, finish ahead of ABC’s “Lost” for the first time ever in total viewers, though just by a smidge, about 30,000 viewers. That could well change when final ratings are released later today.

According to overnights, “Minds” averaged 16.1 million viewers to “Lost’s” 16.07 million. Last week “Lost” led by 160,000. Last season, “Minds’” first, the closest it came was 3.5 million.

But “Lost” was still a full two points ahead among 18-49s, with a 6.5 to “Minds’” 4.5.

ABC won the night with a 4.9 average rating and 12 share in 18-49s, followed by CBS at 4.2/11, Fox’s National League Championship Series at 3.2/8, NBC at 2.6/7, the CW at 1.9/5, and Univision at 1.6/4.

As a reminder, ratings for live sporting events like the NLCS are approximate as fast nationals measure timeslot and not program data. Fox’s performance will be clearer when final ratings are issued later today.

At 8 p.m., ABC’s “Dancing with the Stars” led at 4.9, followed by CBS’s “Jericho” at 3.1, Fox’s NLCS and CW’s “Model” at 2.5, NBC’s “Rock” and “Twenty” at 2.2, and Univision’s “Fea” at 1.9.

At 9 p.m., “Lost” led with 6.5, followed by “Minds” at 4.5, Fox’s NLCS at 3.3, NBC’s “The Biggest Loser” at 3.1, Univision’s “Mundo de Fieras” at 1.6, and CW’s “One Tree Hill” at 1.3.

At 10 p.m., CBS’s “CSI: NY” led at 5.0, followed by Fox’s NLCS at 3.8 and ABC’s “The Nine” at 3.2, even to last week and seeing slightly less erosion in its second half hour. NBC’s “Dateline” was fourth at 2.6 and Univision’s “Don Francisco Presenta” fifth at 1.2.

Among households, ABC led with 9.4/15, followed by CBS at 9.2/14, Fox at 7.2/11, NBC at 4.6/7, the CW at 2.7/4, and Univision at 1.9/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/printer_8013.asp

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:02 PM

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

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:14 PM

Does anyone care to bet me that NBC will not announce changes in its disastrous Wednesday 8 PM hour ("30 Rock" and "Twentry Good Years" before the close of business tomorrow?

(I'd look for "1 vs.100" to be plugged in there immediately.)

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:18 PM

TV Notebook
Nets Unwrap Development Slates for 2007-08 Season
By A.J. Frutkin MediaWeek Oct. 19, 2006

With its crime heavy-schedule perhaps the most stable of all TV networks, CBS is taking some risks in its development slate for the 07-08 season. The Viacom-owned net has ordered a period drama set in the 1970's that explores the sexual revolution--from open marriages to wife swapping. Titled Swingtown, the project is from Jericho writer Mike Kelley, and produced by CBS Paramount Network TV. Also in development, a series about the women's lib movement, from Six Feet Under writer Bruce Eric Kaplan, and also produced by CBS Paramount.

Earlier this week, CBS gave a put pilot commitment to a U.S. version of the BBC series Viva Blackpool. Hugh Jackman, who has a talent deal at CBS Paramount Net TV, is set to exec produce, and will appear as a guest in the pilot for the series, which is part murder/mystery and part musical--actors actually break into song in the show.

CBS Paramount will produce with the BBC, and Sony Pictures TV. Huff creator Bob Lowry will write and exec produce the project, about a small time casino owner who tries to make it big in Las Vegas.

In related news, Fox has given a put pilot committment to a drama from Once & Again writer Emily Whitesell about a woman who discovers her boyfriend may be a terrorist. Titled Suspicion, the series is from Warner Bros. TV. The News Corp.-owned net also is developing an espionage series, about a regular guy who is recruited by the NSA as a spy. 20th Century Fox TV will produce, with 24 co-creator Bob Cochran writing the pilot with David Ehrman (JAG). 24's Joel Surnow and Howard Gordon will exec produce along with the two writers.

Over at NBC, Law & Order vet Rene Balcer is developing a drama about a bipolar forensics psychiatrist. NBC Uni TV Studio is producing. ABC has ordered a cop drama set in post-Katrina New Orleans, from Alias writer John Eisendrath, and produced by Touchstone TV. Earlier this season, NBC announced it was developing a New Orleans drama from filmmaker Spike Lee.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003285330

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:21 PM

The Business of TV
Verizon Hiring FiOS CSRs
By Steve Donohue MultiChannel News 10/19/2006

Verizon Communications said Thursday that it is hiring 320 new customer-service agents to support its new FiOS Internet and FiOS TV products.

As the company expands the rollout of its fiber-delivered high-speed-data and pay TV products, Verizon said it will add customer-service positions at its Fiber Solutions Centers in Dallas; Hampton, Va.; Oxnard, Calif.; Providence, R.I.; Syracuse, N.Y.; and Everett, Wash.

Verizon projected that it will count 725,000 FiOS Internet and 175,000 FiOS TV customers by the end of 2006.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6383077

swamphhh

10-19-06, 01:31 PM

It would be nice if they could somehow try to keep this show on the air for just a tad bit longer. I still find it crazy just how many good shows have premiered this fall.

Also glad Brothers & Sisters was given a full-season. That one is really growing on me, I really like the characters.

And on an unrelated note and for you BSG fans out there, the second episode of Battlestar Galactica this past Friday dipped a little more than 11% from a 1.8 to a 1.6.

That is a new low for the series (it was previously a 1.7 by the fourth to last episode last season--"The Captain's Hand").

I don't understand ratings drop offs for a show like BSG. Its not like its new or that it gets drive by viewers. Its audience should be fairly static by this point. What kind of BSG viewer watches the premeire and then fails to come back the next week?

jim tressler

10-19-06, 01:36 PM

I dunno fred.. I'll be willing to bet you have inside info.. :) how bout that bet?

Does anyone care to bet me that NBC will not announce changes in its disastrous Wednesday 8 PM hour ("30 Rock" and "Twentry Good Years" before the close of business tomorrow?

(I'd look for "1 vs.100" to be plugged in there immediately.)

archiguy

10-19-06, 01:38 PM

scolumbo

10-19-06, 01:38 PM

Although I don't often post in this thread, it's become my first stop in AVS Forum. I'm continually amazed at the amount and breadth of information that is contained here.

Fredfa doesn't get enough credit for bringing us news that would take us mere mortals an incredible amount of time and resources to collect, and even then we wouldn't hit all the sources he routinely brings us. I, for one, am very grateful. This thread is No. 1 in my personal ratings list.

Thanks!

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:39 PM

I don't understand ratings drop offs for a show like BSG. Its not like its new or that it gets drive by viewers. Its audience should be fairly static by this point. What kind of BSG viewer watches the premeire and then fails to come back the next week?

Perhaps a casual viewer who wanted to see what the talk was about -- and who didn't enjoy BSG..

Or perhaps a viewer who was more interested in some of the network programming or ESPN's college football.

There are many reasons -- and it also could just be a weekly ratings aberration. Wait until next week to get a better feel.

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:40 PM

I dunno fred.. I'll be willing to bet you have inside info.. :) how bout that bet?

No inside information, Jim. I just can't believe NBC will let this bleeding go on through the November sweep.

fredfa

10-19-06, 01:41 PM

fredfa

10-19-06, 02:36 PM

Critic’s Notebook
''Lost,'' ''Veronica Mars'' And Such
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

…”(Veronica) Mars'' continues to delight. Nice to see Weevil back. The faster pace of the mysteries is really noticeable; it even makes me a little antsy because things are unfolding so quickly. And it had the best line I expect to hear on any show this week: ''I always feel bad about those poor donkeys.''

Had a long discussion at lunch with a couple of co-workers about ''Lost,'' and their dissatisfaction with the way the overall plot is not moving along very quickly. I've expressed objections about that in the past, and have tried to take the advice of my colleague Alan Sepinwall -- that the show will never resolve everything, so you might as well just enjoy the ride. And I still manage to do that somewhat; enjoyed watching Sawyer a week ago, and I knew Hurley's first word last night would be ''Dude,'' and was entertained by the return of Boone.

I have no idea what's really going on, of course, and have been making mental lists of questions: Why was Desmond unclothed and Locke not, how exactly did they get out of the hatch, is the crater really from the implosion or a contrivance of forces at large, did we really need to bring back the polar bear ... I'm not expecting answers, though.

Oh, and as someone just reminded me, how bogus was the introduction of two new characters as if they've been around the whole time?

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

fredfa

10-19-06, 02:42 PM

TV Notebook
Star Trekking to the Top
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 10/19/2006

The top science fiction weekend hour in syndication is one of the oldest: Paramount Domestic Television's digital remastering of the original Star Trek led the pack, according to the latest Nielsen weekly ratings report for the week ending Oct. 8.

Star Trek, which turned 40 last month, recorded a 1.2 rating, down a tick from the 1.3 the week before, but that was in the face of stiff competition from the MLB playoffs featuring several teams with top-market rooting interest--Yankees, Mets, A's.

Paramount returned the series to the syndication rotation after giving it a digital facelift to make it more viewer-friendly to a generation weaned on computer graphics.

Trek's 1.2 topped Stargate: Atlantis at a 1.1; Stargate SG-1 with a 1.0; and Outer Limits at a .4. It also beat the off-Si Fi Channel Farscape at a .8, though that show is classified as a general drama rather than sci-fi.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6383231

shuttermaker

10-19-06, 02:51 PM

Critic’s Notebook
''Lost,'' ''Veronica Mars'' And Such
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal TV blog

Had a long discussion at lunch with a couple of co-workers about ''Lost,'' and their dissatisfaction with the way the overall plot is not moving along very quickly. I've expressed objections about that in the past, and have tried to take the advice of my colleague Alan Sepinwall -- that the show will never resolve everything, so you might as well just enjoy the ride. And I still manage to do that somewhat; enjoyed watching Sawyer a week ago, and I knew Hurley's first word last night would be ''Dude,'' and was entertained by the return of Boone.

I have no idea what's really going on, of course, and have been making mental lists of questions: Why was Desmond unclothed and Locke not, how exactly did they get out of the hatch, is the crater really from the implosion or a contrivance of forces at large, did we really need to bring back the polar bear ... I'm not expecting answers, though.

Oh, and as someone just reminded me, how bogus was the introduction of two new characters as if they've been around the whole time?

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

Id like to see it progress a little more quickly myself. I also have too many questions to list here.

fredfa

10-19-06, 03:21 PM

It seems to me that the ratings problems for "Lost" are linked directly to this problem. People just aren't going to invest hour after hour after hour to be given no answers at all.

On top of that there are more and more quality TV shows available and I suspect the bar is getting higher for getting viewers to tune in to start off with.

And then add in the mystique of "Lost" which I would presume would scare potential viewers off: they just don't have the time to get caught up with the back story.

archiguy

10-19-06, 03:29 PM

It seems to me that the ratings problems for "Lost" are linked directly to this problem. People just aren't going to invest hour after hour after hour to be given no answers at all.

See, this is what I don't understand about these objections. We are getting answers. We've gotten a few of them this season. Not all of them, of course, but some. If we got them all, there'd be no more show. And there are always more questions, but that's what makes the show fun. It really is all about the journey with 'LOST'. Such has it always been.

And then add in the mystique of "Lost" which I would presume would scare potential viewers off: they just don't have the time to get caught up with the back story.

They sure are selling an awful lot of past season DVD sets. I've got 3 friends who have "caught up" this way and will start watching "live" after the show comes back from haitus this winter (they're saving these first 6 on their DVR's until after they finish up S-2. That's due to the late release date of the S-2 DVD set.) I'm giving them out as wedding presents now; always a hit (better than another set of dishes). :D

dad1153

10-19-06, 03:31 PM

TV Notebook
TONING DOWN BIG TONY
A&E IS RE-MAKING 'SOPRANOS'
By Adam Buckman The New York Post October 19, 2006

BLOOD splatter is OK, but brain splatter is not.

That was the decision made by A&E execs when considering how much to show of a famous rubout in an episode of "The Sopranos" being adapted for basic cable.

The scene came in the final episode of the first season. Lured to a hotel room by Christopher Moltisanti and Silvio Dante, turncoat mobster Jimmy Altieri gets whacked with a bullet fired point-blank into the back of his head.

Viewers saw blood splatter around the room, followed by a glimpse of somewhat chunkier material sliding down a wall.

When the episode is shown next year on A&E, the blood splatter will still be there. The chunks of brain will not.

This particular decision - what to show and what not to show - is one of hundreds being made by A&E, with help from HBO, as A&E prepares to become the first TV outlet other than HBO to air "The Sopranos."

A&E bought the exclusive rights to "Sopranos" reruns last February from HBO for a reported $2.5 million per episode. The deal covers all 85 episodes, including the final eight that are expected to premiere on HBO next spring.

Since making the deal, A&E has been hard at work adapting the series - known for its profanity, violence and nudity - to conform to its own standards, which differ from HBO's because, among other reasons, A&E has advertisers.

"The Sopranos" launches on A&E in January on a date yet to be announced. Plans call for A&E to air two back-to-back episodes, with commercials, on one evening early in the week, repeating the two later in the week.

"A lot of hard work and a lot of due diligence has gone into the creation of the A&E version of each episode," said Bob DeBitetto, executive vice president and general manager of A&E. "This isn't one of those syndication deals where they just sort of back the truck up and just dump all the tapes off and say good luck with it."

Indeed, representatives of A&E and HBO have been working closely together to re-edit the episodes as seamlessly as possible, even replacing some bits of footage seen in the original with footage that was cut but saved by the show's producers.

Gone will be most four-letter words, nudity and graphic sex, and some violence. "Nudity proves to be the most challenging," DeBitetto said, "for one reason in particular, and that's the Bada Bing club."

He was referring to scenes in which strippers dance nude in the background while Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini) and his crew conduct business in the foreground.

DeBitetto explained that some, but not all, such scenes were reshot while the show was being produced, with the strippers clothed in bikinis. Where such so-called "coverage" footage was unavailable, A&E and HBO editors were able to incorporate footage of the same scenes in which the strippers were not visible because the scenes were shot from different angles.

As for language, "Sopranos" actors recorded so-called "audio loops" during production in which their four-letter vocabulary was replaced with PG-rated words.

DeBitetto insists the replacement language will hardly be noticeable. "It will be done beautifully," he vowed, "[with] none of the 'lip flaps' people are used to seeing [when some movies are adapted for TV]."

http://www.nypost.com/seven/10192006/tv/toning_down_big_tony_tv_adam_buckman.htm
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So, what did the neutering of 'Sopranos' for regular TV ended up looking/sounding like? Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_5XYmALfVs ;) :D :p

fredfa

10-19-06, 03:40 PM

rebkell

10-19-06, 03:45 PM

fredfa

10-19-06, 03:47 PM

Critic’s Notebook
"Lost," Criminality, project "Runaway," cats and dogs living together!

By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle in his TV blog “The Bastard Machine”
(Note: Tim is back after five days of vacation)

It's Feed the Machine! Wheeeeeee.

Okay, had to get that out. Hey, really enjoying my work stoppage. Here's what I did: I stopped by work on my way to teach my class (about TV) and then stopped by work again, then came home, put "Jericho" back on the TiVo, returned work e-mails and now this - blogging. You know what, it seems so...so...familiar. Almost like I was working. The only difference is that this week someone in accounting says, "T. Goodman, minus five vacation days."

Bitter? Like a mouth full of aspirin with a lime chaser, as I'm wont to say. And yet, not. Come on. It's not like I'm breaking rocks. I'm typing for God's sake. (That's an old writer's joke.) No whining about my job. Oh, and no thugs in our house. (Any guesses as to what I'm listening to? Synergy, it's a beautiful thing.)

So, "Lost." Can't wait. Honestly. Who doesn't want to see three years worth of storytelling inch ever closer to something that almost makes sense? Bring it on. (I think "Lost" is a dysfunctional person's dream show. It's an enabler's fantasy. Ever had a significant other take liberties with your time, mental state, money and/or life, drag it out over an extended period of time only to completely let you down? Good, then you were an enabler. Only this time, J.J. Abrams is your SO. Maybe you fell for the glasses?)

Onward: The CW canceled "Runaway." I could make 12 or 16 jokes right here but that's just plain hackery and I refuse to participate. Let's just say this was inevitable. Or, as Elvis Costello would say, "Couldn't Call It Unexpected." Maybe Donnie Wahlberg will pop up on "Entourage" now.

It was the season finale of "Project Runway." I really like this series...and yet...(there's a lot of those "and yets" here), I didn't follow it closely this season. I regret that. And yet...I was busy. It's not like there's a bevy of people covering TV at the Chronicle. But still, I should have watched. Oh, well, the DVD will come out and life will go on.

Who is watching "Criminal Minds"? I want to know. Because CM is about to topple "Lost." Possibly for good. I kind of like that show even though I shouldn't. And now Paget Brewster has joined the cast. I have such a thing for Paget Brewster. It's crazy. Wait, she's on the show, right? Man, I'm drowning in TV. My TiVos are burning out. Like my brain….

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=24

fredfa

10-19-06, 03:56 PM

Critic’s Notebook
While `Studio 60' lags, `ER' gets its groove back
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News Thu, Oct. 19, 2006
(Note: all times are Pacific)

Some random notes, a couple of thoughts and a rumor or two from the world of TV:

• I still think ``Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip'' is one of the smartest series out there, but I'm beginning to understand why even longtime fans of writer Aaron Sorkin's work are bailing on this, his new show. (``Studio'' has lost 40 percent of its audience since its premiere Sept. 18.)

The comedy-drama about life in the world of network TV (10 p.m. Mondays, NBC) simply doesn't have the intellectual underpinning of Sorkin's ``The West Wing.'' The character relationships aren't as engaging as the ones on his ``Sports Night,'' although the on-again, off-again romance involving writer Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) and comedian Harriet Hayes (Sarah Paulson) comes close. And it's hard to get worked up about such inside-baseball issues as affiliate relations and audience retention.

I'll continue to watch for the great cast and the sharp dialogue. But I'm certainly not going to be riled if other viewers opt out.

• Much to the surprise of just about everyone -- including the suits at NBC -- ``ER'' (10 tonight, NBC) is proving that old dogs can perform new tricks. Just when it looked like the venerable medical drama was on its last legs, it has been beating heavily promoted newcomers ``Shark'' on CBS and ``Six Degrees'' on ABC -- even though ``Shark'' has ``CSI'' for a lead-in and ``Degrees'' airs behind TV's most-watched show, ``Grey's Anatomy.''

As a result, ``ER'' won't have a shortened 18-episode season or take a long break at midseason, as originally planned. In fact, it may produce 25 episodes instead of its usual 22.

• Speaking of ``CSI'' (9 p.m. Thursdays, CBS), the series, which I've always admired, seems to be trying way too hard in its battle with ``Grey's Anatomy.'' When a show brings in a guest star like Britney Spears' husband, Kevin Federline, to boost ratings, as ``CSI'' did last week, it reeks of desperation.

• And it wouldn't surprise me if ABC shifts ``Men in Trees,'' its appealing Anne Heche-goes-to-Alaska comedy-drama, to Thursdays at 10 from Fridays at 9 p.m. (ABC), replacing ``Degrees.'' That series is losing viewers every week, wasting the huge lead-in audience generated by ``Grey's.'' Meanwhile, ``Men'' is doing OK numbers on Fridays with absolutely no help from the rest of the ABC lineup.

• When the season began, I thought there was a chance that ``Heroes,'' the new NBC sci-fi series (9 p.m. Mondays), was just trippy and sharp enough to attract an audience. It has, and the network already has signed it up for a full season.

But I wasn't high on the chances of another sci-fi entry: CBS's ``Jericho'' (8 p.m. Wednesdays, CBS), a post-nuclear holocaust drama with a very retro, Cold War-era feel to it. Not only was it up against ABC's ``Dancing With the Stars,'' but it didn't have the comic book kick of ``Heroes.''

The TV audience has decided otherwise, however, and ``Jericho'' has survived nicely. It has drawn a steady 11 million viewers, with some expectation that it could really take off when ``Dancing'' ends its run in November. Result: CBS ordered a full season of 22 episodes last week.

• OK, everyone, take out your calendars for the network schedule shuffle: ``Extreme Makeover,'' originally scheduled to return in January, is back on ABC as of 8 p.m. Friday. The season debut of NBC's ``Las Vegas'' has been bumped back to Oct. 27 (9 p.m., NBC). The new ``3 Lbs.,'' a promising medical drama starring Stanley Tucci, has been rushed in off the bench by CBS to replace the canceled ``Smith.'' It will debut on Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 10 p.m.

And in the biggest news -- at least to all its passionate fans -- ``Medium'' will return to the NBC lineup earlier than planned, sliding into the old ``Kidnapped'' spot at 10 p.m. Wednesday Nov. 15.

• While it's been all but buried underneath all the ABC-CBS hype on Thursday nights, ``Smallville'' (8 p.m., CW) has been hanging in with viewers and putting on a pretty good sixth season. Tonight, Oliver Queen (Justin Hartley) -- who has spent the past few weeks making moves on Lois Lane (Erica Durance) -- finally gets a chance to show his stuff as the Green Arrow. Clark Kent (Tom Welling) is not amused.

• We have another casualty in the network wars: The CW has pulled the plug on ``Runaway,'' its only new drama for the season, after just three episodes. The end came after the show's audience slid under 2 million viewers last Sunday.

• Last reminder for fans of the wonderful but criminally neglected ``MI-5'': A&E will air all eight remaining episodes of this season in one clump this Saturday, starting at 11 a.m.

• It's quite an investment of time, but for those who love seafaring yarns, ``To the Ends of the Earth,'' the latest miniseries on ``Masterpiece Theatre'' (9 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5, PBS, check local listings), is a must-see. Based on William Golding's 1980s trilogy, this is a true ocean epic about a voyage from England to Australia, with a splendid cast headed by Benedict Cumberbatch (``Cambridge Spies'') as aristocrat Edmund Talbot.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/television/15795459.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

fredfa

10-19-06, 04:12 PM

The Business of TV
Update: NBC 2.0--Staffers Get Sugarcoated Spin
By Anne Becker -- Broadcasting & Cable, 10/19/2006 9:27:00 AM

Top-level NBC staffers convened in the new Today Show studio today for a 1 p.m. town hall meeting about the impending company-wide cuts. The meeting, which lasted about a half hour, was telecast for lower level employees on NBC’s internal channels, the “Jerrold Channels.”

Bob Wright kicked it off with minimal comments before ceding the floor to Jeff Zucker for what one insider described as "sugar-coated" comments of his own. Questions that had been e-mailed in before or during the meeting were then read off by a young, male staffer and answered by Zucker, TV Group COO Randy Falco, TV Stations President Jay Ireland and NBC News President Steve Capus. The quartet gave little information, declining to name who was going and staying and how many would be cut from any given division.

Struggling under weak ad sales and profits, NBC Universal set a structuring plan to slash annual expenses by $750 million in part by cutting 700 jobs. The moves, which have been in the works for more than a year, were announced today by GE Vice Chairman and NBCU Chairman/CEO Bob Wright.

The plan, which the company is calling "NBCU 2.0," will streamline NBC U's news operations and drop pricey scripted dramas from the 8 p.m. hour on the network as NBCU redirects resources from analog to evolving digital businesses, according to the company and published reports.

Talk in New York is that the layoffs will begin as buyouts to interested parties.

Restructuring that will touch all of NBCU's divisions - broadcast, cable, movies, theme parks and others - is aimed at cutting annual administrative and operating expenses by $750 million by the end of 2008 and cutting the company's workforce by 5% in the same period. The company says reallocated expenses will lead to digital revenues that top $1 billion by 2009.

NBC U profit dropped 10 percent during the third quarter, pulled down by lower ratings at NBC, parent company General Electric reported last week.

"Success in this business means quickly adjusting to and anticipating change," said Wright in a statement. "This initiative is designed to help us exploit technology and focus our resources, as we continue our transformation into a digital media company for the 21st century."

Affecting the TV Group, cable network MSNBC will shutter its Secaucus, New Jersey operations and the channel will move to production facilities at NBC's 30 Rockefeller Plaza New York headquarters, and New Jersey--a move that has been talked about for years. The company is also consolidating news operations in California, creating a central facility in Burbank to house news ventures from NBC and Telemundo KNBC, KVEA and KWHY.

In its entertainment TV division, the company says it will reduce its "dependence on traditional content distribution methods and advertising models." That includes delivering programming on various digital distribution platforms, including its own broadband websites and iTunes. NBC also looking to ease off of scripted dramas, that can cost several millions of dollars per episode, in the 8 p.m. time slot in favor of less expensive game shows and other fare, according to the Wall Street Journal.

The network has struggled since falling from first place after losing top-rated shows Friends and Frasier. The network invested heavily in new programming this season and, despite bright spots which include the new drama Heroes, NBC has placed a solid third so far this TV season behind CBS and ABC most nights during primetime.

"We have to recognize that the changes of the next five years will dwarf the changes of the last 50," said NBC U TV Group CEO Jeff Zucker in a statement.

Changes elsewhere include a increased focus on Hispanic network Telemundo, consolidation of marketing departments within movie studio Universal Pictures, and cost cuts at the NBCU's theme parks in L.A. and Orlando, Fla.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6382886

VisionOn

10-19-06, 04:41 PM

See, this is what I don't understand about these objections. We are getting answers. We've gotten a few of them this season. Not all of them, of course, but some. If we got them all, there'd be no more show. And there are always more questions, but that's what makes the show fun. It really is all about the journey with 'LOST'. Such has it always been.

there is no journey with Lost. Seinfeld wasn't the show about nothing, Lost is the show about nothing. Nothing happens any more. Last night for example can be summed up as "Locke wakes up. Rescues Eko. Back to beach." The story never advanced in any solid direction beyond a few mintues of actual dialog.

There are multiple reasons for the waning interest in Lost. They have two sets. Jungle and bunker. In which they will either walk or talk. Compare that to the first season in which they were constantly exploring, under threat from several directions every other week and constantly finding new and interesting things. The cave and mysterious stones, the bunker, the ship, Rousseau's home, the aircraft, the monster ... Instead of expanding on existing stories, week by week they now choose to ignore them and introduce others.

Since season two there is almost no plot progression. The writers cannot handle a linear storyline and every week bounces of on a tangent. The opening of last night was a classic example. They could have just continued directly from last season (as people expected and wanted) but instead they chose to drop the audience into the middle of a scene with little explanation. That will no doubt become fodder for another story 12 episodes in the future, but by then the momentum is gone.

To the detriment of the original ensemble they keep introducing new characters to the already massive cast and killing the chances of air time for those you became familiar with through season one. Does anyone actally remember that Locke cannot actually walk now?

Lost is becoming too clever for it's own good. It's not about the characters and adventure any more, it's an excuse for the writers to keep creating a constant series of threads that get dropped, and building mystery upon mystery until there's little regard to actually tell a story.

fredfa

10-19-06, 04:52 PM

TV Notebook
Bob Woodruff To Report His Story
(ABC News Release) October 19, 2006

BOB WOODRUFF TO REPORT HIS STORY ON ABC NEWS

In Spring 2007, in his first reporting since being injured by a roadside bomb, ABC News Anchor Bob Woodruff will tell the story of what happened to him in Iraq on January 29, 2006. Through interviews with eyewitnesses and the medical teams who saved his life, Woodruff will report on his injuries and his difficult and painstaking road to recovery.

In this special primetime hour, Woodruff will also report on the heroic efforts of the military medical teams that have saved thousands of soldiers’ lives, and on the stories of how those injured soldiers and their families bravely carry on despite life-altering injuries.

fredfa

10-19-06, 05:03 PM

The New Season
“Vanished” Is Gone

Fox refuses to use the word “Cancelled” in the same breath as “Vanished” but it announced today that the series will air its 13th and final episode on Friday, December 8.

Of course if the ratings somehow miraculously improve it could be back. But then any of us could hit the Lottery jackpot, too.

fredfa

10-19-06, 07:11 PM

The Business of TV
Massive Changes for NBC TV
“Advertiser Interest Isn’t High Enough”

In a Wall Street Journal story outlining the major spending cuts facinf NBC, Brook Barners reports that:

“NBC Universal is slashing its news budget and abandoning high-cost dramas in the 8 p.m. hour, paring expenses in traditional television as viewers and advertisers flock to new kinds of media….

While the trends affect all traditional media companies, NBC Universal has had a particularly rough couple of years after the popular sitcoms "Friends" and "Frasier" ended their runs. With a slumping prime-time lineup, NBC Universal has seen its operating profit fall 10% in each of the past three quarters, dragging down GE earnings. NBC Universal expects to post operating profit of $3 billion in 2006 on revenue of $16.5 billion.

Among NBC Universal's most significant moves is its decision to stop scheduling expensive dramas and comedies during the 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. slot. That is the first of three prime-time hours that NBC's affiliate stations must carry before their 11 p.m. local newscasts. Jeff Zucker, chief executive of NBC Universal's television group, said NBC won't give back the 8 p.m. hour to affiliate stations, but it will concentrate on lower-cost programming. Mr. Zucker said advertiser interest isn't high enough to justify spending on scripted shows.

For instance, viewers in coming seasons might see a game show such as "Deal or No Deal" at 8 p.m. on Tuesday instead of "Friday Night Lights," a drama that currently occupies the slot. The financial payoff could be significant for the network: Mr. Zucker said "Deal or No Deal" costs $1.1 million an episode, while "Friday Night Lights" costs $2.6 million an episode….”

The complete story is available to WSJ subscribers here:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB116122516063297321.html?mod=hps_us_at_glance_mm

keenan

10-19-06, 07:19 PM

Guess that means they won't be fixing their HD transmission problems anytime soon.

Isn't Zucker getting any of the blame for this? Isn't he the one with final say on programming? I'm surprised he's still there.

fredfa

10-19-06, 07:36 PM

I couldn't agree more, Jim.

The network keeps sinking deeper and deeper and he keeps getting promoted. With NFL Football this year he had four fewer hours to produce. And we got "Twenty Good Years", "Kidnapped", "30 Rock" and nothing, with the exception of "Heroes" with any real break out potential. And "Heroes" was at best an after-thought.

No risk-taking, not vision, no guts. And the payoff: no real ratings, either.

As I noted over in Rich Heldenfels' blog:

"Perhaps if Mr. Zucker had given the public some 8 P.M. shows worth watching during his regime it wouldn't have come to such Draconian measures.

It seems to me here are more than a few scripted 8 PM show advertisers (and viewers) are more than happy with:

Ugly Betty comes to mind, along with
Ghost Whisperer
NCIS
Jericho, and
Bones.

None of them is on NBC, and four of them debuted in the past two seasons.

Great work, Jeff!"

So now he'll have four hours of the NFL, probably five of "Deal or No Deal" and "1 vs. 100" (stripped Monday-Friday at 8, I would guess) and they are rushing back "Medium" and "Las Vegas" to fill other holes. That means he can't even program 11 hours a week -- half his schedule without falling back on sports, game shows and programs he deemed not good enough to start the season with. And three of those 22 hours are on Saturday, which are three useless hours, anway.

His big new guns coming into this season were"Studio 60", "Friday Night Lights", and "30 Rock". The critics basically loved them all. The viewers -- so far at least -- obviously don't.

And to top it off, he is basically stripping MSNBC of its news value, while hunkering down to face Roger Ailes in a battle to save CNBC next year. Given Zucker's record (and that of Ailes) it doesn't take a genius to see who will win that match of wits.

Why the honchos at GE adore Zucker is beyond me.

fredfa

10-19-06, 07:50 PM

More on NBC: Nothing was said about it today, but I am positive NBC will be joining Les Moonves over at CBS in demanding hefty carriage fees for its stations from cable operators. Rupert Murdoch has also made it clear he is in that camp.

Let's be serious here: if ESPN is worth a few cents under $3 a month, CBS, NBC, ABC, and Fox are certainly worth at least $1 a month apiece.

And if they just got that, it would be $1 billion or so a year directly to the bottom line - for each network. No fuss, no capital expense, no trying to figure out what programs will work, just a steady billion dollar income stream every year.

keenan

10-19-06, 08:01 PM

Yes, you know that's coming, grab your wallets folks.

generalpatton78

10-19-06, 08:06 PM

Yeah seriously Freda your right. Do these people not realize that they are falling into the Millionaire trap? They are completely striping the station of quality and it will come back to bite them in the @$$. It took ABC a very long time to recoverer and what recovered it? Big expensive one hour scripted Dramas/comedies! Nbc needs to promote and set up their schedule better. Friday Night Lights has been growing on me and I think this show could be a hit. I don't know why it doesn't have a audience just yet, but the quality is there. They also better find a way to charge the advertiser for all the DVR users out there. Ratings aren't being lost to cable. They are being lost to the DVR users! We all saw how ST60 received a significant bump in ratings from DVR users compared to others shows. These people "for now" tend to be in the upper middle class with disposable income. These are the people many advertisers want to reach, but seem unwilling to pay for because they use DVR's. All the networks should work together to lay down the law and force the DVR viewers to be figured into how mutch should be charged.

CPanther95

10-19-06, 08:10 PM

Why count DVR users in advertising rates if they typically do not watch commercials?

shuttermaker

10-19-06, 08:13 PM

fredfa

10-19-06, 08:29 PM

I would doubt it. Although I personally would be delighted to see a la carte adopted.

The four networks combined draw close to half the prime time audience. Their cancelled shows get numbers an FX or TNT usually only dream of.

One real opponent here (aside from cable operators) will be Disney. Because once a price is established for the networks (say a reasonable $1 a month) operators will be going nuts paying $3 a month for ESPN (and more for ESPN2, News, Classic, Desportes, etc.)

And then operators will wonder why, for 17 NFL games, they pay ESPN so much, when for $1 month they get the same number of games from NBC, three times as many from CBS and six times as many from Fox. AND they get prime time programming which (except for MNF) blows ESPN away in the ratings.

Frankly I have no idea why the networks haven't demanded payment in the past (aside from years ago assuring carriage of their cable channels, of course).

One valid argument against your theory, shuttermaker: The DBS companies have always paid for carriage. And their prices have stayed below cable. In addition, the telcos are paying for carriage, and their rates are below cable, too.

riker

10-19-06, 08:32 PM

to be honest, the only show that I followed through thick and thin and could not get enough of was Babylon 5, that was one show that had mystery after mystery and they all came to light.

Best. Show. Ever. And the best part is that the new B5 eps are being shot in HD :D

fredfa

10-19-06, 08:35 PM

And, as I recall, B5 didn't make you wait and wait and wait and wait for months to discover even the tiniest sliver to advance the story.

pwrmetal

10-19-06, 08:39 PM

And, as I recall, B5 didn't make you wait and wait and wait and wait for months to discover even the tiniest sliver to advance the story.

No but it did tack on a 5th season where new plot threads were introduced and never resolved.

(It did have a fantastic final episode mind you... made a year earlier.)

fredfa

10-19-06, 08:40 PM

I don’t usually post tabloid items like this…but it seems to be handled so calmly – and so well – and you’ll be hearing about it, so…
TV Notebook
Grey's Anatomy' makes news again
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher”

T.R. Knight, star of "Grey's Anatomy," has confirmed to People magazine that he's gay.

"Grey's" has been much in the news of late, and not just for beating "CSI" in the ratings. Two of the hot show's stars, Isaiah Washington and Patrick Dempsey, got into a highly publicized scuffle on the show's set recently. Though publicists for the actors said it was a mere momentary blow-up, the National Enquirer reports that in the midst of that argument, Washington used a gay slur in reference to one of the show's other actors.

The name of the actor being referred to was deleted by the Enquirer, so it is not known if Washington was referring to Knight.

In any case, Knight made the following statement to People Thursday: "I guess there have been a few questions about my sexuality, and I'd like to quiet any unnecessary rumors that may be out there. While I prefer to keep my personal life private, I hope the fact that I'm gay isn't the most interesting part of me."

The statement by Knight, who plays George O'Malley on the medical drama, has few precedents in television history. Very few prominent actors have come out of the closet; those who have done so have usually waited until their careers had cooled down. "Star Trek" actor George Takei, for example, came out in 2005, years after his work on "Trek" movies and TV series ended.

One of the most famous coming-out events of recent years was Ellen DeGeneres famous "Yep, I'm gay" Time cover story of 1997. Though the sitcom she was in at the time failed, DeGeneres is now one of daytime TV's most successful talk-show hosts.

Still, in this day and age, no doubt "Grey's Anatomy's" 25 million viewers will think more about Meredith Grey's romantic travails than about the fact that Knight is gay.

And that's exactly as it should be.

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

fredfa

10-19-06, 08:49 PM

Critic’s Notebook
Fall TV's best new characters
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” October 19, 2006

The fall season is only a few weeks old, but it’s not too early to give a few shout-outs to new characters - on new or returning shows - that have made a strong impression.

By the way, if you’ve got a problem with these nominees - or if you have a few of your own - leave a comment below.

• Best female villain: Juliet (Elizabeth Mitchell) on “Lost” (ABC). Up until this season, I thought Benjamin Linus, the creepy dude formerly known as “Henry Gale,” was the most chilling villain on “Lost.” Juliet - one of the leaders of the Others and one of the captors of Jack, Kate and Sawyer - may be even scarier; she seems intelligent and relatively reasonable - right up until the point at which she threatens to shoot Kate in cold blood. Her icy reserve is what makes Juliet so effective as a character; does it mask sorrow or a heart of stone? Not knowing is what gives her scenes such suspense.

• Best male villain: Michael Tritter (David Morse) on “House” (Fox). When this fine Fox drama returns - chillingly enough - Oct. 31, House will have more than disgruntled patients and a bum leg to worry about. Morse plays a cop who’ll hound House over the course of six episodes - he has suspicions about how the doc gets his supply of pills - all because the cranky doc treated him rudely in the clinic. Tritter’s all the more scary because of Morse’s understated performance, and I have to wonder how the ferociously smart House will wriggle out of this predicament.

• Best candidate to break your heart: Duquon “Dukie” Weems (Jermaine Crawford) on “The Wire” (HBO). Middle schooler Dukie shows up at school in dirty clothes because there’s no running water in his house. His few other clothes are stolen by his family so they can buy drugs. You’d think that environment would break him, but there is a core intelligence and sweetness about Dukie, who blossoms under the attention of a caring teacher. Dukie’s plight as a basically good boy tempted by the rough streets as his only way out of a rougher life may just be the most heartbreaking thing on TV all year.

• Best character in a family soap: Nora Walker (Sally Field) on “Brothers and Sisters” (ABC). Much of the hype for this show centered on Calista Flockhart’s return to TV. Whatever - the real story here is that Field’s having a field day with the role of Nora, a grieving widow who’s got her husband’s mistress, a fractious family and an ailing business to deal with. The show’s improving weekly, and Field’s impassioned performance is more than enough reason to tune in (and you’ll have plenty of chances to do so - “Brothers” just got picked up for a full season).

• Best serial killer: Dexter Morgan (Michael C. Hall) on “Dexter” (Showtime). Yes, Dexter does horrible things. He kills people - but only evil people whom the authorities can’t or won’t catch. Still, the vengeance aspect isn’t really the best aspect of this compelling drama, it’s Dexter’s exceedingly dry commentary on his job with a mostly incompetent Miami police force, and his attempts to ape what he thinks is human behavior. Dexter’s voice - witty, plaintive and confused - is the most distinctive one we’ve heard on television in ages.

• Best new character in the “Law & Order” universe: Capt. Danny Ross (Eric Bogosian) on “Law & Order: Criminal Intent” (NBC). Truth be told, I liked Bogosian better as a sleazy record executive on CBS’ now-canceled “Love Monkey,” but here he brings his typically nervy New York vibe to the role of “Criminal Intent’s” supervisor. Yeah, I know, the flagship “Law & Order” program brought on board two new female characters, including that show’s first female detective, but there’s something about the manic gleam in Bogosian’s eye that makes Ross my new favorite Dick Wolf creation.

• Best new neighbor: Whoopi Goldberg as Louise on “Everybody Hates Chris” (UPN). Goldberg’s putting her comic chops to work on this half-hour gem, as a nosy neighbor who clashes with Chris’ mom and generally causes a commotion on the block. So far Goldberg is only making occasional appearances; let’s hope they increase.

• Best new female character: Betty Suarez (America Ferrera) on “Ugly Betty” (ABC). Ferrera’s fantastic turn as Betty, the least fashionable assistant at haughty Mode magazine, is founded on the idea that Betty may be naïve and unschooled in the ways of the Manhattan publishing jungle - but she’s no victim. Isn’t it appropriate that this gutsy gal is from Queens? She’s definitely the queen of the fall season. Now, if only we could get the writers of the show to drop that tired subplot about Fey Sommers and concentrate on Betty’s family and friends more, the show would be even better.

• Best new male character: Egan Foote (John Billingsley) on “The Nine” (ABC). Foote’s harrowing experiences as a hostage in a bank robbery gone awry psychologically freed the formerly timid insurance clerk: He bought new threads, stood up to his wife and told off his boss. So what if he got fired? He positively skipped for glee on his way out of his cubicle hell and he’s reveling in his new status as a local hero. Billingsley is one of TV’s most dependable character actors, and it’s great to see him have such fun with this Walter Mitty-esque role.

• Best “Daily Show” alumni who is not Steve Carell on “The Office”: Ed Helms as Andy on “The Office” (NBC). Jim Halpert, who joined Dunder Mifflin’s Stamford branch, is finding the guy in the next desk just as annoying - and possibly even more frightening - as Dwight in Scranton. Helms’ Andy goes into a rage when Jim pulls the old office-supplies-in-Jell-O trick and he’s maybe a little too into violent video games. Helms is sticking around for at least a half-dozen more episodes, and I can’t wait to see more pained reactions from Jim to Andy’s post-frat boorishness.

• Best character on a comedy about a sketch-comedy show: Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) on “30 Rock” (NBC). On the pilot of this so-so comedy, Tina Fey’s character dared Donaghy to guess her weight. “You don’t want me to do that,” he purred. How does Baldwin make a line like that so funny? I have no idea. In any case, he’s the best, and possibly only, reason to watch this middling comedy.

• Best wild card: Tim Riggins (Taylor Kitsch) on “Friday Night Lights” (NBC). Riggins is one of those wild-man jocks who likes to drink beer ’til all hours and bust heads - on the field and off. The role could have been a lunkhead stereotype, but Kitsch brings a poignancy and woundedness to the role of Riggins on this worthy NBC drama - which you need to start watching, or it’ll be game over soon for “Lights.”

• Best character in a comedy that’s not all that great: Kat Warbler (Lizzy Caplan) on “The Class” (CBS). Why is this goth-y girl with a sarcastic sense of humor so darn enjoyable? Because Caplan’s got great comic timing and enviable charisma - and maybe because the rest of “The Class” is only medium-funny at best. If (or when) “The Class” fails, let’s hope Caplan finds a more worthy vehicle for her many talents.

• Best doctor: David Tennant as “Doctor Who” (Sci Fi) The plots on this sci-fi staple can be a bit on the thin side, but Tennant plays the title role with frisky energy and an irreverent edge. Dare I say that he’s the best doctor since the iconic Tom Baker.? Speaking of the golden age of “Who,” the recent episode in which Tennant’s Doctor and old companions Sarah Jane and K-9 reunited was delightful - not only was it old home week for “Who” fans, but “Buffy” star Anthony Stewart Head played the alien villain. Two words: Suh weet.

• Best Brit: Tommy Saxondale on “Saxondale” (BBC America). British writer/actor Steve Coogan disappears completely into yet another memorable character on this tart comedy, in which former Led Zeppelin roadie Saxondale refuses to come to terms with the fact that the ’70s are well and truly over and that life as a suburban pest-control expert is never going to be as cool as hanging with rock stars. No wonder the guy has rage issues (but his weekly evisceration of his anger-management therapy group is pretty hilarious, actually).

• Best character in a drama about a sketch-comedy show: Matt Albie (Matthew Perry) on “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (NBC). Perry can play the pathos and the dry, cutting wit of this character like nobody’s business, but if the level of the sketches on this show doesn’t markedly improve, I might have trouble continuing to buy Albie as a comedy genius. Still, Perry’s deep, compelling performance is one of the most enjoyable acting revelations of the new season.

• Best abs: Dr. Mark Sloan (Eric Dane), a.k.a. McSteamy, on “Grey’s Anatomy” (ABC). Yes, this medical hottie did appear last season on “Grey’s.” But the impressive midsection of Dane, who only recently became a full cast member, didn’t make an appearance until this season, when he emerged, memorably clad only in a towel, into the hotel room of another of “Grey’s” sexy docs. Regarding that recent on-set kerfuffle between “Grey’s” stars Patrick Dempsey and Isaiah Washington, in which the two actors reportedly came close to trading blows, here’s a thought: Both men ought to watch out for Dane, who, if his buff physique is any indication, could crush both of the other men like aluminum cans.

• Best guest appearance: George Lucas dropping by “The Colbert Report” (Comedy Central) to participate in the show’s Green Screen challenge, which had nerds across the nation assembling their own film creations starring the light-saber wielding comedy-show host. Industrial Light and Magic gave their Colbert video their best shot, though Lucas and his FX house lost to Bonnie, another contestant from Torrance, Calif. Still, Lucas was a good sport, the Jar-Jar Binks moment was classic, and the entire Green Screen Challenge was a great (if slightly early) one-year anniversary party for “The Colbert Report,” which started out good and has kept on improving.

• Best critter: The raccoon on “Men in Trees” (ABC). Frankly, there are only two reasons to tune into this overly whimsical “Northern Exposure” ripoff - to see James Tupper, the hunky Alaskan dude that relationship coach Marin Frist became involved with, and to see what the crazy raccoon is up to this week.

And of course we can't forget the fall season's worst new characters:

• Least necessary new character: Jeffrey Coho (Craig Bierko) on “Boston Legal” (ABC). This fast-talking, arrogant lawyer is a carbon copy of another “Legal” eagle, Brad Chase (Mark Valley). Are the “Legal” producers just trying to torture Valley by bringing in another actor to play a role that’s exactly like Chase? It’s bizarre, even for this kooky legal show.

• Most inexplicable hair: Marcel Vigneron on “Top Chef” (Bravo). When you tune in to Season 2 of this Bravo show, which premiered Oct. 18, your first (and possibly only) reaction will be, “What is up with that guy’s hair?” Why is a man under 30 sporting a swirly, overly poufy look that even Donald Trump would reject as too much? Does this presage a terrifying return of Flock of Seagulls hairdos? Yikes. Some of these chefs are in need of seasoning in the kitchen, but this guys is most in need of a haircut - preferably a very, very close one.

• Most boring female character: Niki Sanders (Ali Larter) on “Heroes” (NBC). What’s the deal with Larter’s single-mom/stripper character? Thanks to a meandering plot and Larter’s colorless performance, it’s hard to care.

• Most screechily annoying character: Nora (Kiersten Warren) on “Desperate Housewives” (ABC). Doug, Lynette’s husband, had a child by this screechy she-beast, and the character’s bratty ways are just torture to watch. Despite my general disregard for all things “Desperate,” it’s still painful to see the fine Felicity Huffman stuck in this awful story line.

• Worst character on an already-canceled show: Annie (Amy Smart) on “Smith” (CBS). Thank goodness we don’t have to endure Smart’s wooden line readings and hard stares any longer.

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

fredfa

10-19-06, 08:50 PM

No but it did tack on a 5th season where new plot threads were introduced and never resolved.

(It did have a fantastic final episode mind you... made a year earlier.)

You are right. I missed season 5.

Davinleeds

10-19-06, 08:51 PM

Season 3 = very good.

Davinleeds

10-19-06, 08:56 PM

It could have used another 2 seasons to finish correctly.

Davinleeds

10-19-06, 09:00 PM

Yeah, Dempsey, who comes from my neck of the woods better watch out for Dane. But I liked his cousin bettter. OK, three's enough.

fredfa

10-19-06, 09:10 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Upon Further Review…
“Lost” actually beat “Criminal Minds” last night
By John Eggerton in the Broadcasting & Cable bcbeat blog Oct 19 2006

Looks like Disney can't lose at 9-10 p.m. on Wednesday nights. Early in the day, CBS pointed out to the green-eyeshade types that its drama, Criminal Minds, had nipped Disney-owned ABC's Lost for total viewers in the time period for the first time.

But that was according to the early time-period returns that don't include some West Coast numbers.

By the end of the day, ABC was pointng out that, according to the final national ratings, it had actually nipped Minds with 16.3 million viewers to its 16.2.

Either way, Disney wins. That's because both Lost and Criminal Minds are from Disney's Touchstone studio.

So, in an unusual meld of competing ratings, ABC pointed out in its release that the two shows, together, "delivered 32.5 million total viewers at 9-10."

ABC will be able to recycle that good news for the syndicated cycles of both shows, when Touchstone, rather than CBS and ABC, is the moniker that matters come time to "deliver" the cash-plus-barter.

http://broadcastingcable.com/blog/1380000138.html

Davinleeds

10-19-06, 09:19 PM

Watched Jerico and Lost to figure out what the hell. Lost is loosing me J has one or two to go. Mystery man on Jer has me wondering.

fredfa

10-19-06, 09:35 PM

Nielsen Notebook
Project Runway Finale a Runaway Success
By Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable 10/19/2006

Bravo fashioned its biggest audience ever out of the season three finale of Project Runway Wednesday night (Oct. 18). The hour-long episode drew 5.4 million total viewers and 3.4 million adults 18-49 at 10 p.m., beating all other programming on cable for the night and breaking Bravo's previous ratings records, according to live and same-day viewing numbers from Nielsen Media Research.

The design competition show has proved itself Bravo's most popular series ever, building consistently over its three seasons. After a meager series premiere in late 2004 drew only about 350,000 viewers, the show finished season one with more than 2 million. Season two built on that to finish with 3.2 million viewers, and the 5.4 million viewers who watched last night's finale helped Bravo to its highest Wednesday prime delivery ever, with an average 2.5 million total viewers and 1.6 million viewers 18-49.

Also helping the Wednesday average was the second-season premiere of cooking competition show Top Chef. The show, from Runway producers Magical Elves, debuted at 11 p.m. and drew 1.9 million total viewers, 46% more from the series' season one debut in March and more than 50% more than the 1.2 million viewers the show averaged last season.

In addition to a heavy outdoor-marketing campaign, Bravo has promoted Chef heavily during Runway, in part trying to ensure viewers knew that the show moves next week to its regular time slot of Wednesdays at 10 p.m.

The network has also fueled the two shows' popularity online, building out each show's Website with broadband video, blogs and other features. Runway's site drew 5.1 million visitors cumulatively throughout season three, 267% more than in season two, according to the network.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6383319

rebkell

10-19-06, 09:42 PM

You are right. I missed season 5.

It was facing cancellation, and wasn't sure if season 5 was gonna get the go ahead, so JMS had to push up the schedule a bit, it was late in season 4 before he got the go ahead for season 5, but I still liked season 5 just fine, it was the B5 universe and it hardly ever disappointed. Several spinoff TV movies also.

I'm still hoping that the B5 movie will eventually get made. Crusade got axed quickly. :(

Davinleeds

10-19-06, 09:44 PM

How has broadband affected actual viewership. But I watch while show is broadcast.

fredfa

10-19-06, 10:23 PM

The Business of TV
Too Much Television on TV, NBC Declares
By James Poniewozik Time Magazine television critic in Time’s “Tuned In” blog Thursday, Oct. 19, 2006

To borrow the terminology of its sitcom The Office, NBC announced today that it is merging the Scranton and Stamford branches. In a massive cost-cutting and head-chopping initiative, the beleaguered NBC Universal, weighed down by a languishing primetime schedule, will restructure in an effort to save as much as $750 million. About 700 people will lose their jobs. Expensive prime-time fiction programming will be cut in favor of cheaper reality and game shows. The news division will be cut deeply, with offices at NBC News, CNBC and MSNBC combined to lower headcount. And MSNBC will begin airing a 24-hour live feed of tropical fish in an aquarium.

(OK, I made that last one up, but there has been speculation that the channel will be slashed and revamped, perhaps with a focus on documentaries, with news shows like Keith Olbermann's and Chris Matthews' moving to CNBC. Plus, it would get better ratings than MSNBC's news is getting.)

What does this mean for your nightly TV viewing? (Assuming you watch much NBC, which, let's face it, statistically speaking you probably don't.) It means get used to Howie Mandel. NBC Universal TV president and CEO Jeff Zucker said that NBC will no longer be airing expensive dramas in the 8 p.m. E.T. hour. Given that it scarcely does to begin with, this is kind of a fancy-pants way of saying, "We're canceling Friday Night Lights." (They haven't yet, but with the show pulling under 7 million viewers, I wouldn't get attached to it.) But the way Zucker said it is significant. "This is going to be a slow evolution," he told the Wall Street Journal, "but there's a reason that two of the five broadcast networks [Fox and the CW] program two hours a night instead of three."

He may have a point: in the age of TiVo and cable, viewers have so many media options that old-fashioned TV networks may be putting on too much new stuff for it to break through. That said, I'd rather they kept something other than Mandel leering over suitcases of money. But other than football and modest success Heroes, NBC has had one bomb after another this fall--Studio 60, Kidnapped and Lights--and as a subsidiary of GE, the network is in the suitcases-of-money business.

In the WSJ article, the coming cuts were described as a move by "heir apparent" Zucker to bolster his chances of ultimately becoming head of NBC Universal. The irony: during the years that Zucker was actually the programming head of NBC TV, he demonstrated little taste or commercial success, coasting on the network's established hits, creating few new ones and setting the network up to slump after hits like Friends and Frasier went off the air. But hey, if you can't succeed by developing TV shows, then succeed by killing them!

To be fair, while Zucker never showed much aptitude for progamming primetime TV, he has always seemed to have a sharp sense of where TV is heading as a business. All of these changes have been dressed up in the language of an "NBC 2.0" makeover, which Zucker says is about developing its online content and reconceiving the way the network's content is sold and distributed for the 21st century. Which in turn is a fancy-pants way of saying that nobody knows how to make money anymore in the YouTube/iTunes/DVD/DVR era.

But at least NBC is trying to figure it out, which is the sort of thing you're forced to do when you're fourth place in the ratings. I don't know if Zucker has glimpsed the future of TV, but if he has, the small screen may be in the process of getting even smaller.

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

GeorgeLV

10-19-06, 11:45 PM

I wonder how many ratings points the Cards winning the pennant just cost Fox.

fredfa

10-20-06, 12:51 AM

I would think there were not a lot of smiles in the production truck...and fewer in the Fox box.

fredfa

10-20-06, 12:55 AM

The Business of TV
NBC Says Viewers Won’t Notice Cuts in News Staff
By Jacques Steinberg The New York Times October 20, 2006

NBC executives predicted that budget cuts announced yesterday across the breadth of its newsgathering operation would barely ripple with viewers, though their effect off camera is expected to be substantial.

To adapt to the migration of news viewers to the Internet and eliminate overlaps in news coverage, all while trying to offset advertising losses from its prime-time schedule, NBC Universal intends to reduce the staff of its newsgathering operation — about 6,000 people — by an estimated 5 percent, or 300 individuals, and perhaps much more.

Though the company expects the bulk of the reductions to come from eliminating jobs that are already vacant, as well as from early retirements and voluntary buyouts, Steve Capus, the president of NBC News, said that some layoffs were inevitable.

The precise number of reductions over all — as well as among the individual ranks of producers, editors and reporters — will not be known for some time, though “those conversations have begun today,” Mr. Capus said.

As is the case companywide, virtually every corner of the news division will be affected in some way, including the “Today” show and “NBC Nightly News With Brian Williams”; the cable channel MSNBC; the news desks of the 10 NBC-owned stations, which include WTVJ in Miami and WNBC in New York; and its Spanish-language network, Telemundo, Mr. Capus said.

As an example of how the company’s strategy might change, Mr. Capus compared how it would have typically approached a school shooting, as opposed to how it might in the near future. In the past, “Nightly News,” “Today” and “Dateline,” all programs on NBC, might have sent individual correspondents and camera crews to the scene, along with representatives of MSNBC, MSNBC.com, NBC News Channel (which provides wire-service-style video feeds to affiliates) and several NBC stations themselves.

“I’m not saying that now every story will get just one person who is going to meet the needs of every entity,” he said. “That’s not the point. But maybe, instead of 30 people, we can send 25. I believe we can do that, and viewers will have no idea that behind the scenes, those are the conversations going on.”

To accommodate the consolidation of its newsgathering, Mr. Capus said he was planning to build a central newsroom on the third and fourth floors of the network’s headquarters at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in Manhattan. Currently, its news operations are scattered throughout that building, as well as in two New Jersey suburbs, Secaucus (where MSNBC is located) and Englewood Cliffs (the financial channel CNBC).

Under this plan, the facility in Secaucus will be closed; much of MSNBC’s operations will move to Manhattan, with some of its daily programming perhaps originating from Mr. Williams’s studio, which is little used until early evening.

Jeff Zucker, the chief executive of the NBC Universal Television Group, said, “The mission of MSNBC will absolutely not change.” The channel will continue to cover breaking news during the day while offering a mix of taped and live programs at night. He said a rumor that the channel’s two biggest prime-time programs, talk shows with hosts Keith Olbermann and Chris Matthews, would be moved to the network’s financial news channel CNBC was incorrect.

The scaling back of NBC’s overall news staff follows similar efforts in recent years, not just in television news but also among newspapers, as people seek out less traditional media, like the Internet, to get news.

“Given the competitive landscape, a drastic change is necessary for these operations,” Mark R. Fratrik, vice president of BIA Financial Network, a communications consulting firm, wrote yesterday in an analysis of the announcement.

Whether those who still watch television news — including the nearly nine million who tune in to Mr. Williams each night — will find themselves feeling shortchanged remains to be seen. Mr. Capus noted that NBC had opened news bureaus in Bangkok, Beijing and Beirut in recent months, broadening its international coverage.

But Bill Kovach, the chairman of the Committee of Concerned Journalists, a membership organization seeking to ensure a place for high-quality journalism in the Internet age, said that announcements like NBC’s yesterday portend “a disturbing trend, one that anyone who worries about democratic society has to be concerned about.”

“If a major news organization like NBC is going to reduce the number, and it sounds like a significant number, of the people who go out and gather information to go into the daily stream of news, it’s going to thin our knowledge of the world somewhat,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/business/media/20nbc.html?ref=media&pagewanted=print

fredfa

10-20-06, 01:10 AM

The Business of TV
NBC Universal plans cost cuts, layoffs
By David Lieberman, Peter Johnson and Gary Levin USA Today (Contributing: Laura Petrecca and Bill Keveney)

NEW YORK — Faced with slow ad sales and growing competition from digital and cable media, NBC Universal plans to slash expenses by $750 million and cut 700 jobs, about 5% of its workforce.

Executives said Thursday that their NBCU 2.0 initiative will help the TV and movie giant with its transition from traditional analog media to digital, including ventures on the Internet and cellphones.

"It's a tricky business," says NBC Universal CEO Bob Wright. "We're trying to make sure that we don't wake up and feel that we should have acted earlier. This is our planning."

For now, the changes will pinch hardest in the company's vast news operations, which include NBC News, MSNBC, CNBC and the 26 company-owned stations.

In addition to layoffs, MSNBC is vacating its headquarters in Secaucus, N.J., for existing facilities in Manhattan and Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

The company also says the NBC broadcast network will trim costs by filling the 8 p.m. ET hour with relatively inexpensive game and reality shows instead of sitcoms and dramas.

The announcement comes as NBC Universal struggles to improve its financial performance. Operating profit likely will be flat this year, while revenue grows about 10%, parent company General Electric (GE) said last week.

Some of that is because of weak network TV ad sales overall, which grew just 1.1% last year to $18 billion, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers. NBC has struggled most in prime time, the evening hours that accounted for about 13% of NBC Universal's earnings last year.

It finished in fourth place the past two seasons in advertisers' coveted demographic, adults 18 to 49, after years as the reigning champ. Over the past five years, it is down 37% with the group.

This season, its audience is up 8% among all viewers and 11% among 18- to 49-year-olds, but credit for the latter increase goes to the addition of Sunday evening NFL games. It has a solid hit in comics-inspired drama Heroes, but other new series — including Friday Night Lights, Kidnapped and its most-hyped newcomer, Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip — have been disappointments.

NBC's most-popular prime-time series are football, game show Deal or No Deal and aging dramas ER and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Game show 1 vs. 100 had a promising debut last Friday.

Wright says NBCU 2.0 is about the future, not retrenching in hard times. "I can't imagine what circumstances we would have where we would not be doing this."

Still, the plan raises questions about the company's prospects, such as:

•A digital future

Wright's cost-cutting seemed a stark contrast to rivals such as News Corp. (NWS), which paid $580 million last year for the owner of Internet social hub MySpace, and Google (GOOG), which just agreed to pay $1.65 billion for YouTube.

"NBC Universal was outfoxed by News Corp. when it bought MySpace," says Tom McPhail, a communications professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis. "That was the clear sign that they should have gone after YouTube. But senior management at GE and NBC have been behind the Internet curve. Critics thought cable would do in the networks' power. It turns out the Internet is the real culprit. NBC Universal is just the first to throw in the towel."

Wright counters that he has made some big investments of his own in digital, including $600 million for the female-oriented website iVillage, not to mention many upgrades for high-definition TV, or HDTV.

Besides, he says, "People would kill us" if NBC Universal matched the prices that News Corp. and Google spent for their high-profile acquisitions.

"I don't think any of those deals would change our life," he says. "News Corp. struck it rich with MySpace. But it's a fragile business, and what'll it be like in one or two years, who knows? We want to be in more stable parts of the business."

•TV news

Critics also question the decision to make cuts in news, one of NBC's strongest operations. NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams, Today and Meet the Press handily beat their rivals on other networks. CNBC remains a fountain of cash, although it is struggling with a decline in audience and advertiser interest in business news. NBC Sports is not affected by the plans.

It is "a gradual if largely unspoken retreat away from the idea that broadcast networks could brand themselves with the public by being major news-gathering institutions that people would turn to," says Tom Rosenstiel, director of the Project for Excellence in Journalism.

"To say that news isn't a growth area and, thus, they want to cut back also raises questions about how major NBC feels it can be in the next generation of online news. News is an emerging business online, a growth business. It is just not a growth business in television."

NBC says that view misses the point.

"We still very much believe in news," says NBC Universal Television Group CEO Jeff Zucker. "We are acknowledging that the way people consume news is changing, and we've got to change with that."

The cuts reflect the company's desire to integrate its operations more tightly and economically.

"We're going to look at any number of our ... so-called backroom operations, from stuff as mundane as booking satellites and ordering and coordinating crews and editing and all those things that go on behind the scenes," says NBC News President Steve Capus. "We're going to do those things together."

What about on-air correspondents?

"There are going to be some cuts," he says. "I don't take any of that lightly, but I need to get an honest assessment of how much money we're going to save through the voluntary departures."

•Prime time at 8 p.m. ET

The opening hour of prime time has been a tough time slot for NBC. Friday Night Lights has so far proved a costly failure on Tuesday, 30 Rock and Twenty Good Years have struggled on Wednesday in two outings and My Name is Earl on Thursday has hit season lows.

"Tuesdays and Wednesdays, we're running the best-scripted programming on television, but the audience just isn't there for it," Wright says.

But others don't seem to have that problem. ABC (DIS) has thrived with Ugly Betty early on Thursdays, while CBS' Jericho is a modest success on Wednesday. ABC's Lost became a hit in the same hour on Wednesday in its first season.

CBS (CBS) says its audience and revenue for 8 p.m. programs have increased this season, even though it airs just one unscripted reality series, Survivor, in that time slot. "They're addressing corporate ills as industry trends, and that's just not the case," says CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler.

Regardless, ad buyers see solid logic behind NBC's cutting back on costly shows in the first hour of prime time.

About 80% of viewing homes have only one TV turned on, and "Reality programs have become the new family programming" by appealing to kids and older adults alike, says analyst Steve Sternberg of media-buying firm Magna Global USA.

"If it gets a broader audience, it's going to appeal to more different advertisers."

Such shows typically cost networks 20% to 40% less on an hourly basis than sitcoms or dramas and generate higher revenue from product-placement deals and interactive online spinoffs.

Deal's Lucky Suitcase sweepstakes has helped boost traffic at NBC.com dramatically. NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly credits American Idol's interactive voting with stoking "passion and interest" in the top-rated Fox series.

"Reality shows don't have the same stigma as they did years ago," says Brad Adgate, research director at ad-buying firm Horizon Media. "Look at American Idol. It's the most expensive 30 seconds on TV. It drew 30 million viewers a telecast last season."

This season, 30-second spots on Idol sold for $550,000 to $700,000, according to Advertising Age.

"The biggest and most successful shows over the last five years (in that hour) have been reality shows," he says, citing CBS' Survivor, ABC's Dancing with the Stars and Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Fox's American Idol and NBC's own Deal or No Deal.

And they've proved "self-starters without multimillion-dollar launch campaigns," Reilly says.

Reilly says the planned changes are not ironclad and that Thursday's My Name is Earl and The Office are almost certain to remain in early time periods.

So while some at NBC called Thursday "Black Thursday," the NBC News chief remains resolute.

"Seismic shifts touch off tsunamis, and then the question is: What are you going to do when there's a tsunami?" Capus says. "If we don't change the company, we're doomed, absolutely doomed.

"The moves we make today will ensure that we'll exist going forward. I don't say that lightly. That is absolutely the truth. So to me, this is not a dark day. This is a day that says the company is committed to making sure we have a good long run."

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2006-10-19-nbc_x.htm

keenan

10-20-06, 01:32 AM

I wonder how many ratings points the Cards winning the pennant just cost Fox.
No kiddin', and as noted by someone in the baseball thread, could Joe Buck have made Molina's homer any less exciting? You could almost hear the FOX crew breaking out the crying towels.

fredfa

10-20-06, 01:32 AM

Critic’s Notebook
TiVo alert: Magnificent Munsters marathon
Bill Goodykoontz The Arizona Republic TV critic

You hear a lot this time of year about how Halloween has become as big or bigger a holiday for adults as it is for the junior-sized trick-or-treaters.

And why not? Lots of spare candy lying around, the opportunity to dress up in creative and embarrassing ways and -- this is what sealed the deal for me -- lots of scary programming on TV.

I love hanging out after the trick-or-treaters have given up (though there is always that bothersome kid who still rings the doorbell even after you've turned out the lights and blown out the candle in the pumpkin) and watching old scary movies on TV. Good, bad or indifferent. Doesn't matter. As long as they're scary.

But here's a mondo cool twist: TV Land is devoting an entire day of programming to a Munsters marathon. Yes! I love the Addams Family cartoons in the New Yorker; in fact, I learned to read in part by thumbing endlessly through my grandmother's collections. (Sample gag, funny even without the cartoon, which shows a fat explorer relaxing, talking to his terrified companion, both of them surrounded by snakes: "Bothered me a bit at first, too, until I discovered they were real." Charles Addams was a genius, no doubt.)

But when it comes to TV, I'm a Munsters man. Who knows why people find different things funny? But Herman and Lily and Grandpa and Eddie and Marilyn and Spot the pet dragon and on and on and on -- they practically seem like family. (Note: I hope that's true of everyone, and not just me. Otherwise, whew -- weird childhood or something.)

Like with the December marathon of A Christmas Story, I don't plan to try to watch the whole thing. But it's comforting to know that it's there if you need it.

http://www.azcentral.com/blogs/index.php?blog=5&blogtype=Entertainment

dad1153

10-20-06, 01:43 AM

If Zucker and his cronies haven't been able to pick winners in the reality TV genre to date ('Treasure Hunters,' an 'Amazing Race' clone, bombed badly over the summer) what makes them think they can coast on the 8PM hour from now on? They lucked out on 'Deal Or No Deal' and '1 Vs. 100' (which I enjoyed immensely on its Friday premiere) but there is only so much primetime gameshows a person can watch... and this coming from someone that DVR's 'Deal' on Thursdays while ignoring 'Grey's Anatomy' and 'CSI.' These shows are hot now but so was 'Millionaire' before ABC leaned too heavily on it. Even 'Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,' the only Top 20 show ABC had in 2003-04 season (and the only reality show on network TV that repeats well-enough to have year-round repeats, something 'Survivor' and 'Amazing Race' cannot do) failed to spawn into successful spinoffs ('EM:HE: How'd They Do That?') and tanked when it aired episodes on other days/times except its 8PM Sunday home. Besides, NBC has already attempted to clone/ripoff 'EM:HE' (last season's 'Three Wishes') and it failed miserably to out-kind the kindness of 'EM:HE.' ;)

What turned ABC around? 'Lost' and 'Housewives,' of which the former could have been NBC's had somebody other than vision-less Zucker and his troops been at the helm, which happened to be really good and unique (or unique takes on existing genres) shows that were embraced by a network desperate enough to try something different and out of the ordinary. Like, say, NBC picking 'Heroes.' :rolleyes:

What's next for NBC, a revival of 'Millionaire' (which they could have bought a few months back if this cost-cuttings were in the works then)? Moving 'Project: Runway' from Bravo to NBC? When reality/big money game shows are cooling off ('Survivor' is now down to Top 20 status with 'Ugly Betty' regularly beating it in demos) NBC shouldn't be relying on them to keep 8PM afloat. That's basically Zucker admitting NBC will fail at 8PM from now on, and that he'd rather HIS failures not be as expensive for GE. This could get Zucker Bob Wright's gig in the future (GE loves bottom-line minded executives) but dig NBC deeper into the toilet for years. If you're a producer/creator with a good idea for a scripted drama/hour-long (the next 'Jericho' or 'Heroes'), would you shop it to the network that has made it its priority to not spend money?

fredfa

10-20-06, 01:46 AM

Nielsen Notebook
New wave ratings (week of Oct. 9-15)
By Ed Bark former Dallas Morning News TV critic at his website unclebarky.com

Top Ten Programs in Total Viewers (all numbers in millions)
1. Grey's Anatomy (ABC) -- 22.9
2. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (CBS) -- 21.9
3. Desperate Housewives (ABC) -- 20.6
4. Dancing with the Stars performance (ABC) -- 20.1
5. Dancing with the Stars results (ABC) -- 18.2
6. CSI: NY (CBS) -- 17.97
7. CBS NFL post-game show -- 17.95
8. CSI: Miami (CBS) -- 17.6
9. 60 Minutes (CBS) -- 17.3
10. Lost (ABC) -- 16.9

18-to-49-Year-Olds
1. Grey's Anatomy -- 12.3
2. Desperate Housewives -- 10.8
3. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation -- 9.8
4. Lost -- 9.0
5. ER (NBC) -- 7.91
6. CBS NFL post-game -- 7.89
7. CSI: NY -- 7.83
8. Heroes (NBC) -- 7.7
9. CSI: Miami -- 7.5
10. Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (ABC) -- 7.4

Cable
1. Monday Night Football (ESPN) -- 12.5
2. Flavor of Love 2 (VH1) -- 7.5
3. WWE Raw, 2nd hr. Mon. (USA) -- 5.5
4. WWE Raw, 3rd hr. Mon. (USA) -- 5.4
5. College football, Fla.-Auburn (ESPN) -- 5.2
6. Hannah Montana (Disney) -- 4.3
7. Monsters, Inc. (Disney) -- 4.194
8. Suite Life of Zack & Cody (Disney) -- 4.189
9. WWE Raw, 1st hr. Mon. (USA) -- 4.167
10. SpongeBob, Sat. (Nickelodeon) -- 3.8

African-American
1. CSI: NY -- 2.54
2. CBS NFL post-game -- 2.501
3. Dancing with the Stars performance -- 2.3
4. CSI: Miami -- 2.22
5. 60 Minutes -- 2.17
6. America's Next Top Model (CW) -- 2.1
7. Grey's Anatomy -- 2.044
8. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation -- 2.005
9. Criminal Minds (CBS) -- 1.9
10. Dancing with the Stars results -- 1.7

Hispanic (Spanish language)
Note: all shows on Univision
1. Fea Mas Bella, M-F -- 3.9
2. Mundo De Fieras, M-F -- 3.1
3. Heridas De Amor, M-F -- 2.8
4. Cantando Por Suenolll, Sun. -- 2.7
5. Hora Pico, Sun. -- 2.66
6. Aqui Y Ahora, Thu. -- 2.4
7. Sabado Gigante, Sat. -- 2.325
8. Don Francisco Presenta, Wed. -- 2.319
9. Cristina, Mon. -- 2.286
10. Ver Para Creer, Tues. -- 2.1

Hispanic (English language)
1. Dancing with the Stars performance -- 1.4 mil.
2. Desperate Housewives -- 1.3 mil.
3. Grey's Anatomy -- 1.2 mil.
4. Lost -- 1.1 mil.
5. Dancing with the Stars results -- 989,000
6. Ugly Betty -- 972,000
7. NBC Sun. Night Football -- 939,000
8. Friday Night Smackdown! (CW) -- 882,000
9. CSI: Crime Scene Investigation -- 863,000
10. Brothers & Sisters (ABC) -- 779,000

Source: Nielsen Media Research
http://www.unclebarky.com/reviews.html

fredfa

10-20-06, 01:48 AM

The Business of TV
Peacock plucked?
NBC will start writing off scripted shows
By Ed Bark former Dallas Morning News TV critic at his website unclebarky.com
(Note: all times are Central)

NBC Universal says the Eleventh Hour is nigh for scripted shows occupying prime-time's first hour. The company's sweeping NBCU 2.0 initiative, announced Thursday, is aimed at cutting costs and restoring double-digit growth via the elimination of 700 jobs and the escalation of cheaper-to-produce reality fare.

NBC Universal chief executive Jeff Zucker told The Wall Street Journal that the Peacock's history-rich broadcast network intends to begin at the beginning. The 7 to 8 p.m. (central time) hour gradually will be stripped of expensive comedies and dramas, he said. Advertiser interest in them is waning, Zucker contended, citing the $2.6 million cost for one episode of Friday Night Lights versus the $1.1 million NBC spends on Deal or No Deal.

He said this on the same day NBC ordered an additional 10 episodes of 1 vs 100, a less than cerebral, big-money game show that opened big last Friday. Sample question: "The 2003 movie Seabiscuit featured what kind of animal?" The three choices were "one with fins, one with paws or one with hooves."

It's been a tough fall for NBC in the 7 to 8 p.m. leadoff slot. Friday Night Lights, which opens Tuesday nights and will get a test run at 9 p.m. Monday on Oct. 30, has been held to little ratings gain despite a wealth of critical praise. The network's new comedy combo of 30 Rock and 20 Good Years is faring even worse on Wednesday nights at 7. And Thursday night's Emmy-worthy opening duo, My Name is Earl and The Office, is lagging behind both CBS' Survivor: Cook Islands and ABC's new Ugly Betty.

NBC's only new hit among its six new scripted shows is Heroes, which follows Deal or No Deal at 8 p.m. Mondays. It costs $2.7 million per episode, and that's without any big name stars. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, another acclaimed NBC series that hasn't caught fire, reportedly carries a tab of $3.5 million a show. Much of it goes to pay the salaries of TV thoroughbreds such as star Matt Perry and creator Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing).

NBC isn't the only network looking at the hard realities of higher costs and generally lower payoffs for scripted programming. But it's the first network to specify a time period as a test lab for the phasing out of same. NBC has a long list of written word successes in prime-time's opening hour, particularly in the sitcom genre. The roll call from the last 30 years includes The Cosby Show, Friends, The Golden Girls, Family Ties, The A-Team, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, A Different World, Mad About You, Wings and Little House on the Prairie.

But a little show called Fear Factor also crept into the 7 p.m. slot in recent seasons. That highly cost-efficient hour bore Zucker's enthusiastic stamp of approval in the face of near-universal critical disdain. It was no Friday Night Lights, but it did help to keep the lights on. NBC is, after all, owned by General Electric. So brace yourselves for a possible onslaught of dim bulbs.

http://www.unclebarky.com/reviews.html

fredfa

10-20-06, 01:59 AM

TV Sports
Fox Finds Its Voice and Captures the Moment
By Richard Sandomir The New York Times October 20, 2006

So much for predictions based on minimized expectations.

Before last night’s finale of the National League Championship Series, the Fox pregame analyst Kevin Kennedy was asked about the fortunes of a Mets team whose starter was the erratic lefty Oliver Pérez.

“As long as he gets through the first inning,” he said, “I like the Mets.”

This type of odd prognostication has probably never taken place in sports history, certainly not before Bob Gibson faced Mickey Lolich in Game 7 of the 1968 World Series. “Well, if Mickey can get through the first without eating a few doughnuts ... ” was definitely not uttered.

Perez survived well past the first. In six innings, he surrendered only one run and four hits. Still the Mets lost, 3-1, and will watch the Cardinals-Tigers World Series, which will start tomorrow night in Detroit.

• When Yadier Molina struck the ninth-inning, two-run homer that put the Cardinals ahead for good, Fox’s microphones picked up his gleeful screeching. Its cameras picked up the stunned expressions of the grief-stricken fans, who three innings earlier were shrieking over Endy Chávez’s astonishing catch to rob Scott Rolen of a home run.

“Looks like a letter-high changeup that kept carrying and carrying,” Tim McCarver said after watching the flight of Molina’s home run.

When it was over, at 11:45 p.m., Fox captured Tony La Russa, the Cardinals’ manager, smiling, no longer with the look of someone being indicted, or at least being interrogated by John Dowd, baseball’s Pete Rose investigator, as he appeared during the in-game interviews he did for Fox.

In many ways, it was a typical Fox broadcast. Joe Buck exhibited the strong narrative skills that make him baseball’s best play-by-play announcer. Buck, a Cardinals announcer, never let the team’s fans forget the minimal production of the team’s stars, Albert Pujols and Scott Rolen. If only Buck didn’t flee to call football in September and during the division series.

McCarver was smart and judicious in his comments, but lacked any opportunities for the first- guessing of strategy that he excels at. But he accurately surmised, as Mets Manager Willie Randolph jogged to the mound in the sixth, that he would not remove the overachieving Pérez.

McCarver and Buck did not err as they did during Game 6 when they stated that Randolph would bring in the reliever Pedro Feliciano although the manager had clearly tapped his right arm to bring in Guillermo Mota.

In this news media age, it’s rare for a public figure as prominent in his field as McCarver to escape the notice of fans and bloggers who dislike you and may start a Web site to advance their animosities. McCarver is the star of a couple of Web sites that make clear their view him. And Buck has been the subject of an online petition demanding his retirement from sportscasting, which would leave him with the Holiday Inn ad in which three hotel guests place their hands on his throat as he says, “Swing and a miss.”

“I don’t go online,” Buck said yesterday during a Fox teleconference call. “I don’t search out Web sites or chat rooms or IHateJoeBuck.com.”

McCarver said, during the call, “No one starts ILoveThisGuy.com.”

Headed into his 17th World Series, McCarver’s opinions and the way he expresses them are fodder for those who loathe him.

He said that “over the course of a year” he will make silly statements that will be posted online by his legion of haters. “But as a broadcaster, I try to be on the money about talking about things before or after a play,” he said. “But tongue-in-cheek remarks are tough to translate. When Joe and I are smiling, how do you convey that to someone looking for a slip-up?”

Told that there were 329 members of ShutUpTimMcCarver.com at about 1 p.m. Eastern time yesterday, he seemed relieved at the small number compared with the overall viewership for the Fox games. But, he added, if the forces of anti-McCarverism swell to huge numbers, “Ed will call and say, ‘That’s enough,’ ” referring to Ed Goren, the president of Fox Sports.

• One of the unexpected pleasures of last night’s game was only partly available on Fox. The Enhanced Gameday feature on mlb.com showed the route of every pitch thrown, with their speeds at release and as they arrived at home plate, as well as each pitch’s break. At one point, an Aaron Heilman fastball to Pujols was clocked at 96.9 miles an hour at release and 86.1 m.p.h. at home; its break was measured at 14.6 inches.

The FoxTrax feature, with the speed and the orange-red path of the pitches to home plate, uses the same pool of data generated by the technology company SportVision using high-speed cameras and computers.

The Fox system has been faster than stadium radar guns, but as Buck said in yesterday’s call: “There’s no secret meeting of the brotherhood of Fox, saying, ‘Wouldn’t it generate great ratings if our gun said Verlander was throwing at 107?’ ”

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/20/sports/baseball/20sandomir.html?ref=sports&pagewanted=print

fredfa

10-20-06, 02:10 AM

The Business of TV
New reality for NBC Uni
700 layoffs, changes at 8 p.m. part of 2.0 revamp
By Paul J. Gough and Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter Oct. 20, 2006

NBC Universal on Thursday outlined a sweeping restructuring plan that will cut 700 jobs throughout the company and save $750 million annually in an effort to remake the company in the digital world.

NBCU 2.0 is an effort to not only respond to NBC Uni's changing fortunes after its fall from longtime dominance on broadcast TV but also to successfully navigate the shifting media landscape in a company that executives said was built on an old business model.

Plans include moving most high-cost scripted NBC dramas and sitcoms away from 8 p.m., relying more -- but not exclusively, executives stress -- on its in-house production studio and merging booking, newsgathering and technical operations in the company's large news division on both coasts.

And MSNBC, the 24/7 cabler that has been based in Secaucus, N.J., for a decade, will move to NBC News headquarters in Manhattan, with some operations going to CNBC in Englewood Cliffs, N.J.

The idea of NBC abandoning scripted programming in the 8 p.m. hour and increasing its commitment to in-house product set off alarm bells in the creative community.

This fall, fewer than half of the new series NBC has introduced so far have come from its in-house studio. Among them is this season's breakout hit "Heroes."

NBC Uni Television Group CEO Jeff Zucker eased concerns that the network would close its doors to outside suppliers.

"I don't think you can cut yourself off from great content wherever it comes from," he said. "There's no question that owning as much of our content as possible is something that we talk a lot about because it allows you to exploit that material better through other platforms, but you can't cut yourself off from great programming, which comes from so many different places."

Still, sources at non-NBC-affiliated studios indicated that the combination of NBC's ratings slump, decreased inventory with fewer slots dedicated to scripted programming and a mandate to rely heavily on its in-house studio would make them reluctant to pitch shows to the network.

NBC's decision to make the 8 p.m. hour free of scripted programming is considered the latest blow to comedy and drama producers who over the past few years had to adjust to the demise of Saturday as a night of original programming, the ascension of the reality genre and the loss of a broadcast network to sell to when WB Network and UPN merged this year.

Indeed, some of NBC's development budget now will be used to develop unscripted programming for the 8 p.m. block, NBC Entertainment president Kevin Reilly said.

"You're going to see more of a commitment to it on our part," Reilly said. "Although we've had success in unscripted programming with 'The Apprentice' and 'Deal or No Deal,' we've probably dedicated less of our budget toward that compared to some of our competitors."

He was quick to note that by diverting development money toward unscripted programming, NBC is not planning to abandon its efforts in such high-end scripted areas as single-camera comedies and hourlong dramas.

"We're going to stay in that business ... but we are going to need to balance our portfolio so that we can afford to continue to do that business because the margins are getting tougher and tougher," Reilly said.

While the emphasis at 8 p.m. will be on reality programming, not every show in the hour will be unscripted. For instance, NBC is happy with Thursday's "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office," Reilly said.

"We're not going to unwind that success," he said.

At NBC Uni TV Studio, it is expected to be business as usual, studio president Angela Bromstad said.

"Our primary focus has always been the network," she said. "We've known for a long time that NBC would rely more and more on the in-house studio, so we've stepped up, building a big talent roster with people like Peter Berg and Paul Haggis."

While NBC will remain NBC Uni TV Studio's priority, the studio also will continue to develop for other networks, Bromstad said.

NBC executives refused to be pinned down on the number of layoffs that would be required. There will be cuts in the entertainment division, but executives said it was a comparatively lean organization as it is, so there wouldn't be extensive cuts. News will see cuts spread across the company from network news, MSNBC, Telemundo, the station group and the NBC News Channel.

Buyouts, retirements and not filling open positions will make up an unspecified number of the 700 job cuts.

Questions about layoffs were front and center in employees' minds during a town-hall meeting Thursday with Zucker, NBC Universal chairman and CEO Bob Wright and other top execs. While the execs talked about the need to streamline NBC Uni's operations for the future and tearing down walls in response to a move to a digital world, employees wanted to know how many layoffs there would be. No one flinched from talking about the certainty of layoffs or when the threat would be concluded, according to multiple sources.

One employee on the call said in an interview that Zucker and other executives noted that "there will be serious cuts, and they repeated there is no single date they can say when all the cuts are over and everyone is safe." The cuts will be the steepest since NBC cut 560 jobs, or 10% of its work force, in 2001.

NBC News president Steve Capus disputed the idea, expressed before and after the announcement, that the news division was being unfairly picked on in the restructuring.

"The honest answer is that it's just not true," Capus said. "We're proactively doing this, and it's the right thing to do. There are seismic shifts in the business that (we) have to deal with, but we'd like to do it from a position of strength."

He said that many areas of the company's news operations have significant opportunities for streamlining. MSNBC's booking department, for instance, will be merged with the "Today" unit when MSNBC's operations move to 30 Rockefeller Center.

"There's no entity of network news that is hands-off, that is immune," Capus said. "There's room to change for all of them."

A state-of-the-art newsroom for MSNBC and other news operations will be built on the third and fourth floors of Rockefeller Plaza, and West Coast operations for NBC News, Telemundo, MSNBC and three stations also will be merged.

Capus -- the only one of the three network news presidents to grow up in the news business, working his way up through the ranks -- said the cuts weren't going to affect the quality of NBC News or its No. 1 "Today" or "NBC Nightly News."

"We're not going to cut so deeply that it hurts," Capus said. "What we're going to do is have an honest assessment and look at the strength for the size of the work force."

Digital will become an increasingly important part of NBC's business, with the company predicting that it will have more than $1 billion in digital revenue by 2009. Zucker said it didn't mean that the company would be investing heavily in original digital media content -- though he didn't rule it out -- but he said that it was going to smartly use the content that it was creating for all sorts of platforms.

"It's no secret in the business that there are some very, very serious issues looming, and that takes a real discipline not to put off or deny those issues but to meet them head on, proactively," Reilly said.

An independent analyst said a drastic change was necessary for the company to compete in today and tomorrow's media landscape.

"They have to recognize that consumer choices are so plentiful that maybe they cannot profitably provide the same level and amount of programming that they have historically provided," BIA Financial Network's Mark Fratrik said in a report released Thursday. "They have to continue to invest in other distribution channels ... to move their product to all audiences, young and old."

(Paul J. Gough reported from New York; Nellie Andreeva reported from Los Angeles. Andrew Wallenstein in Los Angeles contributed to this report.)

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr/television/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003285840