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Thanks, dad. ROE date changed.
Technology Notebook
Digital Television Mission:
No Consumer Left Behind
The NAB's new VP talks about his upcoming campaign to make sure that the millions of homes that receive off-the-air TV today will still be able to receive off-the-air TV after the February 2009 switch to digital.
TV NewsDay February 1, 2007
One of the biggest advantages broadcasting has over cable and satellite in delivering TV is its ubiquity—it’s everywhere. By the NAB’s reckoning, 34.3 million or 31% of the 111.3 million TV households have one or more TV sets that still get their signals off air. And of those 34.3 million, 19.6 million—more than half—rely solely on broadcasting. They don’t have any sets hooked to satellite or cable.
This is not an advantage that broadcasters intend to lose when they make the government-mandated switch from analog to digital broadcasting on Feb. 18, 2009.
Consequently, the NAB is launching a public education campaign to make sure that every consumer knows about the transition so they can buy new digital TV sets or, with the help of a government subsidy, buy A-to-D converter boxes that will enable analog TV sets to go right on receiving signals off the air after the switch to digital.
Leading the campaign for NAB will be the newly hired Jonathan Collegio, who learned the business of getting people to understand and act in the do-or-die world of political campaigning. In this written Q&A with TVNEWSDAY, the new vice president for digital transition outlines his goals and how he intends to achieve them.
What are your marching orders? What do you hope to accomplish?
The goal of the DTV transition campaign is to make sure no consumers lose free TV reception on Feb. 18, 2009, due to a lack of information about the transition. Ultimately, we can't force consumers into buying a new digital set or getting a converter box, but we can make sure they receive plenty of information about the fact that their TV set is about to get disconnected, and urge them to take action preventing that from happening.
Is your goal simply to insure a smooth transition, or are you hoping to spark a renaissance in over-the-air television?
My goal is primarily the former—but there's certainly a lot to promote when it comes to over-the-air television. Last week, the folks at MSTV showed me 16 free, crystal clear, over-the-air channels they picked up with an indoor "smart" antenna from a basement in Washington, D.C. The picture quality was incredible. My guess is that most people who subscribe to pay TV have little idea there are so many OTA choices available. So even though my focus is primarily on ensuring a smooth transition, I think there are tremendous opportunities presented by DTV to reposition broadcasting in a positive light.
Is part of the job to sell HDTV and whatever else broadcasters are offering over their digital channels?
You can sell DTV with a carrot or a stick—by selling the benefits of digital, which include crystal clear over-the-air HDTV—or by telling folks that they need to act before their TV sets produce snow and nothing else. We will definitely sell the benefits of DTV, which include high definition, but we also have to limit the confusion between DTV and HDTV. We also have the potential to explain to America that digital television means more free program choices.
Does your team have a finite term? In other words, what happens after February 2009?
I guess that depends on the success of the campaign. In the immediate aftermath I'm sure I will decompress for a while, as any campaign operative would.
What in your experience qualifies you for this job?
NAB was looking for someone to run an aggressive campaign, with a heavy focus on earned media, which will work hard to give DTV a ubiquitous, positive face in the media. My previous position was press secretary for the National Republican Congressional Committee, where I was the central GOP spokesman on over 40 House races during the midterm elections. I have worked on, consulted, and closely observed dozens of campaigns in the last 10 years, and I know how a well-planned, well-executed campaign operates. I've run the Washington, D.C., office for an aggressive member of the House, and have also worked in grassroots advocacy. I cannot think of a better transition to the private sector for an operative like myself than running this campaign.
Tell me about your team. Did you hire them? Who will be doing what?
No one could have put together a better campaign team than the one we have in place now. We're bipartisan, heavy in media relations experience, and have great contacts in Congress, the executive branch, at the grassroots and with organizations across D.C.
As media relations director, I hired Shermaze Ingram, a former editor at Consumer Reports, reporter for The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, and who has great experience in private sector PR. She will be running the earned media component of the campaign and will be DTV's central spokesperson.
We hired Myra Dandridge, former communications director for the Congressional Black Caucus, as director of public affairs, where she'll reach out to grassroots and membership organizations with our message— especially those groups most affected by the transition. Myra will also handle our congressional relations, and will oversee our DTV Speaker's Bureau, which will aim to schedule thousands of local speaking engagements with local speakers to educate consumers about the DTV transition.
Lale Mamaux comes to us as a veteran Capitol Hill aide, having spent a number of years running press for Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.). She also was chief fundraiser for a number of Democratic members and candidates. Lale will handle all of our outreach to business groups, trade associations, state and local broadcasters, as well as the FCC, NTIA and state and local government.
We need to reach consumers through earned media and public service announcements, but also by making sure that we have a grassroots presence with the speaker's bureau, and that every organization interested in making sure the transition goes smoothly has the information they need and is reading from the same sheet, so to speak, so that there's a unified message coming from all parts. We have a great candidate in DTV, but we need to make sure that everyone talking about her is "on message."
The NTIA is in the process of crafting rules for its converter-box and voucher program. What would you like to see happen there?
We'll be working closely with the NTIA, with the FCC and with Congress over the next two years. In a perfect world, we would like to see that no consumer is disenfranchised from access to broadcast television at the conclusion of this transition.
Does that program need more money than the $1.1 billion currently earmarked for it? Will you ask Congress for more?
I'm going to leave the lobbying questions to NAB's government relations arm. The mission of the DTV team is education, and working with our coalition partners to make sure that we have a successful transition. My guess is that NAB will be working closely with Congress, the FCC and NTIA to resolve issues related to funding for converter boxes.
Will you be trying to mobilize the 20 million broadcast-only households to help make your case in Washington?
Twenty million households enjoy free, over-the-air broadcasting only in their homes, and they do represent the bulk of the folks we need to reach. But there are millions more that rely on untethered secondary television sets in their homes for news, programming and entertainment.
While these two groups broadly represent the bulk of the folks we must reach, this is, in the end, a change that will affect everyone who has a mother-in-law, cousin, or old friend whom they communicate with, who gets television over the air.
To what degree will you be coordinating your efforts with the CEA? With NCTA?
Our campaign is coordinating a large coalition of groups from A-Z that share the central interest of making sure that the transition goes smoothly and that no consumer is left behind. Cooperation with CEA and NCTA is central to our efforts.
How are those efforts going so far?
They are going extremely well. NAB is commissioning a lot of DTV survey research that we'll be sharing with the coalition. A number of organizations are active in the coalition, and we will be aggressive in the coming months to recruit more members into the fold.
Will you be tackling the related issue of multicast must carry?
Not with this campaign. I know that's important, but that's for the folks who work in other departments at NAB.
What is your operating budget?
We will spend what it takes to have a successful transition, and that will include donated air time for public service announcements run by both broadcast networks and their affiliates.
For your public education campaign, will you have additional money for media buys? Or, will you rely solely on contributed time by stations?
That remains to be seen. The natural currency of this campaign will be PSAs, but we will spend on other marketing programs—perhaps with microtargeted direct mail if we see the need.
What is your greatest challenge?
Learning all of the acronyms associated with DTV.
http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/02/01/daily.3/
Also, didn't Doug Liman (The Bourne Identity) direct last year's mid-season megabomb Heist? Oh well, he's also directed The O.C. episodes and, like Berg with 'FNL,' will direct the TV pilot version of his own Hollywood movie with Mr. & Mrs. Smith.
I'm not sure how well that's going to go, Liman directing or not. They cast Jordana Brewster as Mrs. Smith. No offense to Jordana, she's 'very pretty', but Angelina is SMOKING HOT and a much better actress to boot. :-)
The 2007-08 TV Season
ABC Drama Pilots
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter
Larger-than-life characters and self-contained stories are on the drama docket for ABC this year.
The network -- which sparked the recent interest in serialized dramas with the Emmy-winning "Lost" but saw its ambitious continuous-story-line dramas "The Nine" and "Six Degrees" fizzle in the fall -- is staying away from the genre this development season.
"This year, we concentrated on close-ended shows," says senior vp drama development Suzanne Patmore-Gibbs. "We don't have any intensely serialized pieces."
It was a conscious decision made in the summer -- before most networks struggled to launch a slew of nail-biter serial dramas -- that was aimed at a better schedule balance, Patmore-Gibbs says. But at the end of the day, it all came down to "responding to the best material."
"A year ago, we had a lot of strong serialized shows," she says. "This year, there's a lot of strong character procedurals and soaps. They rose to the top because they were great stories."
Indeed, Patmore-Gibbs notes that it was a good year for soaps with heavy dollops of humor ("Cashmere Mafia") -- a genre with which ABC found success this year with "Ugly Betty" and "Brothers & Sisters" -- and character-driven procedurals ("Suspect," "Marlowe," "Judy's Got a Gun," "Women's Murder Club").
For a second consecutive year, ABC is leading the network pack with the most drama pilot orders. ABC's total of 13 greenlighted projects is down from 16 one-hours picked up last season.
Cashmere Mafia
Production Co.: Sony TV/Darren Star Prods.
Production Team: Darren Star, Gail Katz, Kevin Wade, Susie Fitzgerald
Four successful female executives, friends since college, rely on one another as they juggle the demands of career, family and high ambitions in New York
Dirty Sexy Money
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Craig Wright, Greg Berlanti
Idealistic young lawyer inherits the job of representing a rich, powerful and ethically flexible family after his father's unexpected death
Eli Stone
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Greg Berlanti, Marc Gugenheim
Thirtysomething attorney (Jonny Lee Miller) begins to have larger-than-life visions that compel him to do unusual things; Victor Garber co-stars
Untitled Jon Feldman
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV
Production Team: Jon Feldman
Revolves around four high-powered CEOs or CEOs-to-be who socialize at the same exclusive golf club; Michael Vartan stars
Football Wives
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Marco Pennette, Chris Brancato, Bert Salke, Bryan Singer, Maureen Chadwicke, Eileen Gallagher, Ann McManus
U.S. version of the ITV series "Footballers Wives" that focuses on wives of professional football players; Gabrielle Union co-stars
Judy's Got a Gun
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Michelle King, Robert King, Stu Bloomberg
Suburban woman balances being a single mother with being a detective investigating bizarre suburban crimes
Life on Mars
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: David E. Kelley, Stephen Garrett, Jane Featherstone
Detective whose girlfriend has just been kidnapped finds himself transported back to the 1970s. Based on the BBC series
Marlowe
Production Co.: Touchstone TV
Production Team: Sean Bailey, Greg Pruss, Carol Wolper, Dan Platt, Phil Clymer
Procedural crime drama centered on the Philip Marlowe character set in present-day Los Angeles
Untitled Rina Mimoun
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV
Production Team: Rina Mimoun
Revolves around a family of Southern lawyers
Mr. & Mrs. Smith
Production Co.: Regency TV/Dutch Oven
Production Team: Simon Kinberg, Doug Liman, Dave Bartis
Based on the hit feature about a married couple who are spies
Pushing Daisies
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV, Jinks/Cohen Prods.
Production Team: Bryan Fuller, Dan Jinks, Bruce Cohen
Detective show/romance/fairy tale about a guy who can touch the dead and bring them back to life
Suspect
Production Co.: Sony Pictures TV/25 C Prods.
Production Team: Ed Zuckerman, Guy Ritchie, Sarah Timberman, Carl Beverly
Stylish, fast-paced procedural drama uncovering the perpetrator by tracing the suspects
Women's Murder Club
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: Liz Craft, Sarah Fain, Brett Ratner, James Patterson, Joe Simpson, Shawn Ryan
Four girlfriends solve tough murder cases. Based on James Patterson's series of mystery books
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ibc9653989093dd917e5d5ef43e29eab9
The 2007-08 TV Season
CBS Drama Pilots
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter
When CBS brass said in the fall that they are throwing out the rule book this development season, they weren't kidding.
Described by vp drama development Robert Zotnowski as "eclectic," the network's drama pilot roster of nine projects, two fewer than last year, includes a murder mystery musical ("Viva Laughlin!") and projects about couple-swapping ("Swingtown"), exorcism ("Demons"), resurrection ("Babylon Fields") and a blood-sucking private eye ("Twilight").
"We feel with these unique shows we will appeal to our core viewers as well as bring in new eyeballs," says vp drama development Christina Davis, who oversees CBS' drama slate with Zotnowski.
Last development season, CBS took risks with the serialized postapocalyptic drama
"Jericho," which worked, and with the intense, dark caper "Smith," which didn't.
With the safety net of having the strongest overall drama lineup on television, CBS decided to go for an even riskier high-wire act this time around, going for "inventive," "unconventional," "out-of-the-box" projects, Davis and Zotnowski note.
"Each has an attention-grabbing element, but at its center, there is an emotionally complicated story (and) highly relatable storytelling," Zotnowski says.
Babylon Fields
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: Michael Atkinson, Gerald Cuesta, Michael Cuesta
Sardonic, apocalyptic comedic drama in which the dead are resurrected and try to resume their former lives. As a result, lives are regained, families restored and old wounds are reopened
Demons
Production Co.: CBS Paramount Network TV
Production Team: Barbara Hall, Joe Roth, Nina Lederman
Ex-Jesuit priest/psychlogist performs exorcisms, fighting the demons in his life and the lives of others
Los Duques
Production Co.: CBS Paramount Network TV
Production Team: Cynthia Cidre, Jonathan Prince, Polly Anthony, Jimmy Iovine
Follows the lives of three generations of a powerful Latin American family in South Florida who work in the rum business
Protect and Serve
Production Co.: NBC Universal TV Studio
Production Team: Gary Scott Thompson, Mark Gibson, Philip Halprin
Follows the lives of street cops in suburban Los Angeles as they deal with the trials and tribulations of police life on and off the job
Untitled Barry Schindel (presentation)
Production Co.: CBS Paramount Network TV/Scott Free Prods.
Production Team: Barry Schindel, Ridley Scott, Tony Scott, David Zucker
Follows the private lives and cases of a team of dedicated public defenders; Janeane Garofalo, Rachel Carpani co-star
Skip Tracer
Production Co.: CBS Paramount Network TV
Production Team: Mitchell Burgess, Robin Green, Tucker Tooley, Stephen Dorff
Centers on a so-called skip tracer -- a guy who finds people who have tried to disappear -- who works in Los Angeles; Dorff stars
Swingtown
Production Co.: CBS Paramount Network TV
Production Team: Mike Kelley, Alan Poul
Revolves around married couples in 1970s suburbia who explore partner-swapping and open marriages
Twilight (presentation)
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV
Production Team: Trevor Munson, Ron Koslow, Joel Silver, Gerard Bocaccio
Private investigator/vampire struggles with the repercussions of immortality, vampire adversaries and his love for a mortal
Viva Laughlin!
Production Co.: SPT/BBC Worldwide Prods./CBS Par TV/Seed Prods.
Production Team: Bob Lowry, Hugh Jackman, John Palermo, Paul Telegdy, Peter Bowker, Gabriele Muccino
Musical about a family man who dreams of opening a casino in Laughlin, Nev. Based on BBC's "Viva Blackpool!"
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ibc9653989093dd91a6ae8d3b0a1fd676
The 2007-08 TV Season
Fox Drama Pilots
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter
Leveraging Fox's biggest assets, "American Idol" and "House," with "bold, sometimes challenging, quality, take-notice offerings" is how senior vp drama development Ted Gold sums up the network's development strategy this season.
After a weak start to the season, in which Fox's new dramas "Vanished," "Justice" and "Standoff" failed to gain traction with viewers, the network is taking big swings with its 2007-08 development.
The network's 10 drama pilots -- the same number as last year -- include the big-budget "The Sarah Connor Chronicles," a follow-up to the "Terminator" movies. The thriller, directed and executive produced by David Nutter, is shaping up "to be one of the biggest action pieces out there," Gold says.
On the sci-fi front, Fox also is bringing a whole new dimension to the term "sleeper cell" with its adaptation of the graphic novel "Them." Executive produced and directed by "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines" helmer Jonathan Mostow, it revolves around extraterrestrials infiltrating our world.
The high-concept "New Amsterdam," about a New York detective who is immortal, lured Oscar-nominated director Lasse Hallstrom to television. Gold says he knows why.
"It's one of the best scripts I've ever read," Gold says. "It has a core procedural to it, and underneath, there is romanticism."
With most networks opting for lighter, more escapist fare this development season, Fox isn't shying away from darker, more challenging concepts like "K-Ville," a cop drama set in post-Katrina New Orleans.
"It's a hot-button place, and the show has relevant issues for viewers," Gold says.
The Apostles
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: Chuck Pratt
Cop drama with soapy elements that follows officers in Simi Valley, Calif., in their off-duty time with their families
Canterbury's Law
Production Co.: Sony Pictures TV/Apostle
Production Team: Dave Erickson, Denis Leary, Jim Serpico
Rebellious female defense attorney pushes the boundaries of the law to protect innocent clients
The Cure
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV/Weed Road Pictures
Production Team: Patrick Massett, John Zinman, Akiva Goldsman, Stephanie Koff, Brittany Lovett, Danny Cannon
Group cuts through the red tape of medical bureaucracy -- often at their own peril -- to get care to those who need it most
K-Ville
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: Jonathan Lisco
Cops in post-Katrina New Orleans face the challenges of enforcing the law in a city whose infrastructure has been completely upended
New Amsterdam
Production Co.: Regency TV/Scarlet Fire/Sarabande/Laha
Production Team: Allan Loeb, Christian Taylor, Steven Pearl, David Manson, Lasse Hallstrom, Leslie Holleran
Man (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) cursed with immortality works as a New York homicide detective
NSA Innocent
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV/Realtime Prods.
Production Team: Bob Cochran, David Ehrman, Jon Cassar, Joel Surnow, Howard Gordon
Family man winds up recruited by the NSA as a spy within the defense contracting company he works for
Philadelphia General
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: Samantha Goodman, Andrew Stern, Barry Josephson, Eileen Gallagher, Ann McManus, P.J. Hogan
Comedic drama about the lives and loves of a team of nurses in a big-city hospital
Sarah Connor Chronicles
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV/C-2 Pictures
Production Team: Josh Friedman, David Nutter, James Middleton, Mario Kassar, Andrew Vajna, Joel Michaels
Based on the characters from the "Terminator" franchise, it follows Connor (Lena Headey) and her son John (Thomas Dekker) in present-day Los Angeles as they fight attackers from the future in a battle for survival of the human race
Supreme Courtships
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV/Adelstein Prods.
Production Team: Gary Tieche, Marty Adelstein, Michael Thorn
Soapy comedic drama about the personal and professional lives of six Supreme Court clerks and the judges they work for
Them
Production Co.: CBS Par TV/Circle of Confusion Prods.
Production Team: Jonathan Mostow, David Eick, John McNamara, David Engel, David Alpert, Lawrence Mattis
Centers on an extraterrestrial sleeper cell that has infiltrated the human race. The cell's mission is compromised when its members begin to express human emotions. Based on the graphic novel
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ibc9653989093dd91769226429b563e66
The 2007-08 TV Season
NBC Drama Pilots
By Nellie Andreeva The Hollywood Reporter
NBC's hourlong development is across the board this year, and that's just fine with Katie O'Connell, the network's senior vp drama development, who is overseeing her first development slate since taking the top drama post in May.
"We try to pick up the best scripts and the ones we feel we can execute," O'Connell says. "We pick up shows that we think would find a place on the schedule."
Speaking of NBC's schedule, O'Connell says she and her team aren't necessarily trying to find a companion piece for the network's breakout hit "Heroes," though the "re-imagination" of "The Bionic Woman" for contemporary times would seem like a good fit.
Also on NBC's menu this season are the "Sex and the City"-esque "Lipstick Jungle"; a hard-boiled City Hall piece ("M.O.N.Y.," directed by Spike Lee); a few offbeat dramas ("Chuck," the David Semel-directed "Life"); and "Ft. Pit," from Denis Leary and Peter Tolan, which sounds like it falls somewhere between "Rescue Me" and "The Job."
"One thing we set out to do is to have a little bit more of a female focus than (NBC has had) in the past and to go for lighter crime procedurals," O'Connell notes, pointing to the untitled show centering on a female cop from David Shore, creator and executive producer of Fox's "House."
Overall, NBC's eight pilots are on par with the eight one-hours the network greenlighted last season.
The Bionic Woman
Production Co.: NBC Universal TV Studio
Production Team: David Eick, Laeta Kalogridis, Bruno Heller, Michael Dinner
Re-imagination of the 1970s series with focus on women's place in the world today
Chuck
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV
Production Team: Josh Schwartz, Chris Fedak, McG, Peter Johnson
Unlikely hero undertakes missions every week while still working at the "Geek Squad"; a comedic Jason Bourne
Ft. Pit
Production Co.: Sony Pictures TV/Apostle
Production Team: Peter Tolan, Michael Chernuchin, Denis Leary, Jim Serpico
Drama with comedic elements set at one of the worst police precincts in Brooklyn with rampant crime where bad cops are sent to live out their careers and rookie cops with no connections are stationed; James Badge Dale, Michael Rispoli co-star
Journeyman
Production Co.: 20th Century Fox TV
Production Team: Kevin Falls, Alex Graves
Epic fantasy about a man who travels back in time to alter and fix the lives of people in trouble, but by recalibrating the past, he sometimes alters the future
Life
Production Co.: NBC Universal TV Studio
Production Team: Rand Ravich, Farr Shariat, David Semel
Offbeat drama about an ex-cop (Damian Lewis) who rejoins the force after being wrongly imprisoned for years
Lipstick Jungle
Production Co.: NBC Universal TV Studio
Production Team: DeAnn Heline, Eileen Heisler, Candace Bushnell
Trio of power-hungry, rich professional women will do anything in their power to maintain their status in New York. Based on Bushnell's novel.
M.O.N.Y.
Production Co.: NBC Uni TV Studio/Fatima Prods./Airwaves Entertainment
Production Team: Tom Fontana, Barry Levinson
Surprising and unlikely everyman becomes mayor of New York. He shoots from the gut, makes mistakes and hopefully wins the hearts of the city's residents
Untitled Shore/Blake
Production Co.: NBC Universal TV Studio
Production Team: David Shore, Peter Blake
Light ensemble drama with procedural elements that centers on a female cop played by Famke Janssen, surrounded by an ensemble cast
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ibc9653989093dd917d0d815354fc5967
The 2007-08 TV Season
The CW Drama Pilots
By Kimberly Nordyke The Hollywood Reporter
The young-adult demo always was top of mind for the CW drama development executives this year -- even if it meant passing on some appealing projects.
"We had to eliminate certain projects that were not right for us but would have been great for other broadcast networks that go after 18-49," says Thom Sherman, executive vp drama development at the CW, which targets adults 18-34. "We were always cognizant of the demo."
But what the network was able to secure in its first full development season, Sherman says, was a strong roster of talent, including "high-quality writers" and "young, fresh voices." Among the five projects on the slate -- one more than last year -- are "Gossip Girl," from "The O.C.'s" Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, about a secretive tell-all blogger, and untitled Tom Wheeler, described as being in the spirit of "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" and "Animal House."
This season, the CW struck out with its first new drama offering, the short-lived "Runaway." (Its second new drama, "Hidden Palms," premieres this year.) But Sherman, who joined the network in June, says the projects on the slate for 2007-08 were selected because they will draw the attention of the network's target viewership.
"All of these projects have something conceptual that we can really promote: They will be noisy," he says.
Gossip Girl
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV/Alloy
Production Team: Josh Schwartz, Stephanie Savage, Bob Levy, Leslie ******stein
Based on the best-selling book series about the lives of rich youngsters and their parents in New York City
Gravity (presentation)
Production Co.: CBS Paramount Network TV/DreamWorks TV
Production Team: Caleb Kane, Charles Segars, Darryl Frank, Justin Falvey
Follows in cinema verite style a sexy ensemble of rookie cops and their training officers in Los Angeles beginning with the rookies' first day
Reaper
Production Co.: Touchstone TV/Mark Gordon Co.
Production Team: Michele Fazekas, Tara Butters, Mark Gordon, Deborah Spera
Comedic drama about a 21-year-old slacker who becomes the devil's bounty hunter, retrieving souls escaped from hell
Untitled South Africa
Production Co.: CBS Paramount Network TV/Company Pictures
Production Team: Michael Rauch, Charlie Pattinson, George Faber
New York veterinarian moves his second wife and their two sets of children to a South African game reserve run by his father-in-law. Based on the ITV series "Wild at Heart"
Untitled Tom Wheeler (presentation)
Production Co.: Warner Bros. TV/Class IV
Production Team: Tom Wheeler, Steve Pearlman, Andrew Plotkin
Comedic drama about two cheeky graduate students who use their skills to help solve crimes
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/features/e3ibc9653989093dd91b6f7cd9c6b61173d
(From Marc Berman’s Thurssday, Feb. 1, 2007, Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com )
Ratings Box:
What’s Hot/What’s Not
More January 2007 Cable Network Highlights:
FX:
FX reached a new zenith among key young adult demographics in Jan. 2007, with 822,000 adults 18-49 (27,000 more than the previous high of 795,000 in July 2004) and 452,000 adults 18-34 (22,000 above the previous high of 430,000 in Sept. 2006). FX also rose to its best January to-date in household rating (1.13) and total viewers (1.39 million).
Hallmark Channel:
Feel-good Hallmark Channel broke the January record books in prime time, with a 1.2 household rating and 926,000 households, ranking No. 8 among all ad-supported networks. Hallmark Channel also delivered its highest-rated January ever among target women 25-54 (184,000) and women 18-49 (133,000).
USA:
USA finished Jan. 2007 as the top-rated cable network in prime time in total viewers (2.7 million), adults 18-49 (1.2 million), adults 25-54 (1.2 million) and adults 18-34 (500,000). USA, in fact, was home to more than half of the top 20 adult 25-54 telecasts.
Buena Vista Syndicated Rating Highlights:
Based on ratings for the week of Jan. 15, Buena Vista’s Live With Regis and Kelly and Who Wants to Be a Millionaire rose to season high performances. Live With Regis and Kelly scored a 3.8 in households -- up six percent week-to-week. The underrated Millionaire notched a 3.7 -- the only game show to post growth over the comparable year-ago week, with an increase of three percent.
Speaking of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire:
The game show will kick-off the month of February with Play to Pay for Your Wedding Week, with engaged couples playing as a team in the Millionaire hot seat. Also in February, and airing from the 19th to the 23rd, is Million Dollar Movie Week, where the hot seat contestants will try to win $1 million by answering 15 movie-themed questions.
Theatrical Troy Scores on Hallmark Channel:
The basic cable premiere of Brad Pitt theatrical Troy on Saturday, Jan. 27 was the fifth highest-rated prime time movie of the evening, with 4.2 million total viewers. Troy also cracked the top five in the 9-11 p.m. block in total viewers, adults 25-54 and women 25-54.
Season-High Gilmore Girls on the CW:
Veteran CW drama The Gilmore Girls came back to life on Tuesday, with a season-high 4.1/10 among key women 18-34. Comparably, that was its best performance in the demo since Jan. 10, 2006. Gilmore Girls also scored its best among adults 18-34, with a 2.5/ 7.
Syndication Talk Show Scorecard:
Looking for an update on how your favorite – or not so favorite – syndicated daytime talk shows are performing this season? What follows is the season to-date (Sept. 18, 2006 – Jan. 21, 2007) ratings in households and key women 25-54 (with percent change from the comparable year-ago period in parentheses for all established series).
Households:
Oprah (CBS Television Distribution Group): 6.6 rating (-10)
Dr. Phil (CBS): 5.0 (- 4)
Live With Regis & Kelly (Buena Vista): 3.4 (- 3)
Maury (NBC Universal): 2.3 (-18)
Rachael Ray (CBS): 2.2
Ellen (Warner Bros.): 2.1 (-13)
Jerry Springer (NBCU): 1.7 (-15)
Montel (CBS): 1.7 (-19)
Tyra Banks (Warner Bros.): 1.5 (- 6)
Martha (NBCU): 1.4 (-18)
Dr. Keith (Warner Bros.): 1.0
Megan Mullally (NBCU) and Greg Behrendt (Sony Pictures Television): 1.8 each
Women 25-54:
Oprah: 4.8 (- 8)
Dr. Phil: 3.3 (no change)
Live With Regis & Kelly: 2.1 (no change)
Maury: 1.6 (-11)
Rachael Ray: 1.4
Ellen: 1.4 (-18)
Montel: 1.2 (- 8)
Tyra Banks: 1.0 (- 9)
Jerry Springer: 0.9 (-25)
Martha: 0.8 (-20)
Dr. Keith: 0.7
Greg Behrendt and Megan Mullally (0.5 each)
Since Tyra’s audience is more targeted to women 18-34, you may want to also note that a 1.1 rating season to-date in the demo is down by 21 percent year-to-year.
• Source: Nielsen Media Research data
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/newsletters/proginsider/index.jsp
JimsArcade
02-01-07, 12:05 PM
Upcoming Premieres
(Updated February 1st, 2007) It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is coming back to FX, isn't it? Last I heard, the 3rd season premiere was slated for summer 2007 (http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-fxrenewsitsalwayssunny,0,6450620.story?coll=zap-news-headlines).
Wednesday’s fast national over night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.
Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
Returning 'Bones' gets an 'Idol' boost
Fox drama jumps 50 percent over season average
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb. 1, 2007
“Bones” got quite a welcome-back present from its recent hiatus: an “American Idol” lead-out that helped boost it to a season best, well above its previous average.
“Bones” averaged a 4.2 adults 18-49 rating last night, according to Nielsen overnights, up 50 percent over its season-to-date average of 2.8. Though it remained in its usual 8 p.m. timeslot, it had an “Idol” lead-out at 9 p.m. for the first time after two weeks of two-hour episodes of the hit reality show.
The Fox drama dominated a weak timeslot, finishing nearly 40 percent ahead of CBS’s “CSI: NY” rerun, which took second in the hour.
“Bones” built throughout the hour, likely from viewers tuning in early in anticipation of “Idol.” It jumped from a 3.9 to a 4.6 in its second half hour. In fact, it may have even gotten a boost from viewers who thought “Idol” was once again two hours long and tuned in at 8 p.m. for that show.
It seems Fox could well maintain a big lead in the timeslot going forward. CBS recently canceled its 8 p.m. show, “Armed & Famous,” and NBC’s “Friday Night Lights,” though scoring its best rating since October last night, has struggled all season. Meanwhile, ABC rejiggered its lineup this week, and the results weren’t encouraging.
Though it finished second at 8 p.m. with a 2.8 for “George Lopez,” the acclaimed sitcom “Knights of Prosperity” lost nearly half that lead-in in its new 8:30 slot, averaging a 2.0.
Only the CW, whose strength is in adults 18-34, did much against “Bones.” “Beauty and the Geek” matched its season premiere ratings in that demo, tying with Univision for second in the timeslot with a 2.5.
Not surprisingly, Fox was first for the night among 18-49s with an 8.8 average rating and a 22 share. NBC was second at 3.0/8, CBS third at 2.8/7, ABC fourth at 2.1/5, Univision fifth at 1.7/4 and CW sixth at 1.4/3.
At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 4.2 for “Bones,” followed by a 2.6 for CBS for a repeat of “CSI: NY.” NBC was third with a 2.5 for “Lights,” with Univision and ABC tied for fourth at 2.4/, Univision for “La Fea Mas Bella” and ABC for “Lopez” (2.8) and “Knights” (2.0). That left CW sixth with a 2.0 for “Geek.”
Fox led again at 9 p.m. this time with a 13.4 for “American Idol.” NBC was second with a 3.1 for “Deal or No Deal,” CBS third with a 2.7 for a repeat of “Criminal Minds” and ABC fourth with a 2.0 average for “According to Jim” (2.2) and “In Case of Emergency” (2.8). Univision was fifth with a 1.7 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 0.7 for a “One Tree Hill” rerun.
NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 3.4 for “Medium,” followed by a 3.2 for CBS for another “CSI: NY” repeat. ABC was third with a 2.0 for “Primetime” and Univision fourth with a 1.0 for “Don Francisco Presenta.”
Among households, Fox led the night rather easily with a 12.8 average rating and a 19 share. CBS was second at 6.4/10, NBC third at 6.1/9, ABC fourth at 3.9/6, Univision fifth at 2.2/3 and CW sixth at 1.9/3.
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_9915.asp
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia is coming back to FX, isn't it? Last I heard, the 3rd season premiere was slated for summer 2007 (http://www.zap2it.com/tv/news/zap-fxrenewsitsalwayssunny,0,6450620.story?coll=zap-news-headlines).
Thanks for the reminder about "Philadelphia" Jim.
JimsArcade
02-01-07, 12:20 PM
Thanks for the reminder about "Philadelphia" Jim. No problem. I've been anxiously waiting for its return. :D
Good news about Bones. This week's episode may have been its best to date. I could see people getting hooked after this episode.
Critic’s Notebook
Sitcoms & viewers:
Plight of the living dead
By Ellen Gray Philadelphia Daily News Thu, Feb. 01, 2007
TV comedy may not be dead, but it's possible that the people who like watching it are.
And if not dead, then over 50, which in network TV is pretty much the same thing.
How else to explain the presence of only a single half-hour comedy in Nielsen's Top 10?
The highest-rated sitcom - No. 7 for last week and No. 15 for the season to date - is CBS' "Two and a Half Men," with a weekly average of just under 15 million viewers, of whom only an estimated 6.2 million are 18- to 49-year-olds, the demographic most advertisers pay to reach.
CBS' "The New Adventures of Old Christine" is next, at No. 16 for the week, No. 31 for the season, averaging 11.8 million viewers, 5 million of them 18-to-49.
You'll have to scroll down Nielsen Media Research's season-to-date report to No. 45 to find one of the single-camera, laugh-track-free half-hours currently considered to be the future of television comedy.
That would be NBC's "My Name Is Earl," which is averaging 9.5 million viewers a week, about 5.3 million of them 18-to-49.
According to Nielsen, more than 112 million people watched prime-time television on an average Thursday in November. Where did the rest of them go?
What about NBC's "The Office"? Funniest show on television, right? Tell it to all the people who aren't among the 8.8 million Nielsen says are watching. (If you're keeping score at home, 5.56 million "Office"-watchers are 18-to-49, which translates, I guess, into fewer dead people than "Two and a Half Men," but still seems like an underwhelming number, given that more than 19 million in that age group found time, twice last week, for "American Idol.")
The news is even worse for some other comedies, including NBC's "30 Rock," ranked 101st with 5.85 million total viewers, 3.39 million of them 18-49.
Thanks to Alec Baldwin - who at 48 only has a bit more than a year left before NBC puts a mirror in front of his face to see if he's still breathing - "30 Rock" is getting funnier by the week. It has a particularly good episode tonight (9:30 p.m., Channel 10), with Isabella Rossellini (already dead at 54) guest-starring as his ex-wife.
Still, it remains only a blip on Nielsen's radar, and I can't help wondering whether television, in its YouTube-fueled obsession with What Makes Young People Laugh, might not have wandered into the tricky territory of What Makes Picky People Laugh.
I'd say smart people, but since the picky people include TV critics, that might be immodest. Not to mention stupid.
Still, as a professional picky person - and the mother of sons - I do have some ideas about What Makes Young People Laugh.
That would be farting, folks.
Beyond farting, many young people - none related to me, I hope - enjoy selfishness and making fun of the people they've been taught not to make fun of since kindergarten.
Comedian Sarah Silverman knows that, and her new show, "The Sarah Silverman Program" (10:30 p.m., Comedy Central) manages to hit all those youth-friendly notes in tonight's premiere, which features a cameo by "Heroes" star Masi Oka as a store clerk.
Young or not, some picky people will also find Silverman funny, if only for the contrast between that sitcom-perfect face and the 12-year-old boy who lives behind it. You have to admire any woman in Hollywood who'd rather pretend to poop in her pants on Comedy Central than play along with the network grown-ups and end up as some fat guy's improbably pretty wife.
Still, it would be a mistake to assume that the market for poopie pants is ever going to be big enough to save sitcoms.
http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//16594134.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
VisionOn
02-01-07, 12:28 PM
I'm not sure how well that's going to go, Liman directing or not. They cast Jordana Brewster as Mrs. Smith. No offense to Jordana, she's 'very pretty', but Angelina is SMOKING HOT and a much better actress to boot. :-)
After watching My Boys (which I've grown to like) I can't see her as an a gun toting assassin.
Has My Boys only been renewed for one more run? If both of those shows are on at the same time it's going to make Mr and Mrs Smith even less convincingly cast.
(Be warned: spoilers abound about the shows mentioned.)
Critic’s Notebook
Watching:
“Veronica Mars,” “Gilmore Girls,” “House,” “Friday Night Lights”
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal blog Feb. 1, 2007
Thanks to the completion of a couple of projects and weather that makes me want to stay indoors, I’ve been keeping better pace with my TV faves of late. …
First of all, loved the use of Leonard Cohen’s “A Thousand Kisses Deep” on “Veronica Mars.” Good blending of a song I like with a show I like. Beyond that, thought this “VM” had a better handle on the self-contained story than last week’s. And the hooker-and-the-geek story was handled rather well; we knew they were doomed, but it kept defying our cynicism about the hooker.
On the other hand, Veronica’s antennae should have gone up when Madison appeared, and should have been vibrating like a theremin when Logan said he had been with someone who disgusted him. And the soapy nature of Logan-Veronica is beginning to wear me out.
Also felt a little tired about “Gilmore Girls,” even though I am a longtime member of the Lorelai Belongs With Luke Association. Christopher’s reaction felt excessive, and Lorelai failed to make the most obvious point — that Christopher is not the second choice, he was the first choice, long before she knew Luke. Jackson’s non-vasectomy was sort of funny but, even by “GG” standards, tough to buy: Sookie would have known that she was pregnant, for one thing, and Jackson would have had clear signs of a vasectomy if he had really had one. On the plus side, though, we’ll always have Paris — who can make even an inspiring speech about friendship sound hostile. …
Speaking of hostile, I can understand why “House” did this week’s episode, even if I found it slow and a little labored. Still, the show has to remind of periodically of a couple of things. First, that he’s a good doctor (underscored every time they figured out a mystery case) even if he is an awful human being. Second, that he’s an awful human being for a reason — because, if we don’t understand that, then he becomes just a nasty piece of work and not nearly so amusing to watch. Coming off an arc that ended with House having conned the court and his friends, continuing to see House as an unprincipled slave to his addictions, the point about rotten-for-a-reason had to be made in a forceful way. Hence the abuse excuse — wonderfully acted by Hugh Laurie, if not all that well written.
Finally, last night’s “Friday Night Lights” actually allowed some good cheer at the end of the episode — the drunken dad’s making amends, Slash back in the game, the coach realizing that he had pushed too hard — albeit with some sadness — Saracen’s stupid lie and damage to his relationship with the coach’s daughter. And I continue to like the way Kyle Chandler plays the coach as audibly unsentimental — the no-hug-coming finish to Slash’s reinstatement made the moment.
http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/heldenfiles/?p=943#more-943
...Has My Boys only been renewed for one more run? If both of those shows are on at the same time it's going to make Mr and Mrs Smith even less convincingly cast.
I believe it has -- but (in a quick look) can find no supporting evidence.
cherry ghost
02-01-07, 12:35 PM
I omitted BL...do you know when it returns?
June 3rd??
VisionOn
02-01-07, 12:41 PM
(Last update: 9:09 AM PT Thursday, February 1st -- Wednesday's Metered Market ratings added)
Yesterday’s Losers (excluding repeats):
The Knights of Prosperity (ABC)
Friday Night Lights (NBC)
According to Jim (ABC)
In Case of Emergency (ABC)
Ratings Breakdown:
Second in the 8 p.m. hour was a repeat of CBS’ CSI: NY at 8.55 million viewers and a 2.6/ 7 among adults 18-49. Although ABC rearranged its Wednesday sitcom line-up in the hopes of fueling interest in The Knights of Prosperity, the recently introduced sitcom plummeted to 5.25 million viewers (#4) and a last-place 2.0/ 5 among adults 18-49 at 8:30 p.m. Retention for The Knights of Prosperity out of lead-in George Lopez (Viewers: #3, 7.82 million; A18-49: #2, 2.8/ 8) was just 67 percent in total viewers and 71 percent among adults 18-49.
Also at 8 p.m. was NBC’s recently relocated Friday Night Lights (Viewers: #4, 6.86 million; A18-49: #3, 2.5/ 7) and the CW’s consistent Beauty and the Geek (Viewers: #5, 4.07 million; A18-49: #5, 2.1/ 5).
Okay, so I see from that, George Lopez beat out FNL. I'm still confounded by that, but more importantly what does this mean for FNL? It barely scraped by Knights. if it's not going to get a ratings boost running up against, to be honest, an extremely average sitcom, how bad is it going to perform in any other timeslot facing off against other dramas?
Right now I'm just hoping it makes it to the end of the season. I've got my fingers crossed that it gets picked up by FX if it doesn't get renewed by NBC. I can see it fitting in with their lineup nicely, even if it doesn't generate a huge boost in ratings for them.
meteor3
02-01-07, 12:50 PM
After watching My Boys (which I've grown to like) I can't see her as an a gun toting assassin.
Has My Boys only been renewed for one more run? If both of those shows are on at the same time it's going to make Mr and Mrs Smith even less convincingly cast.
My Boys (http://imdb.com/title/tt0496356/) on TBS stars Jordana Spiro, not Jordana Brewster.
VisionOn
02-01-07, 12:53 PM
My Boys (http://imdb.com/title/tt0496356/) on TBS stars Jordana Spiro, not Jordana Brewster.
Ah .... thanks for pointing that out. I feel like an idiot now. :rolleyes:
I still don't think Brewster looks like an assassin but it makes more sense at least!
Okay, so I see from that, George Lopez beat out FNL. I'm still confounded by that, but more importantly what does this mean for FNL? It barely scraped by Knights. if it's not going to get a ratings boost running up against, to be honest, an extremely average sitcom, how bad is it going to perform in any other timeslot facing off against other dramas?
Right now I'm just hoping it makes it to the end of the season. I've got my fingers crossed that it gets picked up by FX if it doesn't get renewed by NBC. I can see it fitting in with their lineup nicely, even if it doesn't generate a huge boost in ratings for them.
I would love to see some hope for FNL, which has become one of my favorite TV shows -- ever.
But I can't find any ray of sunshine, aside from Kevin Reilly's rather strong assertion that he'll do whatever he can for it.
As for FX, I suspect it is far too expensive. It might make some sense for HBO or Showtime, which could garner all the critical praise, do 12-episode yearly arcs (to relate to the high school football schedule) and perhaps make their money back with DVD sales.
I'm not sure how well that's going to go, Liman directing or not. They cast Jordana Brewster as Mrs. Smith. No offense to Jordana, she's 'very pretty', but Angelina is SMOKING HOT and a much better actress to boot. :-)
THIS (http://imdb.com/name/nm0108287/) is Jordana Brewster.
I just read her bio and there may be more to this gal than meets the eye.
Ah .... thanks for pointing that out. I feel like an idiot now. :rolleyes:
I still don't think Brewster looks like an assassin but it makes more sense at least!
Don't feel bad. I make mistakes by the bushel here -- and folks point them out all the time. :)
VisionOn
02-01-07, 01:02 PM
As for FX, I suspect it is far too expensive. It might make some sense for HBO or Showtime, which could garner all the critical praise, do 12-episode yearly arcs (to relate to the high school football schedule) and perhaps make their money back with DVD sales.
HBO would have been my preferred choice, but would the viewers follow to a pay station? What's the track record like for HBO? Have they picked up shows from other networks previously? I can't remember.
Not that I can recall offhand.
Another thread notes that "Survivor: Fiji" is now listed by the CBS website as being broadcast in HD.
It is also listed in HD at the KCBS TV (Los Angeles) website.
Maybe, just maybe....
http://cbs2.com/programming
meteor3
02-01-07, 01:27 PM
Ah .... thanks for pointing that out. I feel like an idiot now. :rolleyes:
I still don't think Brewster looks like an assassin but it makes more sense at least!
No biggie... I agree with you that Brewster doesn't really fit the role. (And neither does Spiro.)
Critic’s Notebook
February sweeps a snore
By Bill Goodykoontz The Arizona Republic Feb. 1, 2007
The February sweeps are upon us!
Yawn.
February is still one of the months, along with November and May, used for setting television ad rates. But really, with all the technological advances in the past year or two - downloads to iPods and cellphones and such - who watches TV that way anymore?
OK, most of us.
But if I can catch a super-boffo, jazzed-up version of Lost online the next day, why worry about missing it? This isn't to say you shouldn't try to watch 24 or Friday Night Lights, or whatever your favorite network show is, during sweeps. You should. They don't rack up guest stars and Very Special Moments for nothing.
But there are other shows out there, thriving (at least critically) during sweeps, and other times, as well. Some you may know, some you probably don't. But if you tire of the hype surrounding sweeps, there are some alternatives out there in the multichannel universe. Here are seven:
The Dresden Files
10 p.m. Sundays on Sci Fi Channel.
It's not a show for the ages, like its network-mate Battlestar Galactica (which is not included on this list simply because one assumes that you know you should be watching that already). But this tale of Harry Dresden (former 24 villain Paul Blackthorne), a private eye who also happens to be, um, a wizard - come on, it's Sci Fi - is a lot of fun. Also pretty creepy, to boot. And that's a good thing. This will sound like a cheap shot, but it's not meant to be: You don't have to be a pathetic sci-fi geek to really like this show. Now, back to the lab, Poindexter.
Extras
11 p.m. Sundays on HBO.
Genius. Seriously, that's the best word to describe Ricky Gervais, who created this as a follow-up to the equally brilliant original version of The Office. It's the tale of Andy Millman (Gervais), a wannabe actor who can't quite catch on (thus the title - his and his friends' usual form of employment). This season he has tasted success with a TV show - with results that predictably turn sour. Hasn't been so much fun to watch someone squirm since George Costanza got engaged. Lots of big-name guests; check out David Bowie's hilarious musical filleting of Andy on YouTube.
The Naked Trucker & T-Bones
11:30 p.m. Wednesdays on Comedy Central (repeated often).
In truth, the TV show isn't nearly as funny as watching these guys - David Koechner and Dave "Gruber" Allen - perform live. But you at least get a glimpse of their weird act, with Koechner (T-Bones) and Allen (Trucker) as a couple of misfits riding around the country, telling bizarre tales, singing twisted country songs and introducing film clips, which, alas, aren't quite so funny. But these guys are vets; Koechner, in particular, often gets off a knee-weakening bit. And the sight of Allen wearing only his guitar is, well, unusual to say the least.
Countdown With Keith Olbermann
6 p.m. weeknights on MSNBC (repeated at 10p.m.).
If you're interested in politics, you've probably caught some of Olbermann's "special comments" on YouTube of late, in which he dismantles President Bush and his policies, so far the only literate public commentator to do so. He also takes on Fox News, which is good for his ratings. But don't let the newfound attention take away from the show's big draw, which is Olbermann's take on the day's top stories. You won't laugh like you do at The Daily Show (another show I'm just assuming is a must on your list), but you'll learn more.
Slings & Arrows
Premieres at 8 p.m. Feb. 18 on the Sundance Channel.
It's like Molson beer - a Canadian import, though in this case a lot more satisfying. The show is about a Shakespeare festival and the people behind it - the same way The Office is about a paper company. As co-creator Mark McKinney (formerly of Kids in the Hall) put it recently, "We do comedy with a K. That's important." They're also smart with a . . . well, an S, I guess. Sorry. They're the comics. This season: They tackle - or get tackled by - King Lear. Can't wait.
The State Within
Premieres at 9 p.m. Feb. 17 on BBC America.
A plane on its way to England from Washington explodes. A terrorist attack? Or something else? Jason Isaacs and Sharon Gless - yes, Cagney of Cagney & Lacey - star as the British ambassador and U.S. secretary of Defense, respectively. Plenty of twists and turns and cool British accents. American networks have pretty much given up on the sweeps miniseries. If they made more like this, maybe they wouldn't have.
Sit Down Comedy With David Steinberg
10 p.m. Feb. 21 on TV Land.
Not a lot of bigger names in comedy than the guest on this night - Jerry Seinfeld (though one of the few, Jon Stewart, visits in March). If you've never seen Sit Down Comedy, this is a perfect time to start. It's just Steinberg chatting with a comic in front of an audience, an age-old format, but it's especially effective here. Because Steinberg is a comic himself, he's relaxed and knowledgeable; for the same reasons, the comics are, as well. Imagine Inside the Actors Studio without all the bootlicking and pained expressions. And a lot more laughs.
http://www.azcentral.com/ent/tv/articles/0201goody0201.html
Fredfa,
Still watching Studio 60? I'm pretty sure I gave up on it this week.
Al Shing
02-01-07, 02:22 PM
All of those drama pilots sound just like a show that is already on, or was cancelled within the last 5 years.
A show about an ex-priest chasing demons = Miracles
A show about a time traveller going into the past to fix things = Heroes
etc...
All of those drama pilots sound just like a show that is already on, or was cancelled within the last 5 years.
A show about an ex-priest chasing demons = Miracles
A show about a time traveller going into the past to fix things = Heroes
etc...
Not to the mention the one with the vampire who is a PI and falls in love with a human woman = Angel
Fredfa,
Still watching Studio 60? I'm pretty sure I gave up on it this week.
Yes, still watching. But this week was about the poorest episode so far IMO..
It has moved from a show I can't wait to see (even watching it on the SD east coast feed) to one I see whenever I get to it -- in this week's case last night.
TV Notebook
MNTV Switches Tactics
Unveils Revamped Spring Schedule
By Jim Benson Broadcasting & Cable 2/1/2007
New MyNetworkTV President Greg Meidel Thursday unveiled a new spring schedule starting March 8, which includes sports, movies, two nights of telenovelas—down from six—and one special, to help the ratings-challenged netlet gain some traction.
The line-up will include the anticipated debut of International Fight League’s Total Impact, as well as two nights of back to back telenovela-inspired episodes from the third 13-week installment. The new dramas, American Heiress and Saints & Sinners, are already in production.
Meidel has scrapped telenovela recaps on Saturdays in favor of Total Impact reruns.
The changes will follow the additions of Thursday and Friday MyMovie nights, which will also debut on March 8 with The Rundown,” starring The Rock. Rocky IV is also on the schedule.
In making the announcement, Meidel said, “The face of MyNetworkTV is changing and this new lineup is filled with a variety of choices that allows us to expand our programming to a wider audience and generate momentum and excitement for the network.”
It was also announced that The World Music Awards will be presented on Saturday, March 10.
Here is the schedule (all times are Eastern).
Mondays
8-10 p.m. --- International Fight League’s Total Impact
Tuesdays
8-10 p.m. --- American Heiress
Wednesdays
8-10 p.m. --- Saints & Sinners
Thursdays
8-10 p.m. --- My Thursday Night Movie
Fridays
8-10 p.m. --- My Friday Night Movie
Saturdays
8-10 p.m. --- Encore presentation of International Fight League’s Total Impact
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6412643.html?display=Breaking+News
The Digital Revolution
Survey Finds Majority of Americans Remain Unaware of DTV Transition
(Association of Public Television Stations news release)
WASHINGTON—January 31, 2007—The majority of U.S. households that receive their television signals over the air are still unaware of the digital TV transition even though an estimated 22 million over-the-air homes need to make some kind of digital decision by February 17, 2009, according to a Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) survey.
The bulk of the survey participants—61 percent—had no idea that the DTV transition was taking place. Ten percent said they had limited awareness, while 25 percent said they were somewhat aware or very aware. While some respondents were aware of the digital transition, 53 percent had no idea when analog transmissions were scheduled to be turned off.
In order for the DTV transition to be successful, consumers must be well-informed and primed to adapt successfully to the new technology. This cannot occur unless there is a comprehensive, coordinated national consumer outreach effort. Therefore, APTS is urging Congress to designate targeted funding for consumer outreach on the switch from analog to digital. During APTS Capitol Hill Day 2007 February 13-14 more than 200 executives and volunteer board members of local Public Television stations are scheduled to ask Congress to recognize Public Television’s unique outreach ability in the community and provide funding for those efforts.
“There are more than 21 million U.S. households that get their TV exclusively free and over the air, and we know these homes are heavy viewers of Public Television,” APTS President and CEO John Lawson said. “That puts us, working with our partners, in a strong position to provide information about the digital transition to the people who need it most.”
APTS is spearheading a coalition of trade and interest groups to compete for the $5 million Congress set aside for consumer education in last year’s DTV transition bill. The diverse group includes the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, Consumer Electronics Association, American Library Association and Women Involved in Farm Economics. In addition, APTS is now a part of the DTV Transition Coalition, a separate but related effort led by the National Association of Broadcasters.
What to Opt For
The need for vigorous outreach efforts is evident when looking at analog consumers’ attitudes and awareness toward their options for digital TV reception after the transition. Roughly 45 percent of respondents to APTS’ survey said they will either “do nothing” or “don’t know” what option they will take to obtain digital signals. Nineteen percent will purchase a converter box, 17 percent are likely to sign up for cable TV service, and 9 percent will sign up for satellite TV. Another 9 percent indicated they would buy a digital television set so that they can continue to receive over-the-air broadcasts.
The survey also found that at least 38 percent of analog households would “definitely not” or “probably not” select a particular video service provider if they didn’t offer Public Television channels after the DTV transition. This suggests that the lack of Public Television offerings by video providers will cause a serious barrier to these analog households in choosing cable or satellite to receive digital television.
The survey results are based on an overall sample of 2,000 U.S. households conducted in the third quarter of 2006. Approximately 19 percent of these households said they receive television programming solely over the air – not having a subscription to either cable TV or satellite TV services. The survey was conducted for APTS by research firm ICR, Media, Pa.
http://www.apts.org/news/DTVSURVEY.cfm
Mediacom's Commisso Fires Back
The dueling press releases continue.
Yesterday it was Sinclair's turn to tell members of Congress how they felt (see this AVS post (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=9643741&&#post9643741)). Today, Mediacom CEO Rocco Commisso issued his blunt response (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=98270&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=956981&highlight=).
"I am not surprised by Sinclair's arrogance in lecturing the leadership of the Senate Commerce Committee, including Senator Inouye, who was the principal sponsor of the retransmission consent provision in the 1992 Cable Act, on the meaning of that provision," Commisso said in today's release. "Sinclair's letter was typical of the 'we're untouchable' attitude that David Smith, Sinclair's CEO, has exhibited in all his dealings with Mediacom and the FCC."
By contrast, Commisso said the FCC does, in fact, have "the authority to take action to ensure that broadcasters do not use television viewers as pawns in their retransmission consent negotiations."
"While Sinclair's stock has gone up 50% in the past 4 months, the period in which the dispute with Mediacom has been public, enriching [Sinclair CEO] David Smith and his family, two million viewers in smaller and rural markets, many of them low income, have been left without access to Sinclair's stations," Commisso said. "In contrast to Smith's 'let them eat cake' attitude, Mediacom has provided, at no cost, tens of thousands of rabbit ear antennas to help members of the viewing public regain access to Sinclair's stations. However, many viewers are unable, even with such an antenna, to receive a good quality signal from Sinclair's UHF stations and need the improved quality provided by Mediacom's fiber optic broadband network in order to enjoy their television viewing."
Commisso also called on the FCC to stop Sinclair from using what he calls "abusive and flagrantly discriminatory tactics" in the dispute, including what he calls a "bounty payment" arrangement with DirecTV. And he said that if Sinclair's interpretation of the retransmission consent law is correct, Congress should change the law.
He also called for action before this Sunday's Super Bowl, but according to Sinclair's list, it appears that viewers of only one station -- KGAN in Cedar Rapids -- will be affected. And even there, viewers in the southern and extreme eastern portions of the market have access to overlapping CBS stations through Mediacom.
Click here (http://phx.corporate-ir.net/phoenix.zhtml?c=98270&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=956981&highlight=) to see Mediacom's press release.
What a scattershot press release.
Mediacom really is scraping the nottom of the barrel.
I am hoping they don't have any CBS or Fox O&Os in their markets. If so,those viuewers better get ready for alternate programming sources.
I am no fan of Sinclair, but its position has been clear for years, and it has stuck to it. (And for those of us with long HD memories, it fought -- starting in the 1980s! -- for the best HD possible. It's tech guru, Mark Aitken is acknowledged to be among the savviest HD pros around.)
Sinclair finally got a deal done with Time Warner, just extended the deadline with Comcast, and is in the vanguard of the future: stations will be paid for retransmission.
Mediacom on the other hand.....
TV Notebook
MyNetworkTV Shuffles Schedule
By John Consoli MediaWeek Feb. 1, 2007
MyNetworkTV will alter its prime time programming schedule beginning Thursday, March 8, by cutting back on its nightly soap operas, and adding mixed martial arts competition on one night, and movies on two nights.
International Fight League’s Total Impact will air on Mondays from 8-10 p.m. Soap opera American Heiress will air on Turesday from 8-10 p.m. And soap Saints & Sinners will air Wednesday from 8-10 p.m. Movies will run on Thursday and Friday nights from 8-10 p.m. And Saturday, currently a night for repeat/catch up airings of the nightly soap operas, will now see a repeat presentation of Total Impact.
Among the movies scheduled to air are The Rundown, starring The Rock, and Rocky IV, starring Sylvester Stallone.
“The face of MyNetworkTV is changing and this new lineup is filled with a variety of choices that allows us to expand our programming to a wider audience and generate momentum and excitement for the network,” said Greg Meidel, president of the network.
The current soap operas, Wicked Wicked Games and Watch Over Me, have been generated tiny household ratings in the 0.5-0.6 range, each airing five nights a week for one hour with original episodes.
http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003540867
Critic’s Notebook
PBS moves Burns epic back a week;
tells crix, "OK, OK, we get it!"
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn”
We actually groaned, we critics did, earlier this month, when PBS president Paula Kerger broke the news that "The War," Ken Burns' latest doc-tacular, would be airing in the teeth of fall network premieres, starting Sept. 16.
But the network has relented, and in a letter to critics today, informed us that "The War" will begin instead one week later, on Sept. 23, when it won't have to compete with every network program in creation for cover space in the nation's newspapers and magazines.
Here was the actual exchange between Kerger and crix at the TCA tour. The transcriber does not record the loud, anguished reaction by many in the room when the date was announced.
QUESTION: To follow up on that, Paula, right here. Is it
possible you might run it before the commercial season
starts; for instance, in the first couple of weeks in
September, as opposed to right hard against premiere week of
the commercial network?
PAULA KERGER: I think we're looking at the 17th [sic], is when
we're going to run it.
QUESTION: Not a good idea. Not a good idea. Difficult to
write about.
PAULA KERGER: I understand.
QUESTION: Perhaps this discussion might encourage you to
change that.
PAULA KERGER: Thank you for sharing.
Later, the questions persisted, so PBS chief content officer — that's his title — John Boland stepped up to the mic and explained further:
It's actually Sunday the 16th for four nights -- Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday -- and then the following Sunday for three nights: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday. That Wednesday it begins to air weekly for seven consecutive weeks on Wednesday night. The weekend after that it's stacked on Saturday and Sunday. ... We'll also be offering it video on demand on cable. There may be some streaming of the episodes online. And it's going to be available in home video immediately. ... Yes, we know there's a lot going on on television, but we frankly think in this particular case this is the most important thing that's going on.
The problem, as Boland must have surely realized, was that that was not his call to make, and that PBS depends mightily on the nation's newspapers — who superserve the older demographic who make up the lion’s share of the PBS donor base — to get the word out. What is public TV going to do, guerrilla marketing on heavily-trafficked bridges? (Actually, that might be kinda fun ... right up until Congress revokes its budget.)
So today, we got a letter from Boland which began, "It was great to see you at press tour," yeah right, and continued,
“In setting the official broadcast schedule for THE WAR, we took a number of factors into consideration, including your important concerns. I’m happy to report that we have set the premiere for Sunday, September 23, a week later than the preliminary date that we discussed in PBS’ executive session. ... Luckily all of the “stars” aligned. Ken reports that with the new date THE WAR will premiere on the 17th anniversary of THE CIVIL WAR debut – to the minute.”
The 14-hour epic about World War II is told from the point of view of four American towns that sent their boys to fight. The two-minute trailer we saw looked fantastic, and a colleague, who's seen two hours, says it's even fantasticker than that.
I'm not the world's biggest Ken Burns fan. And actually, I'm not all that proud that it took a roomful of hostile critics to convince PBS, for once, not to self-destructively schedule something during commercial TV's biggest week. But I think this film deserves better, and for once, it got it, however marginally.
http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2007/01/pbs_moves_burns.html#more
dad1153
02-01-07, 03:31 PM
Yes, still watching [Studio 60]. But this week was about the poorest episode so far IMO...
I'm in 'till the bitter end. Even second-rate Sorkin is still entertaining, but 'Studio 60' and 'FNL' are like the left/right sides of the brain and NBC can't really afford to keep both of them going while with a straight face keep laying people off. Making NBC-U 2.0 cost-cutting measures seem fair demands of NBC executives that both these expensive, low-rated shows be axed after the end of the season. If one show has to go I'm hoping 'Studio 60' is spared and 'FNL' gets the axe but wouldn't be surprised if its the other way around; Fred and others share the same feeling but in reverse (spare 'FNL' and the hell with 'Studio 60'). Like the country we live in we'll be divided, angry and depressed when our side loses or viceversa. And this is only television, imagine if this were "The Real World."
jim tressler
02-01-07, 03:41 PM
i do not have a problem with what mlb and directv want to do.. directv is available to almost all households in the usa - so if its such a big deal to you - you can still get the product.. I could see people being pissed if it went to say time warner exclusively.. then a lot of the country is blocked from getting it.. last time I checked, a package like this was not gaurenteed to anyone - its by choice only.
jim
Washington Notebook
Kerry to Question Proposed DirecTV-MLB Deal
By R. Thomas Umstead MultiChannel News 1/31/2007
A former presidential candidate plans to take his swings against the proposed DirecTV-Major League Baseball out-of-market package agreement.
Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) intends to question Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin about the pending $700 million deal between the direct-broadcast satellite provider and the league that would provide DirecTV with exclusive rights to baseball’s Extra Innings live-game package. The deal would shut out cable subscribers from purchasing the $179 package, which provides hundreds of live out-of-market baseball games.
Martin will appear Thursday in front of the Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, of which Kerry is a member.
“I am opposed to anything that deprives people of reasonable choices. In this day and age, consumers should have more choices, not fewer,” Kerry said in a prepared statement. “I’d like to know how this serves the public -- a deal that will force fans to subscribe to DirecTV in order to tune in to their favorite players. A Red Sox fan ought to be able to watch their team without having to switch to DirecTV.”
Representatives from DirecTV and MLB could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, cable executives close to the negotiations said the industry has not been notified by baseball that it’s out of the running to secure rights to the package.
The industry, through In Demand, offered to carry the package for $70 million per year on a nonexclusive basis, according to executives close to In Demand. The sticking point has been cable’s unwillingness to provide mass distribution for baseball’s 24-hour linear channel, expected to launch in 2009, according to Sports Business Journal.
The proposed deal has been slammed by several sports-media writers and bloggers, who claimed that MLB is hurting fans by stealing the package from cable.
http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6412251
I'm in 'till the bitter end. Even second-rate Sorkin is still entertaining, but 'Studio 60' and 'FNL' are like the left/right sides of the brain and NBC can't really afford to keep both of them going while with a straight face keep laying people off. Making NBC-U 2.0 cost-cutting measures seem fair demands of NBC executives that both these expensive, low-rated shows be axed after the end of the season. If one show has to go I'm hoping 'Studio 60' is spared and 'FNL' gets the axe but wouldn't be surprised if its the other way around; Fred and others share the same feeling but in reverse (spare 'FNL' and the hell with 'Studio 60'). Like the country we live in we'll be divided, angry and depressed when our side loses or viceversa. And this is only television, imagine if this were "The Real World."
Actually, I still enjoy Studio 60 -- by no means do I feel the hell with it. I'd prefer NBC save them both. But if only one stays, my preference would be FNL.
Maybe Sorkin needs to recharge his batteries and come up with something that seems different.
shuttermaker
02-01-07, 04:13 PM
Sinclair finally got a deal done with Time Warner, just extended the deadline with Comcast, and is in the vanguard of the future: stations will be paid for retransmission.
Did I miss a post? what is the new deadline between Sinclair and Comcast?
The Business of TV
Comcast Gets Sinclair Retrans Extension
By Linda Moss MultiChannel News 1/31/2007
Comcast received a retransmission-consent extension to continue carrying Sinclair Broadcast Group TV stations until March 1, the end of the February sweep period.
The nation’s largest cable company, which is in the midst of negotiating a retransmission-consent deal with Sinclair, earlier this month sent out notices to subscribers in cities where it has out-of-market Sinclair stations that it might lose those signals as early as Feb. 5.
Under Federal Communications Commission rules, Comcast couldn’t drop Sinclair’s stations in February, one of the sweeps periods when viewership is used to set ad rates.
But Comcast subscribers who are considered out-of-market aren’t covered by the FCC prohibition, which is why the cable operator would have been able to drop Sinclair’s signals in those areas in February.
But now Sinclair granted Comcast an extension to continue carrying all of its stations -- in-market and out-of-market -- until March 1.
The cable operator has just begun sending notices out to its subscribers at systems with in-market Sinclair stations that they may lose those signals March 1.
The Sinclair-Comcast negotiations involve roughly 3 million subscribers in markets such as Pittsburgh; Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minn.; Nashville, Tenn.; Richmond, Va.; and Tampa. Fla.
http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6412272.html?display=Breaking+News
Washington Notebook
FCC Commissioners Meet The Senate
Prepared statements
Today all five FCC Commssioners appeared before the full Senate Commerce Committee at a Hearing on Accessing the Communications Marketplace: A View From the FCC.
All have prepared statements which are available at:
http://www.fcc.gov/
Washington Notebook
FCC Commissioners Meet The Senate
Chairman Martin on a la carte
All five FCC Commssioners spoke today before thew Senate Commerce Committee.
In his prepared remarks, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin made it clear that in the face of soaring cable bills, a la carte is a price remedy he strongly favors.
“…While consumers have enormous choice among channels, they have little control over how many channels they are able to buy. For those who want to receive 100 channels or more, today’s most popular cable packages may be a good value. But according to Nielson, most viewers watch fewer then two dozen channels. For them, the deal isn’t as good.
The cost of basic cable services have gone up at a disproportionate rate – 38% between 2000 and 2005 – when compared against other communications sectors. The average price of the expanded basic cable package, the standard cable package, almost doubled between 1995 and 2005, increasing by 93%. The increase in cable prices appears even more dramatic when viewed relative to the prices for a number of other communications services: prices for long distance, international, and wireless telephone service have all decreased dramatically during this same timeframe…”
http://www.fcc.gov/
Washington Notebook
LULAC Criticizes Martin on À La Carte
By John Eggerton Broadcasting & Cable 2/1/2007
The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) was quick to criticize FCC Chairman Kevin Martin for his continued advocacy of cable à la carte, in this case during a Senate Commerce Committee oversight hearing Thursday, saying his "dogmatic pursuit" of the issue could be disastrous.
"While consumers have enormous choice among channels, they have little control over how many channels they are able to buy," Martin told the legislators. "For those who want to receive 100 channels or more, today’s most popular cable packages may be a good value. But according to Nielson, most viewers watch fewer then two dozen channels. For them, the deal isn’t as good."
Martin also cited the 93% rise in cable prices between 1995 and 2005, a figure the cable industry continues to point out does not take into account the boom in channels and other services that go into that rising figure.
Martin has pushed The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) was quick to criticize FCC Chairman Kevin Martin for his continued advocacy of cable à la carte as a way to reduce cable prices and to give parents more control over content they don't want in their homes.
The cable industry argues that à la carte is not only an unworkable business model--like forcing newspapers to sell their sports sections individually--but would threaten the survival of niche services that would not get sufficiently sampled if not bundled with must-see cable nets like ESPN.
LULAC Executive Director Brent Wilkes agrees. “Mr. Martin’s dogmatic pursuit of per-channel charge regulations for cable TV would be disastrous for American consumers," he said in a statement after the hearing, "ringing in a new era of higher prices and less program diversity."
"Minority and niche programmers rely on the expanded basic cable bundle to attract viewers and advertising revenue," said Wilkes, "and almost every expert – the GAO, Booz Allen, CRS, and even the FCC – has shown that the policies Mr. Martin promotes would raise prices on consumers, including the middle-class and Hispanic consumers for which LULAC advocates.”
A study produced under FCC Chairman Michael Powell concluded that the à la carte model was unfeasible, but Martin commissioned his own study that refuted that assertion.
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6412790
TV Notebook
Satellite Explosion won’t slow HD for DirecTV
According to James Hibberd’s HDTV Newsletter at Television Week:
"...DirecTV said the first of its planned satellite launches-a ground-based launch-will be sufficient to carry out its HD expansion plans for this year. The second satellite, which was supposed to be through Sea Launch, will likely be delayed....”
http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=566
TV Notebook
TBS tries to quell Boston bomb hoax hubbub
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Feb 2, 2007
NEW YORK -- Turner Broadcasting System on Thursday tried to quell a firestorm of controversy in Boston, a day after a guerrilla marketing campaign for a cable network was mistaken for a terrorist plot to bomb the Hub.
Two local men appeared in court Thursday to answer charges that they placed "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" light-box ads in 40 locations. But city and state officials vowed that they would go even further, seeking to make Turner Broadcasting pay for the nearly 10 hours of chaos that disrupted traffic, closed bridges and roadways and put the city onto a terror alert. The bill could total in the tens of millions of dollars.
Turner Broadcasting System chairman and CEO Phil Kent was holed up in his Atlanta office, dealing with the fallout from the marketing campaign that was placed for weeks in 10 cities but only caused a commotion in Boston. Kent spoke to Boston Mayor Tom Menino on Wednesday night and again Thursday to apologize for the incident. Menino is quoted as saying that an apology isn't enough although a Turner spokeswoman declined to discuss what was said during the call.
"We're doing everything in our power as a responsible company to do what's right," said Turner spokeswoman Shirley Powell. No other executives from Turner or Time Warner would talk about the incident Thursday.
Powell said the Adult Swim marketing department approved the campaign to promote "Aqua Teen Hunger Force," a late-night animated series with a target demographic of young adult males. Adult Swim executives chose the cities and left it to its guerrilla marketer, Interference Inc. of New York, to carry it out in very specific neighborhoods. Promoting the show was the only objective, Turner said.
"The big misperception is that we intended to create some kind of hoax," Powell said. "That couldn't be further from the truth. This was never intended or designed as a marketing stunt to create fear." Powell said that Turner would never have done it if it felt it was dangerous or could foresee what happened in Boston.
But a lawyer whose firm represents a lot of marketing communications companies says that his firm advises clients to make sure that the guerrilla marketing campaigns don't run afoul of laws that involve criminal mischief, graffiti or unlawful posting on public property. Joseph Lewczak, a partner at Davis & Gilbert in New York City, thinks that Turner could have been smarter about the way they handled the campaign, particularly one that had a less-than-innocuous look to it to some people's way of thinking.
"You always have to be careful about any type of guerrilla marketing campaign. It's just knowing what that line is. It's a business judgment more than a legal judgment to find what's appropriate given ... the times we live in," Lewczak said.
He believes that Turner will end up being forced to pay authorities for their costs but said that individual or class-action lawsuits against probably won't fly. Neither will a clamoring in some corners to hold Turner executives liable.
"As far as the criminal charges against executives at Turner, I don't know how far they'll take that," Lewczak said.
Paul Sullivan, a print journalist who has a talk show on Boston's WBZ-AM, said that tempers don't seem to have cooled, particularly in the corridors of power at City Hall and the Statehouse.
"There is an outrage at the lack of understanding that a corporate group has about how irresponsible this was that crosses the political spectrum," Sullivan said Thursday. "Everybody around here seems to be unified about it. What kind of numbskull would have come out with this type of marketing campaign in a post-9/11 world?"
Sullivan said there's plenty of outrage about the perceived lack of seriousness on Turner's part in the initial stages where it took nearly 10 hours for word to filter to Boston that it was a marketing campaign gone awry. In that time, he said, "it was a real problem for those in Boston."
He doesn't think Turner gets how serious this was.
"I haven't heard any of the shame that should be the prerequisite response from Turner Broadcasting," Sullivan said.
http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3ia6d216174eb859454f99605293eb8511
TV Notebook
Rich Heldenfels “American Idol” podcast
Akron Beacon Journal TV critic Rich Heldenfels has filed his latest American Idol podcast with Beacon Journal music critic Malcolm X Abram. It is a fun listen and it is now available here:
http://www.ohiomm.com/podcasts/american_idol/070201_idol.mp3
Upcoming Premieres
(Updated February 1st, 2007)
[
The Tudors To be announced, SHO
This chart, (continually updated) can always be found in page three of this thread:
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/printthread.php?t=440744&p=4278280
Showtime shows "The Tudors" coming April 1st, no actual time that I could find.
http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/home.do?source=shocom_nav
The Tudors On Showtime - The Tudors Official Site
Critic’s Notebook
'Criminal Minds' snags the post-Super Bowl spot
(but will it trounce 'Grey's' 2006 MVP performance? )
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” February 1, 2007,
Last February, an explosion rocked the small screen.
At the conclusion of an enjoyably tense two-parter, “Grey’s Anatomy” blew up an emergency rescue worker played by Kyle Chandler.
It wasn’t just that Chandler’s character quite memorably exploded into pink mist (thanks to a bomb that had been lodged inside a patient’s body). The real fireworks surrounded the show itself. By airing the first half of that two-parter after last year’s Super Bowl, ABC launched “Grey’s” into the stratosphere.
On Feb. 5, 2006, thanks to the 38 million viewers who tuned in, a successful show became a monster hit.
In hopes of doing the same for one of its shows, CBS has given the choice post-Super Bowl slot to “Criminal Minds,” the Wednesday -night crime drama that has been a solid performer for the network since its debut in the fall of 2005.
How solid? Well, last November, “Minds” started beating media darling “Lost,” its fall time -slot competitor, in the ratings. In the course of doing so, the CBS drama boosted its always-respectable numbers by 26 percent, to 17 million viewers, a total that lodged the series comfortably in the Nielsen top 10.
Ed Bernero, the former Chicago cop who is the executive producer of “Minds,” says he hopes the post-Super Bowl exposure helps lift the profile of his show, which had been mostly ignored by the media - until it started beating “Lost.”
“I hope that there’s a segment of the country that thinks they know what the show is, and that they tune in and watch and find out they’re wrong, and find out that we’re more `X-Files’ than `CSI,’.” Bernero says.
Will viewers who don’t watch “Minds” want to give it a second chance? CBS’ decision to give the post-game spot to “Minds,” which stars another Chicago native, Mandy Patinkin, is a risky one. Sure, “Grey’s” was a smash last year, and “Friends” garnered a mind-boggling 53 million viewers when it aired after the big game in 1996.
But there are a number of notable fumbles in post-Super Bowl history as well. “Alias” got a weak 17.4 million viewers in 2003, and do you even remember what aired after the Super Bowl the year before that? (Note to trivia buffs: It was “Malcolm in the Middle.”)
Then there’s the question of what the TV audience wants to watch after kicking back with the big game. Last year, viewers went wild for the sexy doctors of “Grey’s Anatomy,” but will they want to spend their post-game time with the grimmer “Criminal Minds” crew, who rarely grin, let alone flirt and gossip?
TV Guide critic Matt Roush, for one, was left scratching his head. “I’m just disappointed that CBS didn’t give [`How I Met Your Mother’] the plum spot after the Super Bowl to be noticed by more people,” Roush wrote in a Dec. 8 online column.
One of CBS’ deserving Monday comedies, especially “How I Met Your Mother” or “The New Adventures of Old Christine” might have been a more logical (and lighthearted) choice for the post-game spotlight. But CBS appears to be enjoying the fact that, without much promotion or hype, “Criminal Minds” has been trouncing “Lost,” one of the jewels of a resurgent ABC lineup. The temptation to make “Minds” even more dominant against the island drama was apparently too much to resist.
And at a January presentation to the press, CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler brushed aside the idea that “Minds’.” post-game episode might be too dark. “Truth be told, they know their time period, and they’re sensitive to the content,” Tassler said. “But that hasn’t prevented them from telling a great story. It’s scary.”
The scary story, which features “Dawson’s Creek” alum James Van Der Beek as a guest star, concerns a couple that is found dead after a Super Bowl party; a video connected to the killing is soon posted online.
Bernero says the story idea grew from the online popularity of everything from YouTube star lonelygirl15 to footage of Saddam Hussein’s hanging.
“I think it’s a dangerous place we’re going to, where nobody knows what’s real anymore,” Bernero says. “Everything is entertainment.”
For the “Minds” agents, finding who posted the videos turns out to be dangerous work. “By the end of the first part, we know who the bad guy is, and several of our agents are in danger,” Bernero notes.
But danger’s part of the deal for the Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) headed by Patinkin’s character, Jason Gideon. And given the show’s rise in the ratings, viewers apparently can’t get enough of the serial killers and other bad guys on “Criminal Minds,” which even Bernero says isn’t for the whole family.
“Quite frankly, this is not a show for children,” Bernero says, “even though we don’t show much violence.”
It’s true. “Minds” is not much concerned with the physical gore of crime but with the sicker corners of the human mind - and the methods used by BAU agents to shine a light on those dark places.
“We have almost no procedure,” Bernero says. “Even at its most procedural, it’s all about the [team] trying to discover things about the character of the person committing the crimes.”
As for Bernero, at this point he’s a victim of a rather frantic holiday season - one made less relaxed by the news that his show would follow the Super Bowl. According to Bernero, Leslie Moonves, CEO of CBS Corp., decided over a December weekend that of the various CBS shows in contention, “Minds” would be the one to air after the big game.
“They called me just after we had finished planning the rest of the season” in mid-December, Bernero says. The two-parter, the first part of which features cameos from CBS Sports’ Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, “was written over the next couple of days. It all happened incredibly quickly.”
After the mad rush of getting the post-Super Bowl episodes ready, Bernero is looking to chill out at the game with his father (“Minds” actor Shemar Moore will also attend the game).
“I don’t know many people going to Miami to relax,” Bernero says. “It’s madness, but it’ll be a madness I can just observe and enjoy.”
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/02/criminal_minds_.html#more
Showtime shows "The Tudors" coming April 1st, no actual time that I could find.
http://www.sho.com/site/tudors/home.do?source=shocom_nav
The Tudors On Showtime - The Tudors Official Site
Thanks, Jim. I'll make the correction.
Critic’s Notebook
Letterman at 25
A Quarter Century of Late Night
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn” Feb 01, 2007
Tonight's the night David Letterman marks a quarter century as a late-night talk show host.
How's it been? And how long can it last?
In a wide-ranging conversation, Mark Evanier and I consider Dave and his long trek from stunt talk-show host to broadcasting icon.
Listen here:
http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/files/TVBP10.mp3
http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/
Critic’s Notebook
David Letterman celebrates 25 years tonight
All hail the king
By Tim Goodman San Francisco Chronicle in his TV blog “The Bastard Machine” Thursday, February 01, 2007
David Letterman, this country's best late night talk show host by a good, long, measure, will celebrate his 25th anniversary tonight, with special guest Bill Murray, who was Letterman's first guest on his NBC late night show in 1982, then his first guest again when Letterman switched to CBS in 1993. Typical of Letterman, this whole thing has been pretty low-key. He's not a spotlight guy. Never has been.
What he is, which bears repeating about every five years when people either forget or naturally take him for granted, is the best thing going in late night talk. It's always been this way. Now, I'm a huge fan of Tom Snyder. I think his show was some of the best talk on television - late or early - anyone has seen. What is currently available on DVD featuring Snyder and his show are essential for any collection. And in the current environment, I love both Conan O'Brien and Jimmy Kimmel.
No need to discuss. He's the king.
But it's always been about Letterman. He modernized late night talk. He's done it with more originality, less concern about his corporate owners (either NBC or CBS) and without the nauseating fawning others are prone to display with their guests. You shouldn't need to think hard about which host (or even hosts) that might include. I've written a lot about Letterman and I've always considered him one of those people you don't need to mention very often. It goes without saying that he's the best, that you should be watching and what he means to television as a whole. And yet, sometimes it needs to be said out loud anyway.
I will keep this relatively brief and mostly current. What I've enjoyed most about Letterman (outside of seeing him live in both San Francisco and New York) is how he's changed in front of our eyes. (The YouTube link below is a quick reminder of some of the early years and more can be found randomly on the site.) In this recent vintage of Letterman, we've seen him nurse New York (and by extension, the country) out of the shock of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11; come back from his heart woes, become a father, consider and reject retirement (in private, of course) and perform, behind the scenes, one of the coolest and most gracious acts of honoring an icon that I can remember - keeping in touch with Johnny Carson and using Carson's jokes in his monologue. Again, it's not said enough because we take him for granted, but it's a real blessing for television to have Letterman.
On a personal note, anyone who has read my stuff consistently through the years knows that I have no special affinity for celebrities. I am not starstruck, almost never interview stars and mostly don't care what they do in their private lives (which seems to be such an obsession for so many people). My job brings me in contact with celebrities and news people periodically and I've always considered it just part of the deal - a deal that stipulates I keep a distance. The person you dine with one night might be the person you slice up and serve for dinner in your next column. But hey, if you can meet a few people you honestly like and enjoy their company - great. Mostly it's just work. (OK, once I stumbled into Halle Berry at the Ritz in Pasadena and felt slightly happier than normal for 48 hours and there have been a few other memorable moments where I've thought, "Wow, that's Person X and he/she is right here chatting/eating/drinking with me. Things could be worse.") But I do hold onto two artifacts like they were gold - both brief letters from Letterman. The first is especially important because he sent it after I wrote a column about him in the Contra Costa Times, the suburban East Bay newspaper where I started the TV beat from scratch and often had to tell people in Hollywood - or New York - that no, we weren't the newspaper of the Contras. In those days, I felt like I was writing in a vacuum. So it was nice to get the Letterman note. I think it also came at a time when most critics were writing him off. Clearly, a mistake.
I'll be watching tonight. It's just a given. And it's always nice to know he's going to be around for another anniversary. At least that's what I hope and what television surely needs.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/indexn?blogid=24
Nielsen Media Research Super Bowl XLI Notes
General Information
Fox, as expected, led the midweek troops by epic proportions on the strength of Bones and American Idol. Bones opened the evening with a healthy – and dominant – 12.56 million viewers and a 4.3 rating/11 share among adults 18-49, building in the second half-hour by a noticeable 1.62 million viewers (11.75 to 13.37 million) and 18 percent among adults 18-49 (3.9/10 to 4.6/12). That could be, no doubt, a reflection of what you would call the American Idol pre tune-in factor.
As the NFL prepares for Super Bowl XLI on February 4 in Miami, Nielsen has combined data on television ratings, advertising expenditures, Internet measurement, album sales, box-office receipts, consumer and lifestyle information of NFL fans in Indianapolis and Chicago, NFL merchandise and retail sales, consumer segmentation and marketing, and comprehensive market research for an in-depth analysis of one of the world's biggest sporting events. Among the findings:
• Chicago Bears and Indianapolis Colts sports merchandise have seen a dramatic rise in retail sales this year.
• More women are drawn to the Indianapolis Colts than the Chicago Bears. Data show that 59% of Indianapolis women are Colts fans, vs. 46% of Chicago women who are Bears fans.
• The 2006 Super Bowl was the highest rated TV show of the year, attracting more than 90 million U.S. viewers.
• The cost for a 30-second TV advertisement reached an all-time high in 2006, while traditional advertiser categories continued to dominate the broadcast.
• Super Bowl advertisers in 2006 saw a sharp increase in visits to their web sites following the big game.
• Album sales of the Super Bowl halftime performers soared in the week following their appearance in the halftime show.
• Box office figures continue to plunge on Super Bowl Sunday.
• Sales of soft drinks, beer and chips rise significantly before the Super Bowl.
• Source: Nielsen Media Research data
i do not have a problem with what mlb and directv want to do.. directv is available to almost all households in the USA - so if its such a big deal to you - you can still get the product.. I could see people being pissed if it went to say time Warner exclusively.. then a lot of the country is blocked from getting it.. last time I checked, a package like this was not guaranteed to anyone - its by choice only.
Jim
You premise is not quite true. I live in condo and cannot have a dish. Exclusive use is the key to having a dish in a condo. Many who live in apartments have the same problem. No exposure to the proper sky is another problem. Tall trees or hills/mountains is another dish problem. So many of us cannot have Directv.
MLB EI has been on cable for several years. I have bought it every year and watch a lot of baseball. OK I buy the hockey package and ESPN Game Plan also. I am a sports junkie. Now that I am retired and live 7 hours from the nearest MLB park MLB wants to take my link to the game away. There is more to the issue than just being able to have a dish. I hope Kerry made his points and MLB will stay with cable.
Am I wrong, or hasn't Letterman been in reruns all week? Airing a new show on a Thursday night, an anniversary show, in the midst of reruns doesn't seem that bright to me. If it hadn't been for your post on it I wouldn't even have thought about tunning in figuring it was just more of the same.
Washington Notebook
New Congress Seeks to Scrutinize FCC
By Ira Teinowitz Television Week February 1, 2007
Members of Federal Communications Commission making their first appearance before the new Congress got a strong warning that they aren't sufficiently assuring that broadcasters operate in the public interest. Now that Democrats are in charge, their actions will be drawing more scrutiny.
"Commercial television is the worse shape I've ever seen. I barely watch it. I hope my children don't," said Sen. Jay R