Regarding the earlier (thankfully brief and good humored) discussion about TV shows and how people who don't like the programs WE like must be not too smart, or culturally deprived, or somehow beneath our level of sophistication.

I find such arguments pretty silly. They mirror the "debates" in the tech sections of AVS, where people who do or don't have specific brands or screen sizes or audio systems fight all the time about their own preferences as if one person's taste has somehow become a holy grail.

If we were searching for culture, for the meaning of life, or for some sort of higher consciousness, it seeems to me we wouldn't be watching a lot of TV.

So let's take it for what it is worth: purely for its entertainment value. If it doesn't entertain you, fine. But there is no need to try to show our superiority by denegrating those who enjoy shows you don't. There must be far more important things to spend our efforts debating.

But there is no need to try to show our superiority by denegrating those who enjoy shows you don't. There must be far more important things to spend our efforts debating.

No there aren't! TV rulez!!! :o

Critic’s Notebook
Pro Bowl telecast usually drops the ball in ratings game
By Tom Dorsey Louisville Courier-Journal Saturday, February 10, 2007



http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20070210&Category=COLUMNISTS15&ArtNo=702100329&SectionCat=FEATURES07&Template=printart
And here's why " NOT IN HD, NOT GOING TO WATCH"
They can put golf and bull riding in HD but not the Pro Bowl... go figure...

Laters,
Mikef5

Because it is too expensive to get an HD trailer to Hawaii?

(And the ratings in past years, when HD wasn't a major -- or even no -- factor, were miniscule, too.)

The Business of Television
Commentary: Jeff Zucker’s First 100 Days
By J. Max Robins Broadcasting & Cable 2/12/2007

As Jeffrey Zucker was anointed the new CEO of NBC Universal at a town-hall meeting last week, his minions were no doubt listening carefully, noting each and every time Zucker and his boss, General Electric Chairman Jeffrey Immelt, name-checked senior NBCU brass.

After all, those shout-outs to USA Networks chief Bonnie Hammer; NBCU’s cable, digital and cross-network guru Jeff Gaspin; or NBCU TV West Coast President Marc Graboff may hold clues to who will be the winners and losers in the Zucker era.

Whatever Zucker does in making his first impression on the media giant, he’ll likely do it soon—as any new leader would in those initial 100 days before organizational entropy sets in. Look no further then Zucker’s former NBCU colleague David Zaslav, who took a hammer to Discovery Communications less than a month after taking the reins (see “Zaslav’s Vision for Growth,” p. 4).

The consensus is that Zucker will be true to the GE ethos of trying to wring profits from divisions while cutting their budgets. Imagine him turning his lieutenants upside down and shaking them until every last coin hits the floor.

But the real question is: Will Zucker be a company man or a visionary?

Consider some of his media counterparts. When Bob Iger took over at Disney after years of playing second fiddle to Chairman Michael Eisner, he quickly spruced up the Mouse House with watershed digital deals and reinvigorated programming over platforms from broadcast to broadband.

When Leslie Moonves became CEO of CBS, newly disentangled from Viacom, he made several strategic moves to put a new-media coat of paint on an old-media brand and watched his stock leap. (Moonves has expressed the desire before to have a film studio, and now that his rival Zucker has one, watch the CBS boss fulfill that dream.)

Even if Zucker does have the vision to bring some new-media luster to the Peacock, he’ll likely face some resistance from the stodgy ranks at GE. The new chief has some first-rate media and entertainment talent in key positions.

But, as one NBC vet joked last week, with all the GE veterans dug in throughout NBCU’s operations—from finance and new media to stations and sales—a discussion about programming can start to sound an awful lot like a number-crunching session at the aircraft engines division.

It’s hard to imagine Zucker turning to these guys for support at a time when smart, bold bets are needed to transform an old-media player into a new one. But he has a key patron in Immelt.

Remember, when outgoing NBCU chief Bob Wright took charge more than two decades ago after a stint running GE Financial Services, he seemed an unlikely candidate to create billions of dollars in value for a company venturing into a new-media play called cable—let alone preside over NBC during an enviably long run as the No. 1 broadcast network. But Immelt’s own predecessor, Jack Welch, invested his faith in Wright and guided him toward his long tenure.

Zucker is smart, infinitely ambitious and fiercely competitive, and he no doubt believes he has the Wright stuff—and then some—to transform NBCU as much as or more than the outgoing chairman did.

Immelt has already bet big on Zucker to be that guy. And with the GE chairman’s support, he just may make that major acquisition or strategic play that will be the gateway to growth.

But in these first 100 days, he’ll have to work hard to make his case heard over the roar of those GE engines.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6415589

Because it is too expensive to get an HD trailer to Hawaii?

(And the ratings in past years, when HD wasn't a major -- or even no -- factor, were miniscule, too.)
Actually, you're probably right but there just was a major increase in people buying HD capable tv's just to watch the last Super Bowl. You'd think that the networks would realize that maybe it's time to do these things in HD, sports is the driving factor in buying these HD sets, and maybe that would help with the dismal ratings that the Pro Bowl has been getting.

Laters,
Mikef5

Perhaps you are right, Mike.

Maybe ESPN, the Fox RSNs and the networks should figure out a way to share the cost of an HD trailer, and then shuttle it around the islands when necessary. But then, aside from a handful of golf and tennis tournaments and the University if Hawaii, what is there to broadcast in HD back to the mainland?

Perhaps we'll have to wait until the February 2009 DTV switchover -- maybe then one or more of the Hawaiian stations might have a truck.

By the way, I think more and more the driving force behind the HD explosion is the rapid decrease in prices and the growing acceptance by women of the quality of the picture.

Oprah's switch to HD (rumored for later this year) should help a bit in that regard, too!

Perhaps you are right, Mike.

Maybe ESPN, the Fox RSNs and the networks should figure out a way to share the cost of an HD trailer, and then shuttle it around the islands when necessary. But then, aside from a handful of golf and tennis tournaments and the University if Hawaii, what is there to broadcast in HD back to the mainland?

Perhaps we'll have to wait until the February 2009 DTV switchover -- maybe then one or more of the Hawaiian stations might have a truck.

By the way, I think more and more the driving force behind the HD explosion is the rapid decrease in prices and the growing acceptance by women of the quality of the picture.

Oprah's switch to HD (rumored for later this year) should help a bit in that regard, too!
I don't think there are enough events in Hawaii to support a truck right now. The demand for HD trucks outpaces the supply right now on the the mainland. Once the supply reaches the demand level I think we will see a HD truck for Hawaii. Right now there is just too much money to be made with a HD truck on the mainland to have a HD truck sit dark for long periods of the year.

however, I do think we will see ESPN do more events from Hawaii using a flypack and office trailers. Hopefully we will see a HD feed of the Maui Invite come next college basketball season.

The Business of Television
Commentary: Jeff Zucker’s First 100 Days
By J. Max Robins Broadcasting & Cable 2/12/2007.

Zucker is smart, infinitely ambitious and fiercely competitive, and he no doubt believes he has the Wright stuff—and then some—to transform NBCU as much as or more than the outgoing chairman did.

I was wondering why TV media/headline writers weren't using this pun in their stories about Zucker taking over Wright's post at NBC. The levy has broken, let the flood of 'Wright stuff' witticisms begin! :rolleyes:

Good points, homcom.

And here's why " NOT IN HD, NOT GOING TO WATCH"
They can put golf and bull riding in HD but not the Pro Bowl... go figure...

I'd wager it probably has a lot more to do with the fact that the game is meaningless, uncompetitive, and poorly scheduled.

Maybe they ought to move the pro bowl from Hawaii and have it in LA or San Diego then it'd be in HD for sure.

Critic’s Notebook
NBC News braces for new boss
Zucker's past choices offer mixed signals
By Brian Lowry Variety February 10, 2007

Is Jeff Zucker the guy to finally engineer a true overhaul of broadcast news -- for better or, more likely, worse?

Zucker's responsibilities as the newly anointed CEO of NBC Universal include movies, which is appropriate, inasmuch as GE's corporate baton-pass evoked ironic thoughts of two film titles: "Barbarians at the Gate" and "The Over-the-Hill Gang."

In this new version of "Barbarians," Zucker has been cast in the role of executioner, having already begun wielding an ax meant to slice $750 million out of NBC's budget, most coming from its news operations. The twist is that the former wonderboy "Today" producer once resided inside the gate, whose ivied walls have long protected TV news from infidels who would dramatically reshape its fiefdom.

Zucker is hardly the first to cite a need to reconsider TV news. CBS chairman Leslie Moonves, for example, made considerable noise about shaking up the hoary institution known as CBS News, only to be met with fierce resistance from newsies. He settled for placing the Eye net's news division under CBS Sports prexy Sean McManus and hiring Katie Couric, leading to changes in "The CBS Evening News" that have thus far proved mostly cosmetic.

Zucker, by contrast, approaches the task at hand with the credentials of having worked at NBC News. In that respect, think of him as Nixon in China: Just as it required a hawk to negotiate peace with a communist power, a news veteran should possess greater authority in addressing skittish news personnel as one of their own.

Despite his resume, however, Zucker is a pragmatist, and his penchant for news-lite values and quick fixes -- including plans to "super-size" "Today" to four hours -- offer little comfort to news purists.

In addition to cost reductions associated with the already-announced "NBC 2.0" campaign, the network is recycling the slick-but-sleazy sting operation "To Catch a Predator" and other crime-oriented fare on MSNBC. This "crime pays" message has spread throughout news, from NBC's "Dateline" to ABC's "20/20" to CBS' "48 Hours Mysteries."

Zucker promised on a conference call that further changes will occur as NBC adapts to meet the digital future. "We're never going to stop asking if we're correctly structured and properly set up," he said.

Yet while the days of sheltering news from bottom-line concerns are long since gone, it doesn't bode well for broadcast reporting if those divisions must toe the same financial line as other units. Crafting "stories" around bogeymen down the street, after all, is invariably far easier and cheaper than digging truths out of Washington, Europe and the Middle East.

To his credit, Zucker is unabashed in defending the news division's fluffier and more salacious efforts, which increasingly leave "The NBC Nightly News" as a lonely island of hard news. His customary response, in essence, is "Only dweeby TV critics worry about such things."

Just because he's probably right doesn't make the trend any less disquieting.

• • • • • • • • • • •

As for questions of age and "The Over-the-Hill Gang," Wright's step toward retirement at 63 -- with GE chairman Jeffrey Immelt installing a younger replacement in Zucker -- felt particularly strange juxtaposed against the Directors Guild of America's annual awards dinner.

Not only did Martin Scorsese, 64, and Walter Hill, 65, collect top honors at that event for "The Departed" and the AMC longform "Broken Trail," respectively, but 84-year-old emcee Carl Reiner masterfully continued his tradition as the evening's host.

Throw in septuagenarian Oscar nominees Peter O'Toole, Alan Arkin, Clint Eastwood and Judi Dench, and the rationale for a corporate mandate of a changing of the guard after 60 has seldom appeared more arbitrary and flawed.

Such policies hardly reflect the media world's present reality, where Rupert Murdoch and Sumner Redstone remain lions well into winter and Barry Diller just celebrated his 65th birthday. Nor is there much evidence to support the notion that younger execs possess an inherent advantage surfing new-media waves that, frankly, are unpredictable enough to subject anybody to a dousing now and again.

As a mere stripling of 41, Zucker is blessed in that he needn't worry about being "over the hill" any time soon. If he hopes to emulate Wright's longevity in a hit-driven business, though, he and his team must banish the specter of another vintage comedy title that for a while could easily have been invoked to describe NBC: "The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight."

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959128&categoryid=14

I'd wager it probably has a lot more to do with the fact that the game is meaningless, uncompetitive, and poorly scheduled.

Its also played by a majority of players who win a popularity contest. Not all that get voted to participate deserve to be there. I think that the voting should be taken away from the fans. JMO

But then maybe only the players will watch it :)

Maybe they ought to move the pro bowl from Hawaii and have it in LA or San Diego then it'd be in HD for sure.
It's against the law to play professional football in LA. :D

Maybe they ought to move the pro bowl from Hawaii and have it in LA or San Diego then it'd be in HD for sure.
That would take away alot of the motivation for players to go to the game. I have had family members who have gone to the Pro Bowl with their companies, all it is a NFL sponsored vacation in Hawaii.

And for too many years here, Jim, we didn't have professional football -- we had the Raiders. :)

And we don't want to spring for $1 billion for a stadium. And think about all those network doubleheader games we'd miss!

Aside from some politicians, almost all sports radio talk show hosts and some newspaper columnists, there really isn't that big a groundswell for the NFL here.

We do seem to get along quite well without having a team of our own -- and since the majority of us are from some place else anyway, it seems we all have teams to root for. Or we can just jump on the bandwagon du jour.



It's against the law to play professional football in LA. :D

TV Notebook
NBC Sunday sees post-NFL slump
Web must make future plans for the night
By Rick Kissell Variety February 10, 2007

Football is over for NBC, and the net's new Sunday night game plan hasn't exactly found the Nielsen end zone.

One of the down sides to airing a primetime football series -- as ABC learned over 35-plus years on Monday nights -- is that the audience is borrowed to some extent, and it can be difficult to start a lineup from scratch when the season ends.

The Peacock had a decent post-football attack, but its revamped Sunday lineup has pretty much been sacked, and it must now make future plans for the night.

Of course, it's not easy replacing "Sunday Night Football," which in its first season on NBC averaged a 6.4 rating in adults 18-49 and 16.5 million viewers overall to rank among the top 10 primetime programs on television.

And this package, because it included a pregame show and occupied all four hours of NBC's Sunday lineup, is even more difficult to replace than "Monday Night Football," which ate up just two of ABC's three hours on the night from 1970 to 2005.

The Peacock ended the fourth quarter of 2006 in a tie with ABC for the Sunday 18-49 lead (5.5 rating), nearly doubling its fourth-place 2.8 average of a year earlier, according to Nielsen data. But after its soft Sunday start in 2007, the net could fall to third or fourth for the night by season's end.

Events like NFL conference championship games, the Super Bowl, the Grammys and the Academy Awards all serve as potholes for any Sunday program in the first quarter -- let alone a whole new lineup looking to find its groove. But NBC gave it a shot.

Unscripted competition skein "Grease: You're the One That I Want" looked pretty good in its Jan. 7 premiere in the 8 o'clock slot (4.3 rating in 18-49), but auds turned out not to be hopelessly devoted: It averaged a mere 2.7 over its next three airings.

Donald Trump's "The Apprentice" was asked to fill out the 9 o'clock hour, and the Los Angeles-based edition opened with a 4.1 and has averaged a 3.0 since. Show has clearly seen its best days, but at this number, it remains a serviceable entry for the net.

Filling out the night has been the return of vet crime drama "Crossing Jordan," which mustered a mere 2.4 rating in its first three airings at 10 o'clock opposite ABC's promising first-year sudser "Brothers & Sisters" and CBS' crime vet "Without a Trace."

Not exactly a lineup for rivals to fear, but it was fairly low-risk and could have paid off if "Grease," a search for the leads in an upcoming Broadway play, had clicked.

So going forward, one option would be for NBC to open Sundays in the second half of the season with movies and specials. However, the net's feature film library has been dwindling over the years, while its meager output of telepics and specs makes one wonder if the division is still up and running.

But it would take just a handful of movies and specs to get the net through the event-filled Sundays of January and February, and it could finish the season with male-skewing dramas.

Net has shown this season with "Heroes" that it can use its football platform to help draw men to new hours. And if organized-crime drama "The Black Donnellys" is successful on Mondays when it bows in a few weeks, it could be the kind of appointment show that could be reserved for a second-half run next season, a la "24."

But NBC will still need a couple of other players to help drive it the length of the field and score on Sunday once the clock ticks down on football season.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959115&categoryid=14

And we don't want to spring for $1 billion for a stadium. And think about all those network doubleheader games we'd miss!
I would have to believe unless you had a good team in LA the rating would not be all that great. Currently the networks can get great ratings out of the number 2 market in the country. I don't see the networks as big fans of a team in LA.

Agreed.

And in this age of parity, since very few teams stay on top for long, it might even hurt the NFL's ratings overall.

But the bottom line is simple: if the NFL really thought it needed Los Angeles, it would be here.

You can have our Cardinals if you want them. :)

TV Notebook
NBC Sunday sees post-NFL slump
Web must make future plans for the night
By Rick Kissell Variety February 10, 2007

Filling out the night has been the return of vet crime drama "Crossing Jordan," which mustered a mere 2.4 rating in its first three airings at 10 o'clock opposite ABC's promising first-year sudser "Brothers & Sisters" and CBS' crime vet "Without a Trace."

Could Crossing Jordan become the new What About Brian? Both shows are low-rated with little growth prospect. Yet somehow both remain on the air because they have a "hot" creator (JJ Abrams -from Lost and Alias fame- for 'Bryan' and Heroes creator Tim Kring for 'Jordan') behind them that their respective networks want happy so they can snag a potential new hit.

Could be, Dad.

But that is not the kind of thinking which will keep the networks in business.

Better the nets search diligently for the next Marc Cherry or Shonda Rhimes. But that would require an executive to make a decision on his or her own -- and accept the consequences.

The Business of Television
Bottom Line: Fox In Business
After Two Years of Talking, Channel To Launch by Q4
By Mike Reynolds MultiChannel News 2/12/2007

Just as many of its prospective viewers seek to diversify their portfolios, Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. wants to expand the audience for financial-news watchers when it launches its long-anticipated Fox Business Channel in the fourth quarter.

How the new network — currently set to launch with 30 million pay television subscribers able to watch, through agreements with such distributors as Comcast, Time Warner Cable, DirecTV and Charter Communications — is going to do that remained unclear last week.

After two years of buildup, News finally made it official last Thursday: It will take on a category-leading cable network for the second time, with its business channel challenging CNBC in the way Fox News Channel took on CNN 10 years ago.

Fox Business will try to lure CEOs, CFOs, CTOs and CMOs away from CNBC. Focusing on that C-suite of viewers has enabled CNBC to ring up some $500 million in annual license fees and advertising revenues.

The new service will be developed and overseen by Roger Ailes, chairman and CEO, Fox News and chairman, Fox Television Stations. He knows the turf: He served as president of CNBC and MSNBC predecessor America’s Talking before joining News Corp. in February 1996 and launching Fox News Channel in Oct. 7 of that year.

But neither Ailes or Fox News senior vice president and managing editor of business news Neil Cavuto, who will oversee content and business coverage at the new service, would discuss specifics about programming to be launched or the channel’s strategies for different parts of the day. Their silence extended to whether Cavuto’s five Fox News Channel business shows — including Bulls & Bears and Your World With Neil Cavuto, the five highest-rated in cable (see chart) — would repeat on the new service.

Cavuto, who worked for eight years at CNBC, said: “We’re going to be entertaining, informative, youthful. We’re going to appeal to groups beyond old white guys with money.”

Riffing on that remark, Ailes said: “I have no problem with old white guys with money, being one of them. Having said that, it would be good to broaden the audience.”

One hint of what viewers can expect came from News chairman Rupert Murdoch. Speaking at the BusinessWeek Media Summit in New York last Thursday, Murdoch said it would be “more business-friendly than CNBC.” He added that the Fox channel’s rival tends to be “negative” toward business and to jump on scandals more than is warranted.

Friday morning, Ailes supported those philosophies. “We’re not getting up in the morning predisposed to be negative. Business is good for America; the capitalist system is good and we like that,” he said.

As for whether it will be less likely to “leap into scandals’’ than CNBC, Ailes notes that “we’ll cover them as we always have. We’re not going to assume guilt.”

The network, centered at News Corp.’s headquarters in Manhattan, is expected to launch in major markets around the country, including this nation’s financial capital, New York.

In making the announcement, Murdoch said, “We have long considered the business-television market to be underserved. I look forward to introducing new competition and a new voice to the business-news arena.”

News watcher Andrew Tyndall, who monitors TV-news viewing through the Tyndall Report, is not sure one is really needed.

“This is not an underserved market,” he said. “CNNfn didn’t make it. Bloomberg [Television], a very well-established name in the financial field, hasn’t really succeeded.” CNNfn shut down on Dec. 15, 2004, with distribution to 30 million homes. Bloomberg currently counts some 43 million subscribers.

The emergence of a Fox rival did not faze NBC Universal’s CNBC. Its vice president of media relations, Kevin Goldman, said: “Bring it on. We certainly welcome the competition, if it ever shows up.”

Although still down from the halcyon days before the Internet bubble burst in 2001, when it averaged 330,000 viewers and topped the $500 million mark in advertising sales the following year, CNBC has climbed back under Mark Hoffman, who returned to the network as president in 2005.

Last year, total-day viewership was up 22% to 169,000, while primetime watching grew by a third to 171,000 on average. Among the news-targeted demo of adults 25 to 54, CNBC improved 62% to 63,000 of those watchers in its 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. “business day” period.

“We’re in the best position we’ve ever been in and we’re only getting stronger,” Goldman continued. “We just wrapped up our best financial year ever and our measured audience is surging.”

CNBC has been preparing for the arrival of Fox Business Channel over the past 18 months, revamping its “look and feel,” Tyndall said.

“It has become less stuffy, has a more chatty style, jazzier graphics, younger people on [signature show] Squawk Box,” he said. “FNC is not going to be able to ambush CNBC, like FNC ambushed CNN.”

After launching under Ailes in October 2006, Fox News Channel surpassed CNN in primetime and total day ratings in January 2002. Last month, it marked five years atop those measures.

The timing for Fox News has been good: It’s been able to ink a series of renewals as its 10-year carriage contracts have begun to roll off. Thus far, Fox News has reached accords with Cablevision Systems, the National Cable Television Cooperative, DirecTV and Time Warner. Executives familiar with the pacts indicate that with escalating annual figures, the monthly license fee for those deals averages around 75 cents.

By contrast, Fox Business Channel license fees are believed to fall between 10 and 15 cents per subscriber per month.

Ailes anticipates the business service will start up with somewhere between 32 million and 33 million households able to watch. He was hopeful the Fox Business Channel roster, which already lists Time Warner Cable and Comcast in the area, would include Cablevision, the New York market’s dominant carrier.

“[News Corp. chief operating officer] Peter Chernin and I had good conversations with [Cablevision CEO] Jimmy Dolan when we signed Fox News. We hope to reach an agreement with Cablevision for Fox Business Channel,” he said.

Longer-term, Ailes envisions Fox Business’s subscriber base being almost twice that size.

“The network needs to be fully distributed. For a business channel, we don’t think you necessarily need 80 million. We think that’s 50 million to 60 million homes in the right markets.”

Ailes said staffing up would be a top priority in the months ahead. “We’re looking at a few hundred people in terms of production and talent,” he said, noting that he’d received a “flood of resumes” from CNBC employees. “We’re considering building a separate entrance to the building for them.”

Currently on board: Fox News executive vice president Kevin Magee who will have daily oversight of the service; and director of business news Alexis Glick, who will also have an on-air presence.

Asked about profitability, Ailes said the timeline for Fox News to break even was five years. For Fox Business Channel, he said that operating level would come within three to four years. “It took five years for Fox News to pass CNN; it wasn’t an overnight success,” he said. “We’re thinking we’ll have to pass through the wilderness here, too.”

Show Time for Fox

The most-watched business shows on cable appear on the Fox News Channel.

Top Cable Business Shows

Net Program HH Rating Viewers 2-Plus
FNC Bulls & Bears 1.0 1.08 million
FNC Forbes on Fox 1.0 1.06 million
FNC Cavuto on Business 1.0 1.05 million
FNC Cashin’ In 0.9 980,000
FNC Your World 0.9 928,000
CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight 0.8 894,000
CNN Lou Dobbs This Week 0.5 620,000
CNN In The Money 0.4 473,000
CNBC Morning Call 0.3 339,000
CNBC Power Lunch 0.3 333,000
CNBC Street Signs 0.3 332,000
CNBC Closing Bell 0.3 318,000
CNBC Kudlow & Co. 0.3 280,000
SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research (live), Jan. 1-Feb. 6, 2007.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6415557.html?display=Top+Stories

TV Notebook
Concerts no longer grand on TV
Music specials becoming extinct in info age
By VARIETY staff. February 11, 2007
(Michael Learmonth in New York contributed to this report.)

If Elvis were still alive today and wanted to mount another comeback special, he'd probably pass on NBC and head straight for VH1 -- or maybe just post a few clips on YouTube.

For decades, superstar artists looking to juice their careers -- from Frank Sinatra to Michael Jackson to contempo country acts -- turned to television. It was a quick and easy way to goose album sales or simply pocket some easy cash from networks hungry for star-power.

In the era of "American Idol," you'd think all things music-related would be thriving on TV. But instead, as with so many other past network staples -- telepics, kiddie shows, the Miss America pageant -- the music concert special seems to be near extinction.

Madonna and Tony Bennett are the only two artists to attempt network specials this season. Both bombed big time for NBC, with the Material Mom's flameout hurting the Peacock's November sweeps standing.

With no other concert specials planned, this season will have the lowest tally of music specs in at least five years -- if not ever.

That's forcing labels to find more creative ways to use TV as a promotional tool, from booking artists on the network morning shows to getting more songs incorporated into series soundtracks.

Kudofests such as the Country Music Assn. Awards or Feb. 11's star-packed Grammys have also become huge platforms for artists.

But when it comes to the traditional concert special, network insiders believe pop music may no longer be ready for primetime.

"Music tastes are so fragmented, it's very difficult to garner a mass audience," says ABC alternative/specials topper Andrea Wong. "You try, because these are big, big artists. But it's hard."

Observers believe "Idol" reaches a broad audience only because it's "not really about music," as one Big Four suit puts it. "It's a great soap opera that has music as a thread."

One theory for the off-key performance of music specials holds the Internet is to blame.

There's been "a proliferation of music online," says Brad Adgate, senior VP of ad buyer Horizon Media. "(Specials) have lost their luster as music becomes more and more on-demand."

Indeed, a TV special used to be the only way fans who couldn't afford tickets to concerts could check out their favorite artists. Now, perfs are Webcast live or readily available on DVDs and even so-called "enhanced CDs" that include performance discs.

"The hourlong live perform-ance was about when you had an artist that needed to (sell) a record in a finite amount of time," says an exec at a major label. "Those sessions now are going to AOL, iTunes, Yahoo and Napster. The music biz has gone on-demand, and that's the expectation of young people."

Others say the decline is sim-ply a reflection of larger woes within the music biz.

"As a music fan it's disappoint-ing, but as a network programmer you have to be practical," says one network exec. "There isn't much in the music business these days that's special enough to thrive and survive as a one-hour special."

Cable has picked up some of the slack, but even it's losing its appetite for concerts.

HBO, which once boasted at least one annual major megastar music event, hasn't mounted a big concert in years. A&E's "Live by Request" franchise also seems to be in hibernation.

Some programmers blame the labels, noting the industry has done nothing to curb costs on music specials.

While NBC execs declined to be interviewed for this story, insiders said Madonna's reps wanted $5 million for the rights to her most recent concert tour.

Even in cases where sponsors help defray the cost of an event -- as Target did with Tony Bennett's NBC bash -- low ratings make music tough to justify.

"If we're going to spend $1 (million) or $2 million on something, I'd rather we spend it on one of our series," says one network wag.

A spurt of successful music specials on CBS during the late 1990s and early 2000s -- think Michael Jackson, Celine Dion and Shania Twain -- persuaded other nets to get into the act. While some did well, many bombed, including a series of duds in fall 2002.

Despite the poor track record for recent specials, network insid-ers still believe there might be room for the genre -- on a limited basis.

Country music still has a "big tent" audience that attracts fans ages 8 to 80, making acts like Rascal Flatts a good candidate for a primetime showcase.

Likewise, it seems logical that a combination of superstars -- maybe Elton John and Billy Joel -- could draw a crowd, given the right marketing.

"They call them specials for a reason," says one exec. "You have to pick your spots, and get the right artist at the right time with the right promotion. Even then, you're still rolling the dice, but at least you've got a chance."

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959125&categoryid=14

Interesting take on music as usual. The industry hasn't figured out that people just flat don't like what they are offering. Madonna a flop? What a shock. Tony Bennet a flop....Say it isn't so......

Even the HDNet concerts are a colleciton of "who cares". For example Gorrillaz. That stuff is horrible. I have teenage kids who should be clamouring for Live concert material. Instead all of the stuff they show is lame and the kids don't care. The adult stuff is pop oriented that I hated when I was a teenager.

The industry should hire someone to get on the internet and see what is being accessed. Then try to quickly get that on the air RAPIDLY, not two years after its dead.

Critic’s Notebook
NCIS: The most popular show nobody talks about nion
By Doug Elfman Chicago Sun-Times Television Critic February 11, 2007

A decade ago, Lauren Holly co-starred on "Picket Fences," which won awards, critical acclaim and references in pop culture. But it often hovered around No. 60 in the ratings, she says. Now all that's reversed. She co-stars on a Top 10 series -- but it gets no awards, no press and no buzz.

"We're like the bad stepchild" in the media, Holly says of "NCIS," a hit drama based on real sleuthing of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service. "I sort of miss the attention -- being written about, the ads in all the magazines, all that stuff. Instead, it's like we're out here by ourselves, and we're just glad we have a loyal fan base that follows us."

Loyal isn't the half of it. "NCIS" has remained in the Top 10 even while it's been running repeats in the same time slot as behemoth "American Idol."

"We're like the only show that does well against it," Holly says.

There's an online devotion, too. SpoilerFix.com, the site that spoils upcoming episode plots of TV shows, says "NCIS" is a Top 10 show for drawing Internet traffic to the site.

What the cast may not know is this: Critics partly neglect "NCIS" because CBS doesn't send us DVD screeners of upcoming episodes; we can't review what we don't have. (CBS wouldn't even supply me with new episodes after I said I was writing this big, splashy feature.)

The cast, Holly says, thinks non-viewers don't understand what the series is: a character-based show, more than a cop-procedure show. They associate it with "JAG," the military show from which it was spun off. (One critic has called "NCIS" a "JAG"-off.) Or they think it's a conservative show.

To the contrary, Holly says it's not conservative; it has a "great cast," it goes for both humor and somber story lines, it's well-shot and quickly paced, "and frequently there's a lot of secret sex going on."

Yet "NCIS" is the most popular show on TV that people don't talk about, she says.

She fears it could remain that way, "shy of us ripping off our clothes and running down Sunset Boulevard, screaming that our hair's on fire. It'll be like, 'Those are the people from that show -- "CSI What?" ' "

Mixing humor, innuendo, crime

"NCIS," which debuted in 2003, is not another "CSI" or "Law & Order." It always begins with a caper involving forensics and footwork. Sometimes it's solved, sometimes not. But that's not the thrust. Most of the series focuses on the interaction between the civilian detectives, who flirt with and rag on each other.

Granted, the tone is kind of bizarre. One episode this season began with a military vet getting blown up by a terrorist. At times, his death was treated sentimentally and with manipulative patriotism. Other times, a cop cracked crass jokes about the dead vet. Meanwhile, male and female cops checked out each other's butts.

That's the "NCIS" way. It mixes humor and playful innuendo with grim crime cases. One cop shot a mobile-phone video of another cop who was scratching a poison oak patch in his pants; the phone video made it look like the guy was not itching but masturbating.

Dialogue can be gung-ho silly. In another episode this season, a character said, "These scumbags have been selling weapons to tyrants and terrorists ever since they gave us the slip -- guns and bombs and RPG's used to kill American soldiers and Marines in every hellhole from Mogadishu to Baghdad. It's time it ended!"

That said, "NCIS" isn't a frat house. The three smartest and capable characters are women: NCIS Director Jenny Shepard (Holly), Israeli-born cop Ziva David (played by Chile-born Cote de Pablo) and wiry lab detective Abby Sciuto (Pauley Perrette).

Ziva gives the boys hell, calling them on lies and behavior even as they try to impress her into the sack. These women aren't den mothers or vixens. They're powerful figures who -- like women on other detective shows -- work diligently. They don't giggle or lose composure when men sexualize them.

But Holly jokes she wouldn't mind if de Pablo used her off-camera sexuality to draw more public attention to "NCIS."

"She wants me to start dating a celebrity, which is something I would never do -- not for the sake of dating a celebrity," de Pablo says.

"The women here are being portrayed as smart women," she adds. "I love the fact that they made the director of 'NCIS' a woman [Holly]. That would never happen in real life."

Harmon credits producer, crew

Arguably, the key character isn't any of the women but Mark Harmon's Gibbs. He's the ostensible lead. But Harmon puts all the credit for the show's ratings on the producer, the ensemble cast and the huge crew.

Harmon calls producer Donald Bellisario a demanding "force of nature" and "not for the weak of heart." (Bellisario tries to keep upcoming plots a secret from critics and fans.) Bellisario is a former Marine who previously created and wrote "JAG," "Magnum, P.I.," "Quantum Leap" and the first "Battlestar Galactica."

"You come here, you bring you're 'A' game. And you bring it every day," Harmon says. "We work an average of 16 hours a day, every day, and sometimes Sundays -- [from] July 4th till the end of May. People really put the effort in here."

Most hourlong series shoot scripts numbering at about 57 pages, but "NCIS" scripts are 80 pages, Harmon says. Hard work has garnered fan allegiance, he says. And with no bitterness in his voice, he suggests the show can gain more respect from the press if everyone on "NCIS" keeps plugging along.

"I think we're earning you guys who write about us, and I think we're earning the promos on CBS," he says. "The only thing we can control here is the work we do every day."

http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/elfman/251811,SHO-Sunday-elf11.articleprint

TV Sports
Here comes ACC HD
By Mark Washburn Charlotte Observer

Raycom/Lincoln Financial will announce next week that ACC basketball is going high definition.For the first time, the ACC tournament -- which begins March 8 -- will be broadcast in HD on the syndicated network.

Although the penetration of high-definition sets is still relatively low, those who get the broadcasts are growing increasingly vocal. They want their ACC in HD.

But technical problems have kept the network from switching to high def.

Ken Haines, Raycom's president, says affiliates aren't set up to receive syndicated programming in HD. They get their network programs in HD, but aren't set up to receive feeds from other sources.

Of the 35 stations that get ACC basketball from Raycom/Lincoln Financial, about a third will be equipped to receive the HD feed by tournament time. That includes WBTV (Channel 3) in Charlotte as well as other major markets, including Greensboro and Raleigh.

"We're looking at adding some regular-season games next year," says Haines. "I don't know how far away we are from doing all the games in HD."

Costs are part of the problem. While it is more expensive to do HD games -- cameras, a high-def studio truck and other equipment must be added -- there is no increase in ad revenues.

"It costs a lot more to produce in HD than standard definition. We haven't found anyone willing to pay more to be broadcast in HD," Haines says.

http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/entertainment/television/16668167.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Saturday’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.

The Business of Television
Comcast opens early PPV window
In test, pics play on day of DVD release
By John Dempsey Variety

NEW YORK -- Comcast, the giant cable operator, has convinced five of the six major studios to participate in a test that could turn pay-per-view movies from a nothing revenue stream into a profit-generating bonanza.

As part of an unballyhooed experiment that kicked off 10 weeks ago, people who subscribe to Comcast's digital service in Denver and Pittsburgh can order titles such as "Superman Returns" through PPV video-on-demand on the same day the movie's DVD hits videostores. ("Superman Returns" was Comcast's inaugural movie, kicking off on Nov. 28.)

That day-and-date blueprint is a first: Before it gets hold of a movie, cable PPV typically has to wait anywhere from 30 to 60 days before the title springs free of its exclusive bondage in the videostore window.

These windows -- which are, at least in part, responsible for the sluggishness of the PPV VOD business -- were justifiable when DVD rentals were funneling big profit increases into the studios' coffers year after year.

But the business of DVD rentals has begun to soften in the last two years, propelling the studios to scout around for fresh income sources.

Enter Comcast chairman Brian Roberts, who has pleaded with the studios for more than a decade to stop giving vidstores what he regards as an unfair advantage in movie windows.

The studios listened this time, not only because DVD rentals have stopped climbing but because Comcast has passed a milestone: More than 50% of its 24.1 million subscribers buy the digital boxes that allow them to order PPV movies on demand (with the ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind).

That's a lot of potential PPV movie renters, permitting cable to claim another advantage over Blockbuster: For every $4 PPV movie rented by a cable subscriber, the studios pocket $2.40. That same $4 DVD rented by a videostore customer delivers only $1.20 to the studios.

Comcast hasn't put out any hard data on the Denver/Pittsburgh initiative, but Roberts told analysts recently that buy rates in the two cities are up substantially.

So even if PPV rentals through cable TV ended up demolishing the DVD rental business outside the home, the studios still would come out substantially ahead.

So why are the studios moving so cautiously, keeping the trial limited to only two cable systems? Because there's an even more lucrative DVD business that could be dented by PPV-on-demand: the sale of movie DVDs in chains such as Wal-Mart and Target.

Craig Moffett, media analyst with Bernstein Research, says his data show revenue from the sale of DVDs or videos in Wal-Mart, Target and other retailers has ballooned to $19 billion a year, compared with $8.2 billion a year for rentals (including Netflix and online movie services such as CinemaNow).

If the sale price of a DVD averages $16.50, according to Moffat's numbers, the studios typically harvest about 53% of each purchase, or $8.75. What worries the studios is that people who can rent a PPV movie on the day its DVD goes on sale at Wal-Mart may not only avoid renting the DVD but also steer clear of buying it. It would take almost four PPV rentals at $2.40 apiece to cover the loss of one DVD purchase at $8.75.

But Page Thompson, senior VP/general manager of video services for Comcast, says the buyer of a movie on DVD is a different animal from a renter of the title on DVD. "People want to collect DVDs of movies they like," Thompson says. "People also buy lots of DVDs as gifts. And the DVD extras are often a lure for someone who wants to learn more about a particular title."

The next battleground between cable TV and the retail stores could well be high-definition. Thompson says Comcast is offering digital subscribers as many as 100 hours a month of high-def VOD, including PPV movies, free movies, musicvideos and selected TV series like "CSI."

But Michael Pachter, an L.A.-based media analyst for Wedbush Morgan, says the studios are salivating at the prospect of re-releasing hundreds of their titles in the new format, charging up to $30 a movie for a high-def DVD, $16 of which would zip straight to the bottom line.

The last thing the studios want, Pachter says, is to make it so easy for cable subscribers to rent a PPV movie early in the window that they'd lose all interest in buying an expensive HD-DVD player, depriving the movie companies of billions of dollars in potential profits.

Maybe that's why Wal-Mart doesn't appear to be losing any sleep over the Comcast test in Denver and Pittsburgh, secure in the conviction that the studios will always gravitate to where the money is.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959124&categoryid=14

The Business of Television
Comcast opens early PPV window
In test, pics play on day of DVD release
By John Dempsey Variety



The studios listened this time, not only because DVD rentals have stopped climbing but because Comcast has passed a milestone: More than 50% of its 24.1 million subscribers buy the digital boxes that allow them to order PPV movies on demand (with the ability to pause, fast-forward and rewind).


I've never ordered PPV from Comcast but I wasn't aware this was possible with their non-DVR boxes. I thought PPV on cable was a linear stream, you watch it when it was scheduled to be on without the ability to pause, FWD and RWD.

I know PPV with DISH this possible as you can record the program to the DVR HDD. Is the author saying that Comcast now has an installed base of over 12 million DVRs? That seems rather high to me.

I am sure those aren't HD DVRs.

The 12 million (even if "just" SD) seems high to me, too.

(But if the number is accurate, TiVo must be salivating!)

I am sure those aren't HD DVRs.

The 12 million (even if "just" SD) seems high to me, too.

(But if the number is accurate, TiVo must be salivating!)
The 12 million digital STBs seems about right, about 50% of Comcast's sub base is now digital, I just wasn't aware that they could perform all those functions with OnDemand material. I'm going to ask in my local thread, we don't have OnDemand on my particular system yet.

TV Q&A
His 'Numb3r' is '24'
By David Inman The (Louisville, Ky.) Courier-Journal

Question: Is Peter MacNicol, who plays Larry on "Numbers," gone from the show? If so, was it his choice?

Answer: Sounds like "My Living Doll," a sitcom that ran on CBS in 1964-65. Julie Newmar played Answer: [/color][/B Actually, to be nitpicky, the show is called "Numb3rs." And MacNicol isn't leaving the show — he just took a break to appear on several episodes of "24," but he'll be back.

Question: I remember a show from the late 1960s or early '70s in which one of the leads was a female robot. The main thing I remember was that she had a set of moles on her neck, shoulder or something like that. These moles were her control points, including her shut-off switch. Can you help identify this show for me?

Answer: Sounds like "My Living Doll," a sitcom that ran on CBS in 1964-65. Julie Newmar played Rhoda, a robot that was being schooled in being a woman by Air Force psychologist Robert McDonald (Bob Cummings). McDonald also had his hands full keeping Rhoda away from lecherous neighbor Peter (Jack Mullaney), because if he ever found out Rhoda was a robot, oh boy! Friction between Newmar and Cummings led to his leaving the show about midway through the season. Mullaney's character was slated to step in as Rhoda's mentor, but the show was canceled instead. Due to an avalanche of requests from, um, nobody, there are reportedly plans to bring out "My Living Doll" on DVD later this year.

Question: I am writing you to ask about a movie that I recall seeing when I was very young. It was about a woman who was battling cancer; she had a little girl and was married. I remember that the main song in the movie was "Sunshine" sung by John Denver. I would like to know the name of the movie and if it is available on video or DVD.

Answer: That was a 1973 TV movie called, oddly enough, "Sunshine," with Cristina Raines and Cliff DeYoung. There was also a short-lived 1975 NBC series that continued the plot after Raines' character had passed away. Neither is on video.

Question: I remember seeing a comedy film about a couple of cowboys kidnapping two kids, a boy and a girl. The cowboys kept sending ransom letters to the parents. Well, the kids were so bad the parents didn't want them back and the cowboys were stuck with them. I'd like to know the name of the movie and who starred in it. I think maybe Jack Elam was one of the cowboys.

Answer: Methinks you're getting your abducted children comedies mixed up. The plot sounds a lot like O. Henry's story "The Ransom of Red Chief." That was made into a 1975 TV movie with Elam and Strother Martin as the hapless kidnappers. But they kidnapped just one child, which leads me to think you might be mixing this up with the Disney movie "No Deposit, No Return," which was released in 1976 and featured Don Knotts, Darren McGavin and David Niven. Both movies are on video. "No Deposit, No Return" is also on DVD.

Question: I hope you can help me. We lived in Southern California in the early 1970s, and I remember a Saturday morning show about a family that lived on a boat. I don't remember much else about the show. Can you help?

Answer: Sounds like "Westwind," which ran on NBC in 1975-76. It was about the Andrews family, including dad Steve (Van Williams) and mother Kate (Niki Dantine). Their boat was called the Westwind, and they sailed the Pacific while searching for thrills and adventure, not to mention a place where they could get the sand out of their shorts.

http://www.desnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,660194161,00.html

TV Q&A
Odd behavior from Paula, Deal makers
By Tom Jicha South Florida Sun-Sentinel TV/Radio Writer February 11 2007

QUESTION: Last year I wrote to you to say how appalling it is to see Paula Abdul tripping out on something and you defended her. Now after seeing her drunken tirade on the Internet and how she appeared like a zombie on American Idol, it's quite obvious she has a problem. I hope you have come to your senses and will admit Paula is getting away with murder. If you haven't seen the light, I have one word for you and Paula -- REHAB! -- S.L., Deerfield Beach

ANSWER: It must be great to be able to judge a person's behavior and demons without ever coming within several thousand miles of them. Abdul does act strangely at times and I have reported on that. But I do not know, and you certainly do not know, what her excesses might be, if any. There are plenty of flaky, flighty people who are not under the influence of anything. Abdul says she is not a drinker. If you don't want to believe her, fine. But you are the irresponsible one for making charges you can't substantiate. The only people Abdul has to please are her American Idol bosses. Through their words and deeds, they have made it clear that they support her.

QUESTION: What are my chances of getting tickets to the Academy Awards? -- M.W., Fort Lauderdale

ANSWER: About as good as you winning an Academy Award. The supply-demand ratio is worse than for a Super Bowl and they all go to actors and studio types.

QUESTION: Has there ever been a time when regular programming was interrupted for a female show or a female game? Why can't these big game broadcasts, such as the Super Bowl, get their own channel? I missed 60 Minutes on Super Bowl Sunday because of the game. Let the president and these super duper games get their own channel and leave regular programming alone. -- D.D., Pembroke Pines

ANSWER: If you had channel surfed on Super Bowl Sunday, you would have noticed that nobody schedules original programming against the year's biggest TV event. More than 90 million people -- roughly three times the size of a typical American Idol audience -- watched the Colts beat the Bears. It would be a waste of a network's program budget to spend serious money trying to pick up the crumbs of an audience that are left. Next year, the Super Bowl won't be on CBS but you still won't get an original 60 Minutes. It will be all repeat segments.

QUESTION: As the FCC has recently stepped up its actions to protect the public from what it deems as harmful contents of certain broadcasts, why has it not set its sights on product manufacturers, who advertise one cost for a product, then add to the cost under the guise of shipping and handling. This add-on can be as much as 25 percent of the advertised cost. -- F.S., Sunrise

ANSWER: These charges are often absurdly high but my experience is they are listed, albeit in small print, or recited to a phone buyer. Caveat emptor.

QUESTION: Will you tell me why there are no Mario Lanza pictures on TV? I enjoyed all his movies. -- S.J., e-mail

ANSWER: I know what you're saying. It's just as hard to find an Ezio Pinza flick. Basically the problem is Lanza, who died in 1959, would have been 86 this month, which also is roughly the age of anyone who remembers him as fondly as you do. This is a demographic sponsors have no interest in reaching.

QUESTION: Can you tell me why Jamey Sheridan left Law and Order: Criminal Intent? -- M.M., e-mail

ANSWER: Sheridan asked to be let go, according to L&O creator Dick Wolf. The show is shot in New York and Sheridan and his family missed living in the West.

QUESTION: Something puzzles me about Deal or No Deal. One contestant decided to go all the way even though she was offered close to $100,000. When she finally wound up with less than a $1,000, the whole family whooped with joy. This doesn't make sense. I would expect emotions would run in another direction. Are they coached or advised to react in this manner? -- T.S., e-mail

ANSWER: Contestants are encouraged to act enthusiastically and no one wants to look like an old sourpuss on TV. Besides, even if the eventual prize was "only" $1,000, it was $1,000 more than she might have had otherwise. Wouldn't you smile if somebody laid a grand on you?

http://www.southflorida.com/movies/sfl-tv11tjqafeb11,0,6735396,print.story?coll=sfe-movies-promos

TV Notebook
The Grammies: Musical mysteries
Predictions can be off-key, but Grammy often plays it safe
By Dave Tianen Milwaukee Journal Sentinel February 11, 2007

It is probably not a good idea to bet your mortgage on the outcome of tonight's Grammy Awards.

Last year, the smart money was predicting a stampede for Mariah Carey and the smart money lost its shorts. Part of the problem is that the Recording Academy, like the music industry in general, is made up of a zillion niche groups, and predicting their aggregate pack mentality gets dicey. That said, Grammy is a creature of habit in many ways.

Generally, Grammy loves old, safe, established names more than the young and frisky. Consider this: The big winners the last couple of years were U2 and Ray Charles.

This year, Mary J. Blige leads the pack with eight nominations, which reflects a longstanding habit of honoring artists years after they make their initial impact.

Grammy almost always prefers to cuddle with mainstream pop rather than cutting-edge or controversial music. The extreme example of that may have come back in 1991, when Natalie Cole's re-engineered duet with her dad's 40-year-old hit recording of "Unforgettable" took Album of the Year, Song of the Year and Record of the Year. It was presumably an oversight that her long-dead dad didn't take Best New Artist.

With the caveat that we will definitely not be wagering the kids' college tuition, here's our take (right) on the major awards at the 49th Grammys.

Album of the Year

Nominees: Red Hot Chili Peppers - "Stadium Arcadium"; Dixie Chicks - "Taking the Long Way"; John Mayer - "Continuum"; Justin Timberlake -"Future Sex/Love Sounds"; Gnarls Barkley - "St. Elsewhere."

Which will win: The betting favorite seems to be the Chicks. Grammy has always liked country artists who operate on the distant fringes of country, and the Chicks are clearly moving uptown musically. This is also an opportunity to embrace a controversial cause after most of the controversy has melted away. Which should win: Most of these discs weren't personal favorites. If forced to pick a prize puppy from this litter, I would opt for the polished pop craftsmanship of "Continuum."

Record of the Year

Nominees: "Be Without You" - Mary J. Blige; "You're Beautiful" - James Blunt; "Not Ready to Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks; "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley; "Put Your Records On" - Corinne Bailey Rae.

Which will win: "Crazy" is an irresistible blend of savvy production and classic soul chops. Which should win: "Crazy."

Song of the Year

Nominees: "Be Without You" - Mary J. Blige (four songwriters); "Jesus Take the Wheel" - Carrie Underwood (three songwriters); "Not Ready To Make Nice" - Dixie Chicks (the Chicks); "Put Your Records On" - Corinne Bailey Rae (three songwriters); "You're Beautiful" - James Blunt (Blunt and two other writers).

Who will win: Blige is overdue for recognition, but Blunt's "You're Beautiful" is the kind of mainstream pop balladry the Recording Academy usually hops into bed with. Blunt's centrist pop appeal will probably trump Blige's veteran props. Who should win: "Jesus Take the Wheel" is the best-crafted song with a fleshed-out narrative of a life-changing near-death experience, but its overt religiosity will probably deter voters.

New Artist

Nominees: James Blunt, Chris Brown, Imogen Heap, Corinne Bailey Rae, Carrie Underwood.

Who will win: It's going to be hard to beat Underwood's multi-platinum sales and "American Idol" celebrity. Who should win: Piano prodigy and studio wiz Heap is easily the most intriguing musician in the batch, but she has no chance. Also, not that it matters, but she's been around for years.

http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=563546&format=print

I've never ordered PPV from Comcast but I wasn't aware this was possible with their non-DVR boxes. I thought PPV on cable was a linear stream, you watch it when it was scheduled to be on without the ability to pause, FWD and RWD.

I know PPV with DISH this possible as you can record the program to the DVR HDD. Is the author saying that Comcast now has an installed base of over 12 million DVRs? That seems rather high to me.
Apparently the non-DVR STBs can perform those functions according to Comcast subs in the SF bay area. I guess OnDemand works like a head-end based DVR.

Wow. That sounds pretty good.

Interesting take on music as usual. The industry hasn't figured out that people just flat don't like what they are offering. Madonna a flop? What a shock. Tony Bennet a flop....Say it isn't so......

Even the HDNet concerts are a colleciton of "who cares". For example Gorrillaz. That stuff is horrible. I have teenage kids who should be clamouring for Live concert material. Instead all of the stuff they show is lame and the kids don't care. The adult stuff is pop oriented that I hated when I was a teenager.

The industry should hire someone to get on the internet and see what is being accessed. Then try to quickly get that on the air RAPIDLY, not two years after its dead.

Very good points you make. Another problem I see is that most of the live material that could possibly generate decent ratings on prime time TV isnt suitable for airing without huge fines and penalties from the FCC. All you have to do is look at the "wardrobe malfunction" fiasco from a recent Super Bowl halftime show. The language and actions seen on stage by some of todays top grossing performers would have the FCC making money hand over fist.

A personal note: I had the pleasure of working with Jennings a number of times. He was a consummate professional – and a great, great guy. Saying he will be missed understates the case tremendously.
Obituary
Veteran ABC News Cameraman Robert 'Skip' Jennings
Covered Wars, Presidents with Precision and Humor
(ABC News)

Longtime Los Angeles bureau cameraman Robert "Skip" Jennings died Friday afternoon after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Jennings, who worked for ABC for more than 30 years, will be remembered as one of the one of the hardest-working cameramen for the company.

Jennings began working at ABC News in 1965. Soon after, he went overseas to cover the Vietnam War. When Saigon fell, Jennings was the cameraman for the "baby rescue" operation in Vietnam, rescuing orphans who were being brought to the United States.

On one flight, Jennings was outside the aircraft filming and was unable to get back on; the plane crashed on takeoff.

Jennings risked his life repeatedly to get the story. After Vietnam, he went on to cover wars in Cambodia, Somalia, the Falklands and Afghanistan.

He was at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles when Robert Kennedy was assassinated and later at the jail when Sirhan Sirhan was booked. Jennings then rode the train covering the return of Kennedy's body to Washington, D.C.

Jennings went on to cover the political campaigns for every president from Nixon through Bush.

Once, while riding in a golf cart with President Gerald Ford, Jennings fell off the cart with his camera, broke his wrist and was taken to a nearby hospital, but came back to finish the shoot.

In one visit to California, Queen Elizabeth told Jennings that she wanted to try "used beans."

After some careful thought, Jennings suggested she call them "refried beans."

A memorial for Jennings is being planned.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/print?id=2865249

Critic’s Notebook
NCIS: The most popular show nobody talks about nion
By Doug Elfman Chicago Sun-Times Television Critic February 11, 2007



Mixing humor, innuendo, crime


http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/elfman/251811,SHO-Sunday-elf11.articleprint


This is Must See TV for me every week. I love this show.

Wow. That sounds pretty good.
Yes, OnDemand is not a bad idea at all, it's just a matter of price and the availability of good content.

I apologize for missing this Friday….
TV Newsroom
Wake-up call to a.m. news: moms tuning out
Morning broadcast shows, once a staple for women, are seeing audiences shrink as news sources multiply
By Matea Gold Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

NEW YORK — When her children were young, Jenny Lauck used to flip on "Today" or "Good Morning America" as she brewed her morning coffee and tended to her babies.

But several years ago, the 34-year-old mother of three stopped watching the morning shows. After getting TiVo, she had no patience to sit through multiple commercial breaks during a live newscast. On top of that, the segments began to seem more and more frivolous.

"Watching morning television for me is the equivalent of reading People magazine in the dentist's office," said Lauck, who writes for websites from her home in Santa Rosa, Calif. "They don't have anything new or particularly relevant to my life. It seems like a lot of fluff. I feel like I can get information faster and cleaner on the Internet."

Lauck's not alone in souring on network news programs. In particular, this season has seen a significant erosion of the morning shows' demographic sweet spot: 25- to 54-year-old women.

Almost 450,000 of these women — coveted by advertisers because of their household purchasing power — turned off the three broadcast morning programs so far this season, a decline of 10% compared to the same point last year, according to a Times analysis of Nielsen Media Research data. (Male viewers the same age also fell by 9%, but they make up a much smaller portion of the audience.)

It's difficult to trace the exact cause of the drop. It comes after two popular morning hosts, Katie Couric and Charles Gibson, left their shows to be evening news anchors. At the same time, the advent of "mommy blogs," the growing popularity of online news sites and the ever-more-frantic press of daily life appear to have led many women to forgo the morning ritual of watching TV.

News executives are sanguine about the ratings dip, calling it a short-term fluctuation. They attribute it in large part to the unseasonably mild winter in much of the country until recently, noting that temperate weather draws people outside, and away from their television sets.

"We are certainly aware of it, but not making a lot if it just yet," said Jim Bell, executive producer of NBC's "Today." "I maintain the foundation of the morning is perfectly stable and fine. I suspect that when there are big, breaking news stories or significant weather events, we will grow, as we've always grown."

If the dwindling female viewership persists, however, it has implications not only for the individual morning programs but the news divisions as a whole, which rely on the profitable shows to finance most of the network's news-gathering operations.

Until recently, the programs were buoyed by expanding audiences and seemed immune to the ratings declines plaguing the evening newscasts. But in the last two seasons, the combined viewership of "Today," ABC's "Good Morning America" and CBS' "The Early Show" leveled off. Viewership has shrunk by 4% so far this season — a slight drop, but one that suggests the morning programs too are vulnerable.

"There was a perception that early morning was bulletproof," said Bill McOwen, director of national broadcast for the media agency MPG. "Now it's starting to suffer from what its colleagues in the broadcast realm have dealt with for years: that other options exist."

It's a fact all too familiar to the evening newscasts, which have watched their audiences steadily deflate in the last few decades. That pattern has continued this season: The number of women watching the three nightly network broadcasts has dropped by 510,000, while male viewers have declined by 334,000.

Even Couric's much-trumpeted arrival at CBS did not substantially boost female viewership. While "CBS Evening News" has drawn about 29,000 more 25- to 54-year-old women on average this season, an increase of 2%, the size of the total female audience hasn't changed.

"It's a long process," said David Poltrack, chief research officer for the CBS Corp., noting that the number of younger women watching has increased more in the last month. "Katie has made significant advances in connecting with the young female audience. Relative to the other guys, we're making progress there."

Couric's rivals still beat her among women ages 25 to 54, even though they have both lost some of those viewers this season. NBC anchor Brian Williams is down 15.5% in that demographic, while ABC's Charles Gibson, who currently attracts the most women in that age group, has shed 7%.

Television news veterans chalk up the waning female viewership to a medley of factors, including the growing migration of women to online news sites and the relentless stream of disheartening reports about the war.

"My gut instinct is it may have something to do with Iraq," said Judy Woodruff, a former CNN anchor and NBC correspondent who now serves as senior correspondent for "The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer" on PBS. "The news is so negative and so depressing day after day that it may well be that everybody — and especially women, who may be able to identify with the mothers and sisters and daughters — it may be that they're reacting in this way. The news is not happy."

That's why Jennifer Satterwhite turned off the news. Until about a year ago, the 37-year-old Plano, Texas, resident used to faithfully watch the evening news in the kitchen as she prepared dinner.

"I stopped mainly because they seemed to start it with bad news story after bad news story," said Satterwhite, a stay-at-home mother who is writing her first book. "It's like getting beaten in the face every night. I just don't like to end the day that way, with all the murder and kidnapping and war."

Some men have also clearly lost their appetite for network news, though not in numbers as large as women. And for the news divisions, female viewers are crucial — especially when it comes to the morning programs, designed specifically to appeal to mothers who manage their family's spending.

"Seventy percent of our revenue comes from women 25 to 54," said Steve Friedman, vice president of morning broadcasts for CBS News. "That's why these morning shows on the networks have been so feminized. It's always, 'How to catch your cheating husband,' not 'How to catch your cheating wife.' "

But many women are now turning online to get the kind of parenting and lifestyle stories that have long been the staple of the morning shows. The number of "mommy blogs" in recent years has exploded — now numbering 6,400, according to the blog search engine Technorati — as women use personal websites to swap tales about the pressures of modern motherhood.

"The very issues that typically get covered on the morning shows are very robust and alive in the blogosphere," said Pete Blackshaw, chief marketing officer for Nielsen BuzzMetrics, which tracks blog trends. "It's safe to say that the Internet is beginning to cannibalize a lot of these conversational topics."

Beth Blecherman, a former "Today" viewer and mother of three, said she has rarely watched the morning show since she began blogging on Silicon Valley Moms Blog, a website she helps run with other mothers in the area. Instead, the 43-year-old Palo Alto, Calif., resident regularly peruses three dozen other mommy blogs for ideas and support.

"Now that I've been blogging, the morning shows feel like they're staged to me, whereas the mommy blogs are pretty authentic — to the point of being almost too honest some times," said Blecherman, a former senior manager at Deloitte & Touche who now does part-time consulting from home. "It's a way to get really fresh information from other moms, kind of like a virtual moms group. I don't see a need to watch the morning shows."

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-et-women9feb09,1,4463793,print.story?coll=la-headlines-frontpage

Apparently the non-DVR STBs can perform those functions according to Comcast subs in the SF bay area. I guess OnDemand works like a head-end based DVR.

OnDemand has always had that ability on regular STBs for as long as I can remember it on TWC. That must be close to 5 years now. However even after all this time it still performs poorly. If the servers do not timeout on busy nights, the control delay is still awkwardly slow and the image quality is mediocre. Add that to the fact that all major movies are not also available as a widescreen version and I'm still hesitant to order through it. Even if movies are available on DVD release date it has to perform better than this.

The most insane thing about TWC OnDemand is that to order a HD MOD, you have to subscribe to the 6 channel HD Package. Which makes no sense. To pay for an HD movie you have to pay for the package first. Which means that they are losing revenue from a huge chunk of the audience like myself who are quite happy with just their networks and premium movie HD channels, but would pay to watch the occasional new release in HD. As such I'm using the Xbox Live service to access HD MOD even though it's less convenient.

I hope Comcast is doing this better.

The most insane thing about TWC OnDemand is that to order a HD MOD, you have to subscribe to the 6 channel HD Package.

I hope Comcast is doing this better.
I think Comcast is the same way, which I agree, is pretty stupid.

The Business of Television
Bottom Line: Fox In Business
After Two Years of Talking, Channel To Launch by Q4
By Mike Reynolds MultiChannel News 2/12/2007

After launching under Ailes in October 2006, Fox News Channel surpassed CNN in primetime and total day ratings in January 2002. Last month, it marked five years atop those measures.

Fox News Channel is three-and-a-half months old yet it has beaten CNN in the ratings for five years??!! :eek: :rolleyes: :p

Show Time for Fox

The most-watched business shows on cable appear on the Fox News Channel.

Top Cable Business Shows

Net Program HH Rating Viewers 2-Plus
FNC Bulls & Bears 1.0 1.08 million
FNC Forbes on Fox 1.0 1.06 million
FNC Cavuto on Business 1.0 1.05 million
FNC Cashin’ In 0.9 980,000
FNC Your World 0.9 928,000
CNN Lou Dobbs Tonight 0.8 894,000
CNN Lou Dobbs This Week 0.5 620,000
CNN In The Money 0.4 473,000
CNBC Morning Call 0.3 339,000
CNBC Power Lunch 0.3 333,000
CNBC Street Signs 0.3 332,000
CNBC Closing Bell 0.3 318,000
CNBC Kudlow & Co. 0.3 280,000

SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research (live), Jan. 1-Feb. 6, 2007.

Ailes has a delicate balancing act of trying not to syphon viewers away from Fox News to his new FNC Business Channel. Unlike CNBC and MSNBC or CNN and the now-defunct CNNfn I see a closer co-relation between the average Fox News viewer and a potential FNB Business Channel viewer that would cannibalize each other's audience. At least Fox News has so many viewers it can afford to lose a couple of hundred thousands viewers from 'O'Reilly,' daytime programming and/or 'Hannity' and still come close to matching CNBC's viewership.

Critic’s Notebook
NCIS: The most popular show nobody talks about nion
By Doug Elfman Chicago Sun-Times Television Critic February 11, 2007

I still contend that Extreme Makeover: Home Edition on ABC is the least publicized hit network show on the air right now. It might not rank Top 10 but its been a Top 20 resident (with both overall viewers and the 18-49 demo) since its inception in late 2003, its repeats score good ratings (the only reality show that has managed this feat, which unlike 'Survivor' and 'Amazing Race' guarantees revenue come non-Sweeps and summer months) and its one of the few shows (unscripted or scripted) that tries to do positive things for others instead of pitting people against each other. I can also understand why the show doesn't receive media coverage. The host, builder and family in need are some of the biggest camera hams and phonies one could hope not to encounter (you'd hog the camera and cry on cue too if you could get a dream home out of the deal), commercialism runs rampant through the so-called charity in the show, and every 'EM:HE' show is exactly the same. Only the members of the interchangeable design team (except for team leader Ty Pennington) and the design of the homes changes from week to week... slightly!

That said NCIS is one of the few shows on network TV that I'm tempted to catch-on with DVD's because the promos make it seem like such a kooky and fun action show to watch. Even I can tell this is no JAG-off (that show was preachy as hell but it gave is the beautiful Catherine Bell :) ), and that computer girl with the pony tails and "goth" make-up seems like she'd be a riot as comic relief. Guess I need to be pushed around a little and I might just become an 'NCIS' convert. Any takers? :D

This week TNT cut the opening of all its Law & Order repeats down to a 20 second intro (only cast members differentiate one show from another). This means that now the only place you can enjoy the show's signature minute-long opening (which is shorter than the 1:30 min. original into that ran during the show's first four seasons) is on NBC first-run/repeats or DVD Box Sets. Talk about an incentive for me to try to help keep the mothership show running on network TV for a few more years. :o

I wouldn't push you, Dad, but NCIS can be a hoot. I generally record them and watch them three-four at a time.

Very good points you make. Another problem I see is that most of the live material that could possibly generate decent ratings on prime time TV isnt suitable for airing without huge fines and penalties from the FCC. All you have to do is look at the "wardrobe malfunction" fiasco from a recent Super Bowl halftime show. The language and actions seen on stage by some of todays top grossing performers would have the FCC making money hand over fist.
Yeah, I forgot about the hip-hop generation situation where it ain't music without nonstop cussing and skanky stripper wannabees.

But, then on the rock side where the biggest bands, like say Foo Fighters etc.., sound terrible live. What it boils down to is that there really aren't a lot of acts worth plunking down money to see anymore. Anyone that is good is either obscure and unsupported by the lables or so old that they need walkers, oxygen tanks and a nursing staff to get them on stage.

So I guess the Gramys is not in HD tonight? :confused:

So I guess the Gramys is not in HD tonight? :confused:

It is.

So I guess the Gramys is not in HD tonight? :confused:

Nope. I'm almost glad. It makes the decision to watch it on the east coast feeds much easier. If I had to choose between live and HD, it would be a tough choice.

I undersood it would be in HD...but I won't see the show for three hours.

NCIS: The most popular show nobody talks about

I enjoy NCIS too. It's not remotely realistic, but it's great fun.

A short sea story:

About a hundred years ago when NCIS was just NIS (the name changed after a series of screwed up investigations and bad publicity) I happened to be in the Philippines where the command hosting me dropped the ball on my accommodations.

As a result, I found myself walking into a transit barracks room full of Marines. They looked up at me and collectively asked, "What the hell are you?" I was tired and a bit grumpy but replied promptly…whereupon they all but ran for the door and disappeared. I realized too late that they thought I said, “I'm NIS!”

Such is the power of a guilty conscious, but I had no complaints because I had room to myself for the next 3 days. :p

So I thank the underappreciated folks at NCIS.

Great story AAF!

It is sad to me that NCIS seems to skew so solidly to older viewers. I suspect younger ones would enjoy it, too.

It ain't a cure for world hunger, but, as you noted, it can be a lot of fun.

By the way, from what I read in the Grammys post, the awards are in HD, and from all accounts the PQ and audio are pretty spectacular.

By the way, from what I read in the Grammys post, the awards are in HD, and from all accounts the PQ and audio are pretty spectacular.


Oh well, I'll be watching live in SD. I miss my east coast HD feeds.

The surprising thing for me about NCIS (versus Extreme Makeover) is that NCIS sits in a brutal time period and has weathered years of both American Idol and Dancing with the Stars. And sometimes House.

Never missed an episode, and yes, it can be a bit hokey, but isn't that what some TV is supposed to be? With shows like NCIS, I don't need sitcoms. NCIS gives me some drama, some action, some love interest, and some comedy, what more could I want? :)

Technology Notebook
Behind the Flat Screen Price Slashes
The No-Name Brand Behind the Latest Price War
By Damon Darlin The New York Times February 12, 2007

If his Olevia line of televisions was ever going to get any attention from consumers, Vincent F. Sollitto Jr. would have to do something big, splashy and, in economic terms, just plain crazy.

On the day after Thanksgiving, Mr. Sollitto, the chairman and chief executive of Syntax-Brillian, had 32-inch Olevia liquid-crystal display TV sets selling at Circuit City for $475, almost half its regular price.

Syntax almost certainly lost money on the TVs. The flat screen that makes up about half the cost of an L.C.D. TV is about $350 on its own. But Mr. Sollitto could not have been more pleased. The Olevias outsold Sony and other brands while they lasted. That forced the premium brands to lower prices throughout the holiday season and take notice of the upstart from Tempe, Ariz.

“I think we are being annoying to those guys at the moment,” he said. “We are going to be on that radar screen soon if we aren’t there already.”

In the battle for market share in big-screen TVs, there is a lot of pain to go around as prices drop sharply. Circuit City, for instance, lured a lot of customers into its stores with the promotion. But last Thursday it said it would have to close about 70 stores because of slim profit margins on televisions and other products. Profits at almost all of the major TV makers are down.

The only ones not getting hurt are consumers, who enjoyed sliding prices on HDTVs in 2006. They are likely to see a rerun of the same action in 2007 as prices are expected to fall further by 40 percent or more. For that they can thank the low-price brands like Syntax’s Olevia.

“It does impact the business,” said Bruce Tripido, senior director of marketing for Sharp’s entertainment products. “They’ve accelerated the price compression and the reduction in profitability for everyone across the board.”

Of course, Olevia does not have the luxury of the name recognition enjoyed by Sharp and others. “A year ago we were nobody,” Mr. Sollitto said. “We were just trying to get people to hear our story.”

That is starting to change. Viewers of ESPN’s high-definition cable channels and its other media outlets are more familiar with the brand after a spate of advertising. Consumer Reports magazine recently rated an Olevia a best buy, along with a Sony.

Mr. Sollitto, a 21-year veteran of I.B.M. who later worked at a succession of other high-tech companies, predicted that Olevia would become a top-tier brand.

Jonathan Dorsheimer, vice president of equity research at Canaccord Adams, said this was “an achievable goal” for the company. He said Syntax had already garnered about 4 percent of the United States market, even though until late last year its sales were confined to regional electronics stores and online vendors, which make up only about 40 percent of the total market.

The company could increase its share to 7.5 percent of the United States market as it moves into the big stores, said John Vinh, a senior research analyst at C. E. Unterberg Towbin.

This year, Olevia TVs are in Circuit City, Office Depot and Kmart stores and will soon be in Target’s revamped electronics departments. Best Buy is experimenting with selling the brand online. The company expects to sell slightly more than a million TVs in the fiscal year.

There are about 80 brands in the crowded American market for L.C.D. televisions, most of them value-priced. Olevia’s competitors include Vizio, which has had success selling through Wal-Mart and Costco, and a number of brands recycled from yesteryear, when the United States still made televisions: Zenith, Emerson, Sylvania, Westinghouse and Magnavox

With the exception of Zenith, which has become the value brand of the Korean company LG, these brands are used by “virtual companies” that, like Syntax, contract with assemblers to build the TVs.

Syntax, though, has attracted the interest of investors because it is the only publicly traded TV-focused company in the United States. Its shares shot up from $2.02 in May to a 52-week-high of $11.70 in early January.

It has fallen since then and dropped 15 percent on Thursday after Mr. Sollitto issued a more conservative forecast for revenue growth — a tripling of revenue in its 2007 fiscal year ending June 30.

Mr. Vinh said investors’ expectations had run ahead of reality, and he brushed off the drop in price. He is forecasting that the shares, which closed at $8.11 on Friday, will go to $14 a share, and the handful of other analysts following the company remain optimistic. “The company is in hypergrowth mode,” Mr. Vinh said. “That’s a good problem to have.”

Mr. Sollitto is essentially taking a ride on the falling prices of flat panels, the main component in the TVs, and the drop has steepened because of a glut. It owns no factories, but buys the panels and has contracts with four manufacturers to assemble the televisions. This keeps costs down but is risky because the company does not control the supply of parts.

Right now that does not matter so much. While there is high demand for L.C.D. TVs and only eight suppliers of the flat panels that are the main component of L.C.D.’s, many of the independent factories in Taiwan are not running at full capacity. To reach greater efficiency and better economies of scale, they offer a lower price to anyone who commits to buying a lot of panels.

For example, the price of a 37-inch panel has fallen to $476, from $690 a year ago. Sweta Dash, an analyst who tracks panel prices for the market information company iSuppli, expects them to drop to $375 by June, presaging even bigger discounting at the retail level for those TVs in the next few months.

The three biggest names in the business, Sony, Sharp and Samsung, which hold about a third of the market, declined to comment on Olevia. Jonas Tanenbaum, Samsung’s vice president of visual display marketing, noted that “there has always been a disruptive force in the market.” Indeed, 15 years ago Samsung was the scrappy company building credibility.

“The off-brands are residing in a price band where we are simply not going to reside,” said Mr. Tripido of Sharp. His company has considered selling a value-priced TV, which would not carry the Sharp name.

Instead, Sharp’s strategy is to produce panels in its advanced plants in larger sizes, like 46, 52 and 65 inches, where the value brands cannot compete. (It also has a 108-inch TV coming.) Then it prices aggressively.

“The pricing was incredible right out of the chute” with the new sets, said Eric Haruki, an analyst with IDC, a market research company. “The big guys made pricing moves on their own.”

The result is a smaller price gap between the premium names and the value brands, creating a future risk for Syntax. Right now the average price of a 32-inch L.C.D. TV from a lesser-known brand like Olevia is $834, while a premium brand like Sharp sells for $1,217. Riddhi Patel, an analyst at iSuppli who tracks the overall market, predicts that by Christmas the prices will be more like $600 versus $850.

When the margin is only $150 to $200, Ms. Patel said, a shopper is more apt to shrug off the difference and choose the recognized brand name.

“We will be prepared for what’s coming, and that’s a very aggressive price reduction throughout the year,” Mr. Sollitto said.

As consumers develop a sweet spot for even bigger TVs, Olevia is pushing to sell 42-, 47- and 52-inch sets, some of them in the higher-resolution 1080p standard.

Mr. Sollitto said brand recognition becomes more important as the price difference between a top brand and his brand narrows. “The advertising makes a difference,” Mr. Sollitto said. “People are looking for a brand.” That explains why Olevia spent $2.4 million on advertising in the last three months, a tenfold increase in its ad budget.

Syntax has lined up three factories in China and Taiwan to assemble 1.3 million TVs in 2007. It also has a contract factory in Ontario, Calif., operated by Solar Link Technologies of Taiwan, to more quickly deliver to retailers in the United States. It is now seeking the capacity to produce 1.2 million more TVs. Mr. Sollitto has been racing to arrange financing for all this growth.

“Our biggest concern right now is, let’s not bite off more than we can chew,” he said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/technology/12olevia.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&ref=technology&pagewanted=print

This is Must See TV for me every week. I love this show.

I've been watching since the start...I was concerned that the cast chemistry would suffer after they killed off Kate, but it's actually gotten better, which I wouldn't have believed. Great show.

That said NCIS is one of the few shows on network TV that I'm tempted to catch-on with DVD's because the promos make it seem like such a kooky and fun action show to watch. Even I can tell this is no JAG-off (that show was preachy as hell but it gave is the beautiful Catherine Bell :) ), and that computer girl with the pony tails and "goth" make-up seems like she'd be a riot as comic relief. Guess I need to be pushed around a little and I might just become an 'NCIS' convert. Any takers? :D

Pauley Perrette plays Abby Sciuto, the goth forensic scientist on the show is not only good with her comic relief, as you put it Dad, but she actually has a degree in forensic science. Acting came later for her. I believe that it makes her character more realistic since she understands the technobabble that comes with many parts of that nature.

The DVD "audio commentaries" by Don Bellisario hint to this story and several others.

I think that Don Bellisario has the golden touch over the last 25-30 years with the shows that he created, and this is just another in that string. He seems comfortable enough to blend some occasional in-jokes naming some of the other series he was involved with over the years.

I think the combination of casting, writing and production is why I stay tuned to this show, when similar shows (Law and Order, CSI) have turned me off.

Nice to see you posting again MWJ! :)

Grammy Winners

The show isn't over on the west coast yet, but if you'd like to see a complete list of tonight's Grammy winners you can find it here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20070212/ap_en_mu/grammys_list;_ylt=Al2miPYsCQfevjlpmtELHcxY24cA

Fredfa, any word on the ratings for BSG?

The surprising thing for me about NCIS (versus Extreme Makeover) is that NCIS sits in a brutal time period and has weathered years of both American Idol and Dancing with the Stars.

What do you call Sunday night at 8PM? That's primo prime-time viewing time, and 'EM:HE' more than has held its own over the years. This past Fall against the all-mighty Sunday Night Football 'EM:HE' often beat NBC's games soundly in ratings and the demo (except for marquee match-ups like the 'Manning Bowl'). Of course it helps that (a) the NFL game doesn't start until 8:25PM after pre-game coverage and (b) 'EM:HE' works as female-skewing counterprogramming to the male-skewed NFL games. And hey, the fact that 'NCIS' got an article mentioning its popularity while 'EM:HE' continues to get close-to-zilch media coverage (even as it approaches the magic 100 episodes needed for weekday syndication stripping) while remaining a Top 20 show since 2003 speaks volumes about what the media deems "cool" and "hot." And this coming from one of the most Blue-state liberal posters on this forum (me) that's been watching 'EM:HE' religiously since November of 2004! :D

I think that Don Bellisario has the golden touch over the last 25-30 years with the shows that he created, and this is just another in that string. He seems comfortable enough to blend some occasional in-jokes naming some of the other series he was involved with over the years.

You mean like the killer robot military Humvee episode from a couple of months ago that was clerly a dig at Glen Larson's Knight Rider? Bellisario worked under Larson for the 70's version of 'Battlestar Galactica' (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0069074/) and created one of the many 'Knight Rider' rip-offs from the 80's, TV's Airwolf (a cross between 'KR' and the Roy Scheider movie 'Blue Thunder'). Even from the promos of this particular episode it was obvious 'NCIS' was poking fun at the Larson-Bellisario working relationship over the years.

The Business of Television
Q&A: The New NBCU ns
Jeff Zucker Seizes the Moment as CEO
By Michele Greppi Television Week February 12, 2007

In two decades at NBC, Jeff Zucker has risen from researcher at the Seoul Olympics to president and CEO of NBC Universal, a position that will require him to become fluent in the lingo of the worlds of film and theme parks.

It speaks volumes about the rapidity of his ascent that among his direct reports, the number of people who are younger than the 41-year-old executive can be counted on one hand, perhaps even a couple of fingers.

After his appointment last Tuesday he talked with TelevisionWeek National Editor Michele Greppi about how most steps up in his career "just happened," how he had no designs on the big job until the past year and about the number of issues facing him and NBC Universal.

Television Week: In our best Chris Matthews voice, we're saying, "Tell me something I don't know about the next year."
Jeff Zucker: I believe the momentum with NBC's prime-time lineup and with Universal's film slate will continue to improve.

Television Week: What will be NBC Universal's biggest success/improvement story in your first year as all-high mucky-muck?
Jeff Zucker: See answer to Question 1.

Television Week: What will be NBC Universal's retransmission strategy moving forward?
Jeff Zucker: I obviously don't want to talk about this too much publicly, but as you know this company has vast -- half of this company's assets are on the cable side. That's one of the more under-reported stories about this company, which is that half of this company's operating profit is derived from those cable entities. That puts us in a slightly different position than others when it comes to retrans. Retrans is a very important part of who we are and who we will be.

Television Week: Fox News announced last week it will launch its business news channel this year. What will be CNBC's greatest strength and vulnerability?
Jeff Zucker: I think the fact that we have spent the last two years getting our house in order at CNBC and the fact that CNBC's performance is demonstrably better than it has been, up more than 150 percent from its low point a few years ago, is the best response to anyone who wants to come into that world.

Television Week: Any thoughts on the CNBC "money honey" tempest around Maria Bartiromo's dealings with Citigroup and a former executive?
Jeff Zucker: I would just say I believe Maria has handled herself with incredible class, and has done everything we asked her to do, and has not crossed any lines and remains an incredibly important part not just of the CNBC family but the NBC Universal family as well.

Television Week: How much improvement can you reasonably expect from the cable entertainment channels, which, as you say, are the driver of the company right now?
Jeff Zucker: We expect to see double-digit growth out of them, but that is a phenomenal performance on top of a phenomenal performance.

Television Week: How about MSNBC? It's headed for what's described as a phenomenally profitable this year now that NBC Universal is the sole owner.
Jeff Zucker: Consolidating our ownership in it last year and then having this growth on top of that has come at a very nice time. It's really making nice progress.

Television Week: How much is Keith Olbermann, the MSNBC "Countdown" host who has been negotiating a new contract, worth?
Jeff Zucker: Keith Olbermann is an incredibly important part of MSNBC and I expect he'll be part of our future for a long time.

Television Week: That would be the longest he's ever stayed in one place professionally, wouldn't it?
Jeff Zucker: Well, look, I think when you're happy and you're doing a great job, it makes complete sense to stay where you are.

Television Week: Would you like to hazard a prediction about how the prime-time race will play out this season?
Jeff Zucker: No. The only thing I would say is that there is no question that four networks in prime time will be incredibly closely-bunched, and my guess is that there's half a ratings point separating first from fourth. It's never been that competitive from first to fourth.

Television Week: Now that you have total control over the universe, what can you promise fans of "Friday Night Lights"?
Jeff Zucker: I would say that this entire company loves "Friday Night Lights" and we're going to do everything we can to see that that program gets to the playoffs.

Television Week: And that means …?
Jeff Zucker: We love this show, we believe in this show, there's no group that wants that show to come back more than this company.

Television Week: Against the backdrop of the digital emphasis by NBC Universal, can you say what has been learned so far from "iVillage Live," which is running on the NBC Universal-owned stations.
Jeff Zucker: What it has proven is that there are new economic models that can work in daytime and we've got to continue to refine them and hone them and commit to trying new things. So far we are pleased with the initial plays of "iVillage Live."

Television Week: At what point did you know you wanted to run the whole shebang?
Jeff Zucker: Wellllllll, I think that's something that only became clear to me within the last year, that that was a real possibility, and only then did I think that would be something I would want to do.

I've never had a career path where I set out or knew what I was going to do next. The next thing just happened, and that was always the case. I just wanted to do the job well that I was in.

Only within the last year, when I was given the responsibility for the entire television group -- and that was two-thirds of the company -- did I think about ultimately moving into this position.

Television Week: How will you put your first big stamp on the Zucker era?
Jeff Zucker: I don't feel any pressure to announce any big initiative. It just doesn't work like that.

The fact is the key areas I want to focus on are content, making sure that at NBC, especially in prime time, they continue the momentum they have under way, making sure the film studio has the resources they need to have the summer they hope to have. So content will continue to be a major area of focus.

The digital side will be the other main area of focus. We've spent a year experimenting. Now we have to focus on the economics.

Obviously, cost will continue to be a key area of focus. I'm not sure that focus ever ends.

Television Week: Can you give any specifics on where NBCU 2.0 stands?
Jeff Zucker: We've made tremendous progress. We are very close to having met all the goals we set when we announced NBCU 2.0 last year. There's still a little work to be done. We're very much on target and have identified most of that and feel very positive about that. We're not going to let up on looking at our cost structure and our cost basis ever. This is an evolution and an ongoing process.

Television Week: Does it surprise you that some people in the industry still shake their heads and say they don't get your ascent?
Jeff Zucker: All I ever have been worried about is doing the best I can do, and making sure the people who work for me are supported and motivated, and the people who I work for feel I am getting the job done for them. Beyond that, everything takes care of itself. I don't have time in my life to worry about the rest.

Television Week: Analysts frequently diminish NBC Universal's share of GE's revenues, saying NBC Universal's performance and changes do not have much of an effect on the GE stock price and that sort of thing. What do you think when you hear that?
Jeff Zucker: We are proud to be part of the GE family and want to make sure we contribute our fair share. Whatever the percentage ends up being we want to make sure we're pulling our fair share. GE has been nothing but a fantastic owner of NBCU, and I expect that to be the case for many years to come.

Television Week: If you still were executive producer of "Today," would you have been lobbying for a fourth hour?
Jeff Zucker: Of course I would. Sure. Sure.

Television Week: And would you be knocking on Kelly Ripa's door?
Jeff Zucker: (Pause) As you know, I'm a big fan of Kelly and admire her personally and professionally.

http://www.tvweek.com/article.cms?articleId=31493

Critic’s Notebook
Ending on a High Note:
'Sopranos' And 'Idol' Are Unlikely to Disappoint
By Tom Shales Washington Post Staff Writer

For many years in a previous century, TV networks tried to hide the fact that a season was coming to an end or that a popular show was about to gasp its last or lapse into reruns. Today, many a finale is treated as grand and heavily ballyhooed. The networks will promote anything in pursuit of short-term ratings, never mind what the long-term effect might be.

• The big events to look forward to as spring coils and prepares to pounce are potentially spectacular farewells -- the most conspicuous being the definite, absolute and this-time-we're-not-kidding conclusion to "The Sopranos" on HBO, probably the most eagerly anticipated series finale since David Janssen nabbed the one-armed man and stopped being "The Fugitive."

The airdate for the last of nine new "Sopranos" episodes is June 10, and it wouldn't be surprising if HBO attracts its largest audience ever on that night.

• On May 22-23, there'll be another momentous climax, although of the once-a-year, rather than once-in-a-lifetime, variety: the annual, irresistible, must-see conclusion to Fox's "American Idol" talent search, in which a new king or queen of pop singing will be crowned, hailed, feted and hyper-hyped. This year's competition has gotten off to a roaringly good and deservedly high-rated start.

• HBO, meanwhile, has another promising attraction in the wings that marks the culmination of a 30-year effort to bring a modern classic to the screen (any screen): the film adaptation of "Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee," a seminal work on Native Americans. Produced by "Law & Order" maestro Dick Wolf, it's completing production in Canada and airs in March.

• To the other extreme -- the opposite of breathless anticipation -- there's much on the TV horizon that looks eminently dreadable. The productions most likely to be loathed are whatever variations on the reality game show that come next. As NBC demonstrated with its "American Idol" clone "Grease: You're the One That I Want," the genre's low standards allow one to be shamelessly and dreadfully derivative.

Who knows what "new" ideas lurk in the rattled brains of TV producers? Even though CBS's "Armed and Famous" was a flop, there are almost certain to be more attempts to team amateurs and has-beens in dubious endeavors. How about "Ocean's 13 1/2, " in which pseudo- and would-be stars join forces to rob a Las Vegas casino -- or maybe just knock over a bank?

"Big-Time Bowling"? "Celebrity Space Mission"? Maybe "Strip Search," in which viewers vote for the best amateur lap dancer. Hardly anything is beyond imagining, and if respectable networks all turn down an idea, one can always peddle it to Fox, which came that close to airing a special in which O.J. Simpson was going to speculate what it would be like to murder two people (not that he ever did, of course).

The real competition: Which network can stoop the lowest and score a fat payday in the process. But there's an idea right there -- "So You Want to Run a Network!," the show that lets Mr. and Ms. Average Viewer play programmer. That might not only be a hit but also a way to salvage NBC.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/09/AR2007020900553_pf.html

TV Notebook
Grammy bow to Fox's 'American Idol'
Awards to Carrie Underwood affirm show's place
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 12, 2007

As if “American Idol” really needed more validation, last night season four champion Carrie Underwood became the talent competition’s second-ever Grammy winner. She earned two awards, best female country vocal performance and best new artist.

That followed season one winner Kelly Clarkson’s two Grammys last year and past nominations for season two and three champs Ruben Studdard and Fantasia Barrino.

Add to that the recent Academy Award nomination for season three finalist Jennifer Hudson, and the hit Fox show’s influence on pop culture seems to be growing.

The show is averaging 34.1 million viewers this season, up 5 percent from last season, and is the top-rated show among adults 18-49.

And that influence is creeping well beyond broadcast TV to other areas. In addition to the Grammy and Academy Awards, “Idol” has produced best-selling records from all of its winners and several runners-up. Season five finalist Chris Daughtry’s album is currently in Billboard’s top five.

Judge Paula Abdul has an upcoming reality show on Bravo. Fellow judge Simon Cowell has produced several other reality shows for American TV, including last summer’s hit “America’s Got Talent” on NBC.

In fact, the show has become so big that last year, when “Idol” aired opposite the Grammys, the latter fell to its lowest ratings ever, and this year was moved to Sunday to avoid facing “Idol.”

Underwood credited “Idol” for her victories in her acceptance speeches last night, unlike Clarkson, who was criticized for not even acknowledging the show’s part in her success.

Making her victory more impressive, Underwood won best vocal performance over such country luminaries LeAnn Rimes, Martina McBride and Gretchen Wilson.

Major winners at Sunday's 49th Annual Grammy Awards at Staples Center in Los Angeles:

Album of the Year

"Taking the Long Way," Dixie Chicks

Record of the Year

"Not Ready to Make Nice," Dixie Chicks

Song of the Year

"Not Ready to Make Nice," Martie Maguire, Natalie Maines, Emily Robison and Dan Wilson (Dixie Chicks)

New Artist

Carrie Underwood

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10125.asp

Sunday’s metered market over-night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just near the top of Ratings News the first post in this thread.

Critic’s Notebook
Why dazzling dramas ended up in Dumpster
By Jonathan Storm Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist

PASADENA, Calif. - What happened?

Launched in an orgy of optimism, the fall's new TV dramas were so handsome and full of promise. Yet, long before winter's frost arrived, most had withered and died, just like all the clunky junk that came and went, year in, year out, in the bad old days.

It was three and out for CBS's caper chronicle, Smith. "The show looked great," said network entertainment president Nina Tassler, "but it needed to spend more time on both main characters."

NBC's scrumptiously convoluted Kidnapped got a quick trip to Saturday's dank TV closet. Thence to the Internet, where nothing could ransom it. "I personally have never been involved with such a gap between the quality and the [ratings] performance" of a show, said NBC entertainment president Kevin O'Reilly.

The Nine lasted only seven episodes. Big Day went for eight. "Big disappointment," said ABC entertainment boss Stephen McPherson. "Both shows were incredibly well-produced," he said. "We loved both shows creatively."

Network bosses preferred to expound on the promise of next season. But they did offer theories as to why 12 of their 17 beloved drama hopefuls wound up drowned in the tank or gasping for air: The shows were too dark. They were too leisurely. They had unclear themes.

Sure, there were too many continuing stories overall, the execs said, but that was the other guy's fault. Nobody acknowledged that his or her network alone suffered serial surfeit.

Instead of dwelling on past failure, however, the network bosses are already deep into pilot season, snapping up sparkling new concepts and trying on strategies to separate themselves from the pack.

That means a wacky wonderland for CBS, more stand-alone series (one hour, case closed) for NBC, more fantasy at ABC, and - saints be praised! - fewer horrific reality shows on Fox this spring.

Some would consider five-for-17 a victory in a TV world where about one in four new series makes it to a second season, but hopes were higher than usual for last fall's crop of sparkling dramas. Though critics saw no breakout hits like Desperate Housewives, many were hard-pressed to pick more than three or four lemons.

The public disagreed.

Gone: All three new Fox dramas, Vanished, Standoff and Justice; Smith (CBS), Runaway (CW), Kidnapped (NBC).

Canceled, but likely to air all the remaining installments of their 13-episode order later this season: ABC's Six Degrees and The Nine. Day Break's final five should show up on the Internet, McPherson said. He cautioned that while Six Degrees had time to wrap up loose ends, The Nine would finish without closure.

ABC picked up Men in Trees for 22 episodes, but it's struggling, tied for 61st with NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip among 137 major-network series, and likely to die in May.

O'Reilly said NBC could very well renew critical darlings Studio 60 and Friday Night Lights (105th) for next year. Don't bet on it.

Sure to be back: CBS's Shark (23d) and Jericho (37th), NBC's Heroes (25th), and ABC's Ugly Betty (26th) and Brothers & Sisters (28th).

ABC's McPherson said he saw "a kind of escapism going on out there" in at least three of those five, Heroes, Betty and Brothers & Sisters.

Tassler said all five shows had a "strong identity... a sense of themselves and a clear message, episode to episode." Series like Smith and The Nine, she said, "got mired in the details. Maybe they were a little too clever."

Heavy on closed-end crime and action shows (Shark, starring James Woods as an egotistical prosecutor lawyer, brings the total to 12), CBS "will be walking on the wild side" next season, Tassler said. "We want to find shows that are going to be talked about."

To that end, the network is looking at pilots of a musical series starring Hugh Jackman, a show about exorcists and demons from Joan of Arcadia's Barbara Hall, and another about suburban wife-swappers in the '70s.

NBC will zig where CBS zags.

"There's going to be a few more closed-ended dramas" next fall, McPherson said. "We do have some serials," but nothing as "demanding" as Heroes, which, with its youthful audience and difficult time period, is considered along with Ugly Betty as one of the season's top two new hits.

"Serialization is still one of the biggest hooks that we have into an audience," O'Reilly said. "I think it's potential rocket fuel when you hit. So we're not running away from that, but we are balancing it out a little bit more."

ABC's McPherson talked about developing shows with compelling characters (now there's a novel strategy), with "a little bit of adjustment" toward escapist fare and episodes that wrapped up each week.

And the best news of all may come from Peter Liguori, entertainment president of Fox, who declared in a topsy-turvy pronouncement typical of his network: "Spring is the new fall."

Instead of "dabbling in reality," Fox plans to introduce three new scripted series "to see if any [will] stick, because then they'll be contenders for the fall."

With American Idol and 24 luring 89 zillion viewers in the spring, and baseball playoffs and the World Series messing up the Fox fall, Liguori hopes to avoid perennial scheduling problems that have seen only one new show in recent years, Prison Break, get any traction on the network from an August or September launch.

It's possible that all three spring shows will be smash hits or that they'll all go down the drain. The four big network kahunas may make $5 million among them, and they may have reams of research behind the scenes and immensely creative people in front of them.

But the viewing public is a fickle mistress, and, at the end of the day (a phrase you must employ at least three times daily to become even a junior TV executive), all the strategy in the world doesn't guarantee success.

"You don't really know where a hit is going to come from," Tassler said.

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//16661790.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

The Business of TV
Ailes: Fox Biz Network Must Limit Infomercials
Carriers Forcing Issue, Exec Says
By Michele Greppi Television Week February 12, 2007

Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes says he's paying for cable operators' mistakes with CNBC.

Burned by the number of infomercial hours programmed by CNBC, the companies that have agreed to carry the Fox Business Channel starting in fourth quarter of this year have imposed limits on the number of non-business-news hours on the network, Mr. Ailes told TelevisionWeek in an interview.

"We're not allowed to do what CNBC does. They go 24/7 on weekends with infomercials. They can go all overnight on infomercials," Mr. Ailes said. "[The cable operators] figured out they had given away the store with CNBC and they limited us more.

"We can have X number of hours, six or eight or something, for a couple of years. So we clearly are going to have to come up with a schedule that allows us not to live on the addiction to infomercials and nose tweezers and `Body by Jake,' or Cheese Whiz slicers and that s--," Mr. Ailes said last week. "We're going to have to invent something."

In the beginning, he said, he expects to do a 12-hour live day, then probably taped programming in the evening and more taped programming on the weekends.

Mr. Ailes spoke last week after the long-awaited announcement that News Corp. had cable operators' commitments representing 30 million subscribers. That had been the magic target number News Corp. set for greenlighting the channel News Corp. Chairman Rupert Murdoch has long desired.

In spite of the long lead, Mr. Ailes and Neil Cavuto, Fox News senior VP and managing editor of business news, have few specifics to share.

Mr. Ailes said his team is working on "a hard headcount" that probably will include more than 300 hires involved in the gathering and producing of business news. Synergy will help hold down some other costs, since Fox Business Channel will be housed in the headquarters building of News Corp. and Fox News.

The team also includes Fox News Executive VP Kevin Magee, who will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the new channel, while Mr. Cavuto will oversee content and business news coverage; and former CNBC personality Alexis Glick, who will serve as a director of business news, reporting to Mr. Cavuto, while also serving in an on-air capacity.

The Ailes-Cavuto-Glick triumvirate has a good knowledge of CNBC practice and personalities, which Fox Business Channel clearly considers its prime competition for viewers who are not restricted to Wall Street offices.

Mr. Ailes, who considers public relations an art of war, can and did make sharp, pithy observations about the CNBC on-air veterans. For example, he offered: "Joe Kernen is a real stud for them." Then he said, "Hey, let me just say they're all good friends. I know all of them. Most of them were there when I was there when I was a boy.

"I think they've got a niche carved out," Mr. Ailes said.

CNBC made more than $275 million in pre-tax profit in 2006, a record for the business news channel and is in more than 80 million homes.

Bloomberg Television's data-heavy, multiscreen, 24-hour format is available in more than 86 million homes. Both competitors have international operations.

However, Mr. Cavuto does not want to be hemmed in.

"There's a tendency, not across the board, but among some, to look at business news as the stuff of old white men. That has been the perceived audience," he said, adding that the success that business news on Fox News Channel has had "reaching out to minorities, getting more women, getting younger people watching, getting big numbers, period, is in our approach."

He aims to challenge people to look outside the box, to see the greater world of business beyond just tick-for-tick movement in the market, Mr. Cavuto said.

"I would imagine there is room there," BIA Financial Network VP Mark Fratrick said. "They have financial backing, commitment, resources they can use. I would be relatively optimistic of their success."

"Bring it on," a spokesperson for CNBC said. "We welcome the competition if it ever shows up."

A Fox spokesperson replied, "We welcome their arrogance."

http://www.tvweek.com/article.cms?articleId=31500

Critic’s Notebook
Why dazzling dramas ended up in Dumpster
By Jonathan Storm Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist

ABC picked up Men in Trees for 22 episodes, but it's struggling, tied for 61st with NBC's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip among 137 major-network series, and likely to die in May.

O'Reilly said NBC could very well renew critical darlings Studio 60 and Friday Night Lights (105th) for next year. Don't bet on it.

Was that "likely to die in May" reference meant for 'Men In Trees' or 'Studio 60'? Regardless, I really hope that the fact that 'Studio 60' ranks 44 slots ahead of 'FNL' might give it a small edge come renewal time with Reilly. Then again, that fracking 'Studio 60' budget! :( :( :(

Critic’s Notebook
Bauer doing all the heavy lifting on '24'
By Charlie McCollum San Jose Mercury News Mon, Feb. 12, 2007

Some thoughts, notes and bits of news from the mythical, mystical world of television:

• While it remains one of TV's most compelling shows, ``24'' -- which airs back-to-back episodes tonight (starting at 8, Chs. 2, 35) -- is faltering this season on one key level: Jack Bauer -- and Kiefer Sutherland, the actor who plays him -- is being asked to carry almost the entire dramatic load, with precious little help from the huge array of surrounding characters.

None of the other characters has the impact of those of past years: There's no David and Sherry Palmer (Dennis Haysbert, Penny Johnson), Teri Bauer (Leslie Hope), Audrey Raines (Kim Raver), Dina Araz (Shohreh Aghdashloo) or Charles and Martha Logan (Gregory Itzin, Jean Smart) to provide some balance to the storytelling. Even Chloe O'Brian (Mary Lynn Rajskub, who seems to have undergone an extreme fashion makeover between seasons) has been marginalized.

Two characters have come close, but Graem Bauer, a.k.a. Bluetooth Guy (Paul McCrane), Jack's duplicitous brother, got bumped off last week, and White House aide Tom Lennox still hasn't risen to the level of engaging despite a delightfully twitchy performance by Peter MacNicol from ``Numbers.''

And after last week's episode, I'm not really confident that the very good James Cromwell is going to make that much of an impact as Philip Bauer, Jack's dear ol' daddy. (It might have been different if Donald Sutherland, Kiefer's father, had agreed to play the role. He was asked.)

I'm still there every Monday night for ``24.'' But Jack really needs some help -- and quickly -- to get through this season.

• Since I've whacked ``Gilmore Girls'' (8 ET/PT Tuesday, the CW) pretty good so far this season, it's only right that I mention the past two episodes, which have had at least a measure of the show's old snap and zip. Last week's hour was the best the series has mustered in some time, with a very moving performance by Kelly Bishop as Emily Gilmore. It still feels like it's time to call it a day in Stars Hollow, but at least there are a few signs of life left in the Gilmores.

• Two PBS documentaries are worth your time this week: ``New Orleans'' (9 ET/PT tonight), a fresh take on the city from filmmaker Stephen Ives (``Seabiscuit''), and the first part of ``News War'' (10 ET/PT Tuesday), kicking off a ``Frontline'' miniseries on the current state of the press in this country.

The Ives film doesn't have the power of Spike Lee's ``When the Levees Broke,'' but it's a marvelous celebration of the city's cultural greatness. The four-part ``News War'' -- produced by Lowell Bergman, a Pulitzer Prize winner with ``60 Minutes'' -- opens with a splendid segment on how the Bush administration ``spun'' the media during the days leading up to the Iraq war.

• ``Jericho'' (8 ET/PT Wednesday, CBS) has been taking a breather since November, and Wednesday's episode may look like a new one in the CBS promos (and even may be listed as a fresh installment in TV schedules). It's not. The hour is a show of clips from previous episodes, so unless you feel the need to catch up with where things stand in that Kansas town, you can take a pass until the show returns with actual new stuff next week.

• ABC can spin the ratings result any which way but loose, but here's the bottom line: ``Lost'' suffered another viewership slide in its heavily promoted return last week. Moving to the 10 p.m. Wednesday slot, it drew 14.7 million viewers -- a notable drop from its last original episode in November -- and was beaten by ``CSI: NY'' by more than a million people. Sure, the show won among younger viewers, but there has to be some concern among the ABC suits.

http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/entertainment/columnists/charlie_mccollum/16680106.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Critic’s Notebook
Heroes the Best Serial on TV?
Get Lost.
By James Poniewozik Time Magazine television critic in Time’s “Tuned In” blog

It's hard to stop a runaway meme, and the one that's taken off in TV this year is that Heroes in the new Lost. Or, rather, the new, improved Lost.

The argument goes like this: Lost used to be a great, entertaining show, but it got so up its own, um, hatch with plot convolutions that it became impossible and frustrating to follow. Enter Heroes, another great-looking serial which improved on the formula by streamlining its mystery, disciplining its story, and providing closure, closure, closure. It tells you "Save the Cheerleader, Save the World," and, by God, somebody will save the cheerleader by mid-season!

I like Heroes a lot. I'll be watching tonight. (First Nathan gets with Niki, and now he's Claire's father? Dude's presidential material!) But to me this argument takes a pretty dim view of not just Lost but of what TV can be as an entertainment form. If all you care about is suspense, easy-to-follow stories and plot gratification, Heroes is your show.

But as a piece of writing, a work of--is it embarrassing to say this?--art? It's not even close. Heroes is not written nearly at the level Lost is, either in its dialogue--how often does a character on Heroes deliver a line you couldn't have pretty much predicted a beat in advance?--or its characters. Lost has an entire roster of multifaceted, engaging characters, alive and dead: Locke, Eko, Sawyer, Ben and the list goes on. Heroes has maybe two characters that aren't flat stock types: Hiro (who's funny and endearing, but pales before Hurley) and maybe Horn-Rimmed Glasses (who is interestingly ambiguous, but also a bit of an X-Files retread).

Obviously not every show on TV needs to be, or can be, as creative as Lost, and there's room for more than one good serial on network TV. But it's time to stop the madness. If anybody wants to take up the samurai sword for Heroes, however, I bare my neck for you here.

http://time-blog.com/tuned_in/

Critic’s Notebook
The Mr. Television Column
Empty Calorie Shows
by Marc Berman Media Week February 12, 2007

If you work in this business and your office is in Manhattan, chances are you have been to Michael's, a popular midtown restaurant. Anyone who is anyone in media goes there; it's a veritable who's who of the power-media set. Yet the food is not very good, the prices are exorbitant, and if you order anything of a non-salad nature (which I did when I met Susan Lyne at the hot spot a few years ago) you might need a microscope to find the meat.

Two weeks ago I lunched there with an old colleague from my days at Viacom, Ken Werner, who is now president of Warner Bros. Domestic Distribution. And, as usual, the place was jam-packed with media executives, including Hallmark CEO Henry Schleiff.

While I walked into the restaurant with limited expectations about the food, Werner — salesman extraordinaire that he is — sold me on the upcoming Warner Bros. newsmagazine TMZ, which is based on the popular Hollywood gossip Web site of the same name (and promises to be independent from the syndicator's veteran Extra). I like the idea of a grittier, more scandalous look at celebrity life on a daily basis, and I am hoping that Warner Bros. can break down the barriers and find some respectable time periods. I'm rooting for this show, folks.

Oddly, eating at Michael's — a place that struck me as completely overrated — got me thinking about some TV shows (many not as good as everyone claims) that generate interest at the watercooler simply because it's "cool" to be watching.

It's safe to say that many people watch these shows to fit in, more than for the pure entertainment value. I mean, let's be honest here: Is Grey's Anatomy on ABC really that good? Are HBO's Entourage or Curb Your Enthusiasm really that addictive? And do you really think one-joke-wonder Ugly Betty on ABC has that long a shelf life? Given that Betty works in the fashion industry, you would think by now that her fashion sense might have improved!

God forbid I criticize any of these shows—the hard-core fans are likely to have my head on a platter. But if I hear one more thing about Drs. "McDreamy" or "McSteamy," I might just toss my McCookies.

One show with a Michael's mentality that posters at PIfeedback.com, our chat room, can't stop talking about is NBC's 30 Rock. "Alec Baldwin, Alec Baldwin...Alec Baldwin!" The fans are relentless. "He's funny. He's amazing. He deserves an Emmy award!" Yet, a good percentage of the Scrubs audience flees in droves the minute 30 Rock begins. (Scrubs is another show that has limited appeal, over which a former NBC executive once threatened me because I would not label it as a "winner" in my Programming Insider newsletter. "Watch your step," he growled at me.)

While you can certainly blame the limited ratings on the competing Grey's Anatomy and CSI, erosion for 30 Rock out of Scrubs of 1.19 million viewers (6.90 to 5.71 million) and 17 percent among adults 18-49 (3.5 rating/8 share to 2.9/7) according to Nielsen Media Research data for the recent Feb. 1 telecast, tells me viewers may not love 30 Rock as much as they say they do. If they did, why would all these people be grabbing the remote?

One can't deny these die-hard fans — who call themselves "Rock-ites" — will miss the show when it's yanked for Andy Richter sitcom Andy Barker, P.I. for six weeks starting March 5. But the rest of America won't give a damn.

Like Fox's Emmy-winning Arrested Development, which everyone just loved (yet few people managed to watch on a regular basis), 30 Rock is too over the top and full of empty calories to ever attract a mass audience. Sitting through an episode of 30 Rock is like eating at Michael's: You do it in order to fit in, but the experience leaves you craving more. When the episode is over, you probably still hunger for a sitcom like Everybody Loves Raymond or Seinfeld because it is simply more satisfying and familiar. Sometimes a good ol' hamburger with all the fixins' is better than some miniscule piece of beef.

If you ever do ever happen to get to Michael's, though, here's some advice: Order a Cobb salad. At $35 a pop, that's one of the least expensive entrees on the menu. And make sure you're on an expense account — everyone else there is.

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/98010991/m/78810233

A Reminder

Page views continue to increase dramatically in this thread. If you are new here, welcome. If you are a veteran, consider this a reminder of some of the resources available to you.

So, if you are one of the tens of thousands who are new to AVS (or more specifically to the Hot Off The Press thread), you should be aware that there are a lot of valuable information which is constantly updated for you near the top of the thread.

The daily and weekly Nielsen ratings are always available in the first post. The daily numbers are usually available by 10:30 or so AM ET (metered market overnights) and by 12:15 PM or so ET (fast nationals). The weekly ratings are updated by mid-late afternoon ET on Tuesdays (unless Monday is a holiday and they are delayed a day).

The list of cancelled and renewed shows, along with those who have received full-season pickups for this year are in post #2. Also in post #2 is an up-to-date prime-time network schedule, complete with HD listings

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=4265637&&#post4265637

The shows which have yet to premiere this year are in post #3.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=4278280&&#post4278280

A number of additional resources can be found in post #4. Here are just some of the items you’ll find there:

Sports HD Schedules
Where to find the HD schedule for your favorite team -- in any sport

AC Nielsen 210 Market DMA Rankings for the 2006-2007 TV Season
Find out where your (and every U.S. TV market) ranks

Digital TV Info for all 210 Nielsen DMAs
The people at HDTV Magazine have supplied a link which tells who in each market is broadcasting digitally, from where and with how much power

Cable/Satellite Penetration By Nielsen DMA Market as of November, 2006
How many people have cable or satellite in each market?

FCC's Digital TV Info Resources

FCC SHVERA Fact Sheet
Are you eligible for HD Distant Network Station reception? Here is the FCC fact sheet which may answer some of your questions about SHVERA and how it effects what we are -- or are not -- allowed to purchase.

All of this and much more is available in post #4 of this thread. You can go there directly by clicking here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=4278412&&#post4278412

Was that "likely to die in May" reference meant for 'Men In Trees' or 'Studio 60'? Regardless, I really hope that the fact that 'Studio 60' ranks 44 slots ahead of 'FNL' might give it a small edge come renewal time with Reilly. Then again, that fracking 'Studio 60' budget! :( :( :(

I think Marc has made it clear in recent weeks he thinks the terrible retention numbers for "Men In Trees" out of "Grey's" means it faces a bleak future.

"Studio 60", in his opinion, has very little chances of renewal.

Critic’s Notebook
Heroes the Best Serial on TV?
Get Lost.
By James Poniewozik Time Magazine television critic in Time’s “Tuned In” blog

Lost has an entire roster of multifaceted, engaging characters, alive and dead: Locke, Eko, Sawyer, Ben and the list goes on. Heroes has maybe two characters that aren't flat stock types: Hiro (who's funny and endearing, but pales before Hurley) and maybe Horn-Rimmed Glasses (who is interestingly ambiguous, but also a bit of an X-Files retread).

and where Heroes succeeds over Lost is that it actually uses the characters and integrates their stories into the general plot. What's the point in having "an entire roster of multifaceted, engaging characters" if most of the time they are glorified extras and barely mentioned?

TV Notebook
WGA Television Award Winners
(WGA News Release)

Los Angeles and New York -- The Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW) and the Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) announced the winners of the 2007 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing writing in gala ceremonies at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel in Los Angeles and the Hudson Theatre in New York on Sunday, February 11, 2007.

DRAMATIC SERIES
The Sopranos, Written by Mitchell Burgess, David Chase, Diane Frolov, Robin Green, Andrew Schneider, Matthew Weiner, Terence Winter; HBO

COMEDY SERIES
The Office, Written by Steve Carell, Jennifer Celotta, Greg Daniels, Lee Eisenberg, Brent Forrester, Ricky Gervais, Mindy Kaling, Paul Lieberstein, Stephen Merchant, B.J. Novak, Michael Schur, Gene Stupnitsky; NBC

NEW SERIES
Ugly Betty, Written by Veronica Becker, Oliver Goldstick, Silvio Horta, Sarah Kucserka, Sheila Lawrence, Cameron Litvack, Myra Jo Martino, Jim Parriott, Marco Pennette, Dailyn Rodriguez, Don Todd; ABC

EPISODIC DRAMA -- any length -- one airing time
Pilot (Big Love), Witten by Mark V. Olsen & Will Scheffer; HBO

EPISODIC COMEDY -- any length -- one airing time
Casino Night (The Office), Written by Steve Carell; NBC

LONG FORM -- ORIGINAL -- over one hour -- one or two parts, one or two airing times
Flight 93, Written by Nevin Schreiner; A&E

ANIMATION -- any length -- one airing time
The Italian Bob (The Simpsons), Written by John Frink; FOX

COMEDY/VARIETY -- MUSIC, AWARDS, TRIBUTES -- SPECIALS -- any length
The National Memorial Day Concert, Written by Joan Meyerson; PBS

COMEDY/VARIETY -- (Including Talk) SERIES
Saturday Night Live, Head Writers Tina Fey, Seth Meyers, Andrew Steele; Writers Doug Abeles, James Anderson, Alex Baze, Liz Cackowski, Charlie Grandy, Steve Higgins, Colin Jost, Erik Kenward, John Lutz, Lorne Michaels, Matt Murray, Paula Pell, Akiva Schaffer, Frank Sebastiano, T. Sean Shannon, Robert Smigel, JB Smoove, Emily Spivey, Jorma Taccone, Bryan Tucker; Additional sketches by Mike Schwartz, Kristin Gore; NBC

DAYTIME SERIALS
As the World Turns, Written by Jean Passanante, Leah Laiman, Christopher Whitesell, Courtney Simon, Anna Cascio, Lisa Connor, Paula Cwikly, Hogan Sheffer, Judy Tate, Bettina Bradbury, Richard Culliton, Susan Dansby, Judy Donato, Josh Griffith, Elizabeth Page, Melissa Salmons, Charlotte Gibson; CBS

CHILDREN'S EPISODIC & SPECIALS
Premiere (Just for Kicks), Written by Alana Sanko; Nickelodeon

DOCUMENTARY -- CURRENT EVENTS
The Dark Side, Written by Michael Kirk; PBS Frontline

DOCUMENTARY -- OTHER THAN CURRENT EVENTS
Marie Antoinette, Written by David Grubin; PBS

NEWS -- REGULARLY SCHEDULED, BULLETIN OR BREAKING REPORT
Remembering Lou Rawls, Written by Jonathan Kaplan; CBS News

NEWS -- ANALYSIS, FEATURE, OR COMMENTARY
Crisis Mismanagement (America's Investigative Reports), Written by Tom M. Jennings; PBS

http://www.wgaeast.org/awards/2007/02/12/2007_winners/

Sunday’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.

TV Notebook
No-no list: The dirty dozen TV shows
The 12 advertisers are most likely to object to
By Diego Vasquez MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 12, 2007

There's no list as such, and just who finds what objectionable and to what degree varies widely, depending on who the advertiser is. But there are TV shows that experienced media buyers know many of their clients won't allow their spots to run on.

Commonly it's the show's sexual content, or its coarse language, and sometimes it's violent content of the sort that arouses complaints to the Federal Communications Commission. And sometimes it's simply a case of the advertiser not liking the show.

Yet there appears to be a consensus among media buyers as to the most objectionable shows, based on a Media Life survey posted last Friday.

Topping the list is "The Jerry Springer Show," which showed up on the most lists of respondents.

It's not hard to figure out why, either. "Springer" has it all, foul language, violence, the occasional exposed body part when the fights begin, as they invariably do. And of course the content is rich with infidelity and just about everything else.

Here's the full list, as chosen by readers:

1. "Jerry Springer" (syndicated)
2. Fox's "Cops"
3. FX's "Nip/Tuck"
4. (tie) Fox's "America's Most Wanted" and "Family Guy"
6. (tie) "WWE," syndicated court shows, NBC's "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"
9. (tie) ABC's "Desperate Housewives," Fox's "The War at Home," "Sex and the City" (syndicated), any MyNetwork TV show, ABC's "Primetime," "Maury" (syndicated), FX's "The Shield," E!'s "The Girls Next Door," CBS's "Two and a Half Men"

But also getting mention was "Dr. Phil," the daytime talker, and that brings up an interest phenomenon. It's not just objectionable content that can scare advertisers but the fear of objectionable content. Advertisers don't know what topic is liable to come up.

A few years back, in a Media Life story on the Dirty Dozen, "Oprah" made the list, and the reason was that while the Winfrey show was a hit and for the most part warm and fuzzy with advertisers, there was always the fear that its host would go into risky territory, discussing incest, for example.

In addition to asking readers to rank shows, Media Life also asked them to list in order the red flags among clients. Readers were asked to select one or more.

Sex ranked No. 1 at 57.6 percent, and obscene language wasn't far behind at 48.5 percent.

But right up there, tied for No. 2, was unpredictability of guests and/or topics.

After that came violence and content likely to anger consumers, such as politically sensitive issue like abortion, at 36.4 percent.

Right behind, at 33.3 percent, came mature content on a young-skewing program. At 24.2 percent came shows that had been criticized by family watchdog groups.

But of all these, the most important red flag is clearly sex. Media Life rephrased the question, asking readers to pick just one red flag that most frightens advertisers from among the list, and sexual content was tops at 24.1 percent.

Interestingly, the next red flag was content likely to anger consumers. So after sex, what advertisers most dread is controversy, presumably political content, which in these divisive times really isn't that surprising.

Third, at 17.2 percent, came mature content on a young-skewing program.

Among the different areas of television, cable is the leader in objectionable content. Asked to name a particular area of program that’s most likely to be objectionable, 60.7 percent of respondents chose cable. Broadcast was a distant second at 17.9 percent, slightly ahead of syndication at 14.3 percent.

Among the broadcast networks, Fox is most likely to air offensive shows, according to respondents, at 28 percent, well ahead of ABC and MyNetworkTV, both at 12 percent.

Among cable networks, the clear leader was FX, followed by MTV.

Among the types of shows most likely to scare off advertisers, reality was the clear leader at 41.1 percent of respondents. Drama and syndicated talk shows tied for second but well behind at 17.2 percent, and comedy was third at 10.3 percent.

But of course not all advertisers shy away from controversial shows.

The price may be just right for advertisers who are looking to reach younger audiences, especially males. Products can include beer, movies, legal services, trade schools, direct response and general bottom-feeders, advertisers who are more concerned with price than content.

The most sensitive advertisers in terms of content, according to readers: high-end products, large corporations, packaged goods, retailers and family-friendly companies.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10124.asp

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
A major rebound for CBS's Grammys
Up 22 percent in total viewers over record low
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 12, 2007

Last year the Grammy Awards had the misfortune to air opposite Fox’s juggernaut “American Idol” on a Wednesday night, and the show fell to its lowest total viewership ever, 11 million behind “Idol.”

This year, moved safely away from “Idol” onto Sunday night, the awards show recovered in dominant fashion.

The Grammys averaged 20.7 million total viewers from 8 to 11 p.m. last night, according to Nielsen overnights, up 22 percent from last year’s 17 million. They also pulled an 8.5 in adults 18-49, up 20 percent from last year’s 7.1.

Should the total viewers number hold, it will be the most-watched Grammys in the past three years, though nowhere near the 26.3 million who watched the 2004 show.

The Grammys fared better than their last Sunday outing two years ago, when ABC’s “Desperate Housewives” dominated the evening.

“Housewives” still performed solidly last night but it fell behind the Grammys in both total viewers (18.3 million) and 18-49s (7.1) in its 9 p.m. timeslot.

The Grammys led CBS to a first-place finish for the night among 18-49s with a 7.1 average rating and a 17 share. ABC was second at 5.4/13, Fox third at 3.0/7, NBC fourth at 2.2/5, Univision fifth at 1.4/3 and CW sixth at 0.9/2.

ABC started the night in the lead with a 3.9 rating at 7 p.m. for the first hour of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” CBS was second with a 2.9 for “60 Minutes,” while NBC and Fox tied for third at 2.0, NBC for its first hour of “Grease: You’re the One that I Want” and Fox for repeats of “King of the Hill” and “The Simpsons.” Univision took fifth with a 1.1 for “Hora Pico” and CW was sixth with a 1.0 for an hour of “Reba.”

CBS took the lead at 8 p.m. with an 8.3 rating for the first hour of the Grammys. ABC was second with a 6.2 for another hour of “Home Edition,” Fox third with a 3.5 average for “The Simpsons” (3.8) and “The King of the Hill” (3.2), and NBC fourth with a 2.0 for another hour of “Grease.” Univision was fifth with a 1.3 for the first of three hours of “Bailando por la Boda de Mis Suenos” and CW sixth with a 1.0 for “7th Heaven.”

CBS led again at 9 p.m. with an 8.9 for the Grammys, followed by a 7.1 for ABC’s “Desperate Housewives.” Fox was third with a 3.6 average for “Family Guy” (3.9) and “American Dad” (3.2), NBC fourth with a 2.4 for “The Apprentice,” Univision fifth with a 1.6 for another hour of “Bailando,” and CW sixth with a 0.6 for a repeat of “Beauty and the Geek.”

At 10 p.m. CBS led again with an 8.4 for the final hour of the Grammys. ABC was second with a 4.5 for “Brothers & Sisters,” NBC third with a 2.5 for “Crossing Jordan,” and Univision fourth with a 1.6 for the last hour of “Bailando.”

CBS also finished first for the night among households, posting an 11.7 average rating and an 18 share. ABC was second at 8.6/13, NBC third at 4.3/7, Fox fourth at 3.9/6, and Univision and CW tied for fifth at 1.7/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10135.asp

TV Notebook
Online Comeback for a Short-Lived TV Channel
By Sara Ivry The New York Times February 12,. 007

With the introduction today of getTrio.com, the short-lived but well-loved cable television channel Trio completes its online comeback.

Before Trio, which is owned by NBC Universal, stopped broadcasting in January 2006, it was home to original shows like “Facetime” with Kurt Andersen and “Film Fanatic” with Amy Sedaris. Its companion Web sites, OUTzoneTV.com and BrilliantButCancelled.com, were introduced last June and May and make available some of the programming that appeared on the channel, as well as offering original content.

The new site, getTrio.com, will offer tips on things to see, buy and do around the world. Those offerings will change daily and will be presented with the same contemporary sensibility that the cable channel aspired to, according to Lauren Zalaznick, the president of Bravo, who was in charge of the Trio channel.

“The point of the third phase of Trio pop culture TV launching as a daily newsletter is that the original mandate for Trio was as a pop culture filter,” said Ms. Zalaznick. GetTrio.com users may receive a daily e-mail message of tips and create an archive of their favorite items for later perusal. The information will also be available on a mobile phone platform.

“You never know where cool stuff comes from, where trends come from, but usually it’s a fundamental love of stuff. The Medicis loved their stuff and the Barneys Warehouse sale shoppers love their stuff, and to us, connecting those distant points on the pop culture art continuum is what it’s going to be all about,” Ms. Zalaznick said.

The getTrio.com filter is overseen by Charlie Suisman, the man behind Manhattan User’s Guide, an understated daily e-mail message which also provides information on things to do around town. M.U.G. was an early arrival in an increasingly crowded field of online culture filters that also includes the popular Flavorpill brand.

GetTrio.com is “the anti-Google, in a sense,” said Jason Klarman, Bravo’s senior vice president of marketing and brand strategy. It “helps you find something in a world where you can search for anything.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/12/technology/12trio.html?_r=2&ref=television&oref=slogin&oref=slogin

TV Sports
Fox: “Most” MLB games in HD in 2007

Fox announced today that “most” of its major league baseball games will be in HD this season. Presumably all the national games and most regional contests will be broadcast in HD, but a complete schedule has not been released.

Great news on HD baseball not that I really watch much but this is great for all the BB fans out there.

TV Q&A
Ask Matt
(from the Ask Matt column at TVGuide.com
By Matt Roush: TVGuide.com TV Critic February 12, 2007

Question: What is your opinion of the Veronica-Logan dynamic on Veronica Mars recently? I was an avid supporter of the pairing back in the first season. Their on-screen chemistry was undeniable, and they seemed like a good match. Lately, however, it's been feeling like more of a Dawson-Joey soul-matey melodrama. It's so much of an on-again/off-again romance that the dynamic between them has shifted, making me wish that for now, they would just pull the plug on the relationship. They play off each other much better when they're apart, with both snark and spark making their relationship much more complex.— Kerry

Matt Roush: ]This question came in before last week's breakup episode, so I'm assuming Kerry is now a happier camper than either Veronica or Logan. Personally, I'm OK when they're together (some of the best pillow-talk banter anywhere) and when they're apart, but I agree it creates more dramatic tension for the show when they're not all happy and snuggly. I guess if they'd just let the couple be at peace, there wouldn't be much of a show. And this series is, after all, intended to be something of a young-adult noir, a genre that's all about tormented heroes, so keeping Veronica in domestic bliss probably isn't in the cards.

Question: If we are lucky enough to have an extended run of Friday Night Lights, one question that people seem to be asking is about how the show will handle the inevitable cast changes as students graduate and move on. One possibility that occurred to me would be not to equate one season of the show with one year of high school. If the entire first season stretches out the fall football season, could the entire second season possibly happen over the spring/summer off-season? The upside would be that you could keep characters around twice as long before they graduate, but the downside would be entire seasons without football. I know NBC is trying to promote the show as being about life, not just football, but could this show work without the tension that exists between games?— Dan

Matt Roush: I agree that this would be a very nice problem for Friday Night Lights to have to deal with. I can't say how they'd pull it off, but it's hard to imagine an entire season of the show played in the Panthers' off-season. Maybe the series could pick up again during training in the summer, with conflicts and tensions building as the team heads into a new year, but ultimately the gridiron is where the show, and its characters, live and breathe.

Question: I've been seeing a few rumors online that Battlestar Galactica is on its last legs. Is there any truth to this? Do you have any idea what the future of the show will likely be? It's been a while since a sci-fi show has gotten this much recognition, and I feel that it is one of the better shows on television.— Rebecca

Matt Roush: Cancellation rumors have dogged Battlestar Galactica from almost the very beginning and will no doubt hound the show until it actually comes to pass. Right now, I don't see it happening, and I'd just as soon not waste my time worrying about it. Breaking it down, I'm not sure the Sunday move has helped or hurt the show. It certainly has been a pain for me, since there's such a high volume of big shows that night, and much as I love my Battlestar, it's an awfully intense hour to digest right before the work week begins. I much preferred it on Fridays, where expectations were probably lower, and I had the whole weekend to catch up with it. Still, Battlestar is not a show I imagine Sci Fi or NBC/Universal would just thoughtlessly and quickly kill, the way Sci Fi treated Farscape several years ago. The corporate synergy alone should help ensure that Battlestar is given a proper send-off, whether at the end of next season or the season beyond. (I don't see it going much beyond five seasons, regardless.) The company can still make enough money off the franchise in ancillary sales, no matter the ups and downs of the weekly ratings, that I'd be surprised if NBC/Universal closes shop on it without giving the producers and the fans plenty of notice. I could, of course, be entirely wrong. I certainly felt blindsided when Farscape was axed.

Question: From reading your latest Dispatch, it seems that you're not thrilled with what has happened over the last two episodes of 24. Of course you're entitled to your opinion, but don't you think that 24 almost demands a "wait and see" logic from its fans? I can think of countless times when events that transpired on the show were seen in a different light later. That's not to say that a bad story line, episode or twist can be washed away by an event much later, but I have always found that 24 is better if conclusions are held until the end of story arcs or seasons. It's one of 24's greatest assets that, more than any other series I can remember, it allows you to go along for the ride and make your judgments at a later point. As a faithful 24 fan since the beginning, I am really liking this current season and, like you, can't wait to see what's next. What are your thoughts? And another great thing about 24: I ask tons of fans what their favorite season is and no particular season is ever excluded from the discussion. What would you change about this current season of 24? Lastly, how phenomenal was Jack's interrogation of Graem and his breakdown when he heard the names Tony, Michelle and Palmer? Definitely the best moment so far this season. (PS. Philip and Graem's reasoning for not killing Jack at the end of Episode 6 was explained, albeit quickly, at the end of Episode 7: They wanted Jack to think that Philip has nothing to do with Graem's evil doings so Jack will in turn trust his father. We'll see if that explanation is logical and feasible as the season goes on.)— David

Matt Roush: I don't buy the reasoning in your postscript, but I'm happy to move on, because as you rightly note, what vexes me one week is often entirely wiped away by the shocking twists that follow. With 24 most seasons, the cumulative impact is such that we do tend to forgive it its lapses. I expect that to be the case again this year. I thought the season started off very strongly in that four-hour opening blast, and with this week's two-hour episode and the impending return of former president Logan, there's no reason to think it won't be back on its game very soon. The reason I write the Dispatches is to give an immediate read on a show's ups and downs; it doesn't constitute a final word on the show or the season. Far from it. You suggest 24 is not a show you can judge immediately, but the very nature of a watercooler show is that we form instant opinions with each episode and with each shocking twist. What I file in the Dispatches are the same sort of opinions I would share with friends and colleagues and other fans. That's the value of that particular forum. I hope the next time I file one on 24 (it won't be for at least a week, because of my long-planned mid-February personal "hiatus"), it will be much more glowing.

Question: I was wondering what you thought about Ed Helms being made a series regular on The Office. For me, The Office seems to be a show with split personalities. On one hand, there's the show I really like with Jim, Pam and the assorted cast members. On the other hand there's the show that is way over-the-top with Michael and Dwight, which I don't really enjoy. Helms' Andy character definitely falls into the latter category for me, and I have to admit to being a little disappointed to find that he'll be back at all. True, the back-and-forth between Andy and Dwight was fun for a moment, but in the end he's just a meaner version of Dwight, which makes the existence of both characters redundant. Worse, it shifts the focus of the show further toward the world of Michael and Dwight, and I can certainly do without that.— Tom

Matt Roush: An interesting observation. The Office truly does feel like two different shows with clashing tones, from sly, realistically played comedy that feels uncomfortably but wonderfully real to the manic, rather surreal high jinks of the more broadly played characters. I have gone on record frequently about how Dwight and (to a lesser degree) Michael are my least favorite elements of the show, especially when they're encouraged to go full-tilt crazy. It takes me out of the reality of this office, which I otherwise believe in and in which I'm happily absorbed. Ed Helms obviously belongs to that other, broader Office, but I mind him less than Rainn Wilson's Dwight (about whom I've softened lately; see my recent Dispatch) because I find Andy to be a more extreme version of a relatable character: the unctuous suck-up you might find in any office. I love the fact that he overplays his hand so badly that even Michael (who wants to be everyone's friend) cringes and wishes he would go away. Having Andy be part of the full-time Office dynamic adds a new layer of comic tension that I'm OK with, although I agree that he's more effective in small doses.

Question: I'd like to add my two cents to the debate on the Lost scheduling for next season. I'm sure that I'm not the only Lost fan who is against the consecutive, 24-style run of episodes, but I also understand that having two or three blocks of new episodes leaves many weeks in between, with no good shows to replace Lost. What I don't understand is why ABC won't simply show Lost reruns in the weeks that don't have new episodes. I thought the problem with the scheduling of the first two seasons was not the reruns themselves, but the irregular pattern of new episodes/reruns that disrupted the flow of the story. With almost all of its other shows, ABC plays reruns during the weeks without new episodes, so why can't they do that with Lost as well?— Lauren

Matt Roush: Blame the fans, they're the ones who put up such a vocal hissy fit anytime there were reruns. ABC has now shied away from reruns altogether, even when scattering a few on a Saturday night would make sense (now that college football season is over). I suppose ABC could make it absolutely clear when it would be "rerun season" for Lost, but there's always a point in any season — late January, parts of March and April, basically anytime between sweeps months — when there will be a mix of new and repeat episodes of any normal series, and Lost happens to be one of those shows that makes people flip out any week when there isn't a new episode, citing vague complaints like an "irregular pattern." (I can't tell you how many e-mails I got in late January, one week before sweeps, when a handful of shows went into a one-week repeat cycle, as if this were something new and inexplicable and for which the programmers should be shot.) The reality of the situation is that because Lost is so heavily serialized, its repeats tend to do worse than even those of sudsy shows like Desperate Housewives and Grey's Anatomy, both of which do air repeats during the regular season. For the time being, it looks like ABC's goal is to run Lost without repeats no matter how the season itself plays out.

Question: I found it interesting that you mentioned the Jericho model as a possibility for Lost scheduling. No doubt it wouldn't be a problem for Lost. However, when you mentioned Jericho, it occurred to me that during its downtime I had forgotten that the show even existed. Do you think Jericho will bounce back when it returns? (I'm assuming it hasn't returned yet.) Or do you think others might have let this one slip away from them as well?— Brandy B.

Matt Roush: CBS is doing plenty of promotion now, and I expect that promotion to continue this week and next, to remind everyone who might care that Jericho is on its way back. (A recap episode airs this Wednesday, and the first new episode airs a week later on Feb. 21.) I wouldn't worry about this one. If the show had been airing nothing but repeats from late November to now, I can only imagine the griping. Like most everything else CBS does, this appears to have been a pretty smart scheduling experiment.

Question: Is there any truth to the rumor that Reba might be picked up by another network, after its shabby treatment by the CW? Even in a terrible time slot, the show did well. We loyal fans would follow it to a new network, and on, say, CBS (a much better fit), it could attract millions more. Do you think there's a chance?— Stephanie

Matt Roush: I'm not surprised by the rumors, but I doubt there's anything to it. This is not an inexpensive show, with 125 episodes under its belt after six seasons, more than enough for syndication. While Reba would have been a better fit on CBS than on either the WB or especially the CW, that didn't happen and it isn't likely to. Just be glad that it's going out with some dignity, with the series finale on Feb. 18. Well done, Reba.

Question: The typical network M.O.: 12 people are watching a show, we've pretty much given up on it, we pull it for sweeps to try out a mid-season replacement. Now, I don't hate Studio 60 as much as you do, but I've got to be honest: 12 people are watching. So why would NBC keep it around for February sweeps and try out The Black Donnellys in the relative doldrums of March? Is it possible that NBC hasn't given up on Studio 60? I want some of what they're smokin' (a little Sorkin humor for ya). Sorry, Aaron (still love ya, buddy), but Donnellys is probably more deserving of the sweeps attention this time around.— Lee

Matt Roush: A more likely business-as-usual scenario would have been for NBC to pull Studio 60 for sweeps and replace it with repeats of the various Law & Order shows, or something else with juice. That NBC gave Studio 60 this last month to prove itself was an act of charity, one that most shows on the bubble don't get. But launching new shows during sweeps rarely happens. Last week's premiere of Rules of Engagement was an exception, and had more to do with being able to take advantage of relentless promotion on Super Bowl night. A sweeps month is more about doing big stunts with the established franchises, not trying out something new. And I beg to differ about March being a "doldrums" month. Traditionally it's a month when most of the networks tend to roll out new mid-season shows. In the first week of March alone, I count four major premieres (Fox's The Winner and The Wedding Bells, NBC's The Black Donnellys and the CW's Pussycat Dolls reality show) with many more to follow in the weeks ahead. To put a risky drama like The Black Donnellys on in the teeth of February sweeps might have doomed it. At least in March you can probably count on a few repeats of CSI: Miami airing against it (and CSI will probably still win).

Question: I guess I'm still in the minority on The Class, but I love it. And I find myself loving it more as the weeks go by. I know you've always been a bit iffy about it, but I'm not seeing the mess. It's better without Holly, and I agree with you that any marginalization of Kyle has nothing to do with him being gay, but is rather an attempt to focus on fewer characters. (For the record, I prefer him with Ethan and Kat anyway.) It saddens me to think that CBS will probably dump this show, but my question is, why? You mentioned that 30 Rock will more than likely get a pickup, and while I understand its award pedigree, The Class regularly outdoes Rock in ratings. Even How I Met Your Mother doesn't do that much better ratings-wise, but for whatever reason that is seen as a success. This show still has better ratings than any other new half-hour comedy on TV (not that it's that hard right now), and better than several of the long-existing ones (just not on CBS). I also have nothing against Christine, but the HIMYM/Class combo seems like a pairing that would work much better in the long run if CBS wants to try to attract younger viewers. But I think CBS has given up. Do they just want overnight success? I also get the impression that they are banking on the horrific Rules of Engagement doing well, thereby providing another reason to ditch The Class. Yay, another married-life-sucks sitcom. That should change CBS' program reputation. Ugh, guess I'd better enjoy what could possibly be my last Class episodes ever. I can at least hope that it will eventually show up on DVD.— Rachel K.

Matt Roush: You probably could have made the same argument about Out of Practice a year ago. The situation with CBS is that it only has one solid comedy night with four slots available at any given time, and that's not likely to change anytime soon, at least not until the vogue for crime dramas begins to wane (let it be soon). A show that is seen as being in creative disarray or with iffy ratings — The Class goes up and down like a seesaw — has serious strikes against it, and unfortunately, the much more mediocre Rules of Engagement got a pretty significant post-Super Bowl lift in its first week out. We'll see if that holds. We'll also see how The New Adventures of Old Christine does when it's paired with Mother in its mid-March return, after The Class finishes its run of original episodes. It also depends, as usual, on CBS' development for next season. There are many things about The Class that I would miss, including its handful of truly funny characters. But to be honest, the show itself feels like a missed opportunity. I feel bad that it didn't come together better, but there are times when you just have to be a realist.

http://www.tvguide.com/News-Views/Columnists/Ask-Matt/Default.aspx#01veronica

TV Sports
Fox Hires Three Former Major Leaguers as Analysts
By John Consoli MediaWeek February 12, 2007

Fox Sports has announced that Joe Girardi, Mark Grace and Eric Karros, all former Major League Baseball players, will serve as analysts for its MLB coverage this season.

Girardi was the 2006 National League Manager of the Year, after a long major league career as a player. Grace played his long career with the Chicago Cubs, while Karros spent most of his career with the Los Angeles Dodgers. The trio wil join Fox veteran game analyst Tim McCarver and rotate between the Fox Saturday Baseball Game of the Week pregame show and game coverage.
Eric Byrnes, Arizona Diamondbacks player, will also contribute a monthly feature to the pregame show on Fox.

Karros did analysis for Fox Sports during the 2004 MLB Divisional Series and spent the past two years as a baseball analyst on ESPN. Grace is also an analyst on the Arizona Diamondback telecasts. And Girardi will also do game and studio analysis on YES Network, the home network of the New York Yankees.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/networktv/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003544633

Washington Notebook
Public TV Presses DBS Multicast Case
MultiChannel News 2/12/2007

Washington -- Public television stations want Congress to require carriage of all local public channels’ digital signals.

The Association of Public Television Stations said its members will personally lobby on Capitol Hill to amend Section 338 of the Communication Act so that “must-carry” obligations extend to all high-definition and other digital programming broadcast by public TV stations.

APTS has a multicast carriage agreement with the National Cable & Telecommunications Association and said it expects a similar agreement to be concluded soon with the American Cable Association, representing smaller operators. APTS also has a multicast carriage agreement with Verizon Communications for the FiOS TV service but has been unable to reach a deal with AT&T.

EchoStar and DirecTV aren’t carrying any public television digital signals, except for a few public TV stations broadcasting solely in digital, according to APTS.

APTS’s take on talks with the satellite-TV providers is a deal seems likelier with DirecTV. The group said overall, “there have been no significant developments regarding satellite carriage agreements. EchoStar, which flatly told public broadcasters it will not carry any multicast signals in the foreseeable future, nor will it commit to carriage of any local Public Television station’s HD signals, only recently approached APTS to discuss carriage options. Meanwhile, DirecTV has been rolling out local HD carriage of only the top four commercial networks in major markets.”

APTS said it and DirecTV “have begun discussions on a possible digital carriage agreement, taking into consideration DirecTV’s assertions of technical and capacity restraints. DirecTV may be willing to consider a phased-in approach to carriage, but talks are still at an early stage.”

APTS said DirecTV and EchoStar’s Dish Network are now the second- and fourth-biggest multichannel video providers in the country, with a total of 26 million customers.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6415780.html?display=Breaking+News

Fredfa,

Stall 60 on the Sunset Strip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srnnAaMltQA

It's worth a chuckle.

fredfa check your PM before you make any updates to the first posts.

Many, many thanks to CP95 for his rejuggling and editing of the first few informational posts of Hot Off The Press.

Go check them out at the first posts in the thread: I think you'll find navigating the information on the thread very much easier.

And if you have any suggestions as to how to make those posts even more informative, please let me know.

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
A major rebound for CBS's Grammys
Up 22 percent in total viewers over record low
http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10135.asp

Well that's good news. The Grammy Awards last night were simply amazing. Glad the show was up in ratings...

Stall 60 on the Sunset Strip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=srnnAaMltQA

Ouch, that's so painfully accurate it hurts to laugh at yourself for liking it! :D

Ironically similar parodies could be done of Sports Night or West Wing but they'd fall flat because the characters/actors in those shows are much more likable (Sarah Paulson and Amanda Peet vs. Sabrina Lloyd and Felicity Huffman? No contest! :rolleyes: ) and/or the stakes of the show's plot are perceived as much more dramatic and heavy (peace in the Middle East, the survival of the fictitious sports network 'Sports Night' airs on, Issac's recovery after his stroke, last-minute death penalty appeals, etc.). All I know is that if 'Studio 60' gets the ax it will be fascinating to read the amount of ink from critics/experts about what went wrong with the show and how it could have been saved/made better. Amazing how a show that most Americans haven't really cared about is beloved so fiercely by few, especially the media types that cover entertainment/TV. I never saw a single episode of last season's Commander in Chief but the media coverage of the backstage shenanigans and how the show turned from a Top 20 hit show into a pumpkin were to die for (especially after Geena Davis won the Golden Globe that year).

...Amazing how a show that most Americans haven't really cared about is beloved so fiercely by few, especially the media types that cover entertainment/TV....

Actually, dad, that is a pretty common phenomenon.

"Friday Night Lights" is a prime example this year. And a handful of CW/UPN/WB shows over the years have gotten similar treatment: "Gilmore Girls" is one leading example, "Everybody Hates Chris" another.

You could make a similar case for "Arrested Development" and many, many others through the years.

I would say the "Studio 60" doesn't really qualify, sinced so few critics have loved it since its debut. "FNL" on the other hand has become almost a cause celebre for them.

TV Sports
Fox makes big changes to its baseball coverage
By Michael Hiestand USA Today 2/12/2007

On Monday, Fox will formally announce changes in its baseball coverage that include new faces and new game times in its Saturday afternoon regionalized coverage, which starts April 7.

Analyst Tim McCarver and play-by-play announcer Joe Buck remain Fox's lead on-air team. But No. 2 analyst Steve Lyons is gone after making what were deemed ethnically insensitive on-air comments last season. Fox hired local fill-ins for many regionalized games last season but now adds three new analysts who'll work games and studio pregame shows. The newcomers:

• Mark Grace, the ex-Chicago Cub who calls Arizona Diamondbacks' TV games.

• Joe Girardi, fired by the Florida Marlins after being last year's National League manager of the year.

• Eric Karros, migrating from ESPN.

Also, Arizona's Eric Byrnes, while continuing to play, will be a monthly contributor to Fox's pregame show and appear on World Series coverage.

The idea is Fox will air only two or three games in its regionalized Saturday coverage this season, down from as many as four last year. In itself, that might cause a ratings dip — Fox drew about 2.7% of U.S. households in recent years — except Fox will get better game times. Games will start about 3:55 p.m. ET, about 2½ hours later than most Fox games last year. In the first year of a new seven-year deal with baseball, Fox will expand coverage to 26 Saturdays — up from 18 last season — and reduce playoff coverage. This season TBS takes over all first-round playoff games and one league championship series — with Fox retaining one LCS as well as the World Series.

Fox Sports President Ed Goren says the on-air hires were to "get more current, younger."

So will McCarver, who retired from baseball in 1980, stay on as lead analyst throughout the deal? Says Goren: "He's flat-out our lead analyst. What happens seven years from now? Am I still working at Fox?"

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/columnist/hiestand-tv/2007-02-11-hiestand-weekend_x.htm

TV Notebook
'Battlestar' will be back for four
The Sci Fi Channel is expected to renew the acclaimed "Battlestar Galactica" for a fourth season.
By Denise Martin Special to The Los Angeles Times February 12, 2007

For a while, things looked iffy for "Battlestar Galactica." After the Sci Fi Channel last month moved the third-season drama about a human resistance movement against an occupying race of robots from Friday nights to Sunday nights in an attempt to goose ratings, viewership remained stagnant.

The network has ruled, however, that the show won't live by numbers alone: The Sci Fi Channel is expected to announce Tuesday that it has renewed the series for a fourth season. At least 13 new episodes will be produced this summer for a premiere next January.

The show's audience has always been modest, especially when compared with those for basic cable's "The Closer" and "Nip/Tuck," which typically reach double or triple the audience of "Battlestar Galactica." Since moving to 10 p.m. Sundays, the science-fiction show's episodes have averaged 1.7 million viewers overall and 1.1 viewers ages 18 to 49, the key demographic targeted by advertisers.

But "Battlestar Galactica" stands as one of the most critically acclaimed series on television. It also won the prestigious Peabody Award and was counted among the American Film Institute's top 10 outstanding TV programs two years in a row. Critics often describe the show in lofty terms, referring to it as a multilayered allegory for a post-9/11 world that raises questions about the ethics and politics of war.

The Sci Fi Channel cites the series' strong buzz and critical praise — a halo effect that can't be quantified in ratings points or ad dollars — as the reason for its renewal.

" 'Battlestar' is a cachet show. It gives us a lot of credibility with the creative community," said Mark Stern, head of programming for the cable network. "It's the kind of series we want to continue producing in the future."

Once known for its "Star Trek"-style space operas and Saturday night B movies, Sci Fi now boasts projects in development from George Clooney, Darren Star ("Sex and the City") and Mark Burnett ("The Apprentice"), in addition to a second miniseries for the channel from Steven Spielberg, who was the executive producer of "Taken" in 2002.

Stern also pointed out that 510,000 additional viewers in the 18-to-49 demographic are watching the show on digital video recorders. They bring the total demographic average closer to 1.6 million, the show's highest numbers since Season 1.

Advertisers, however, do not yet pay for the playback ratings because the general assumption is that viewers watching recorded programs fast-forward through the commercials. It could be a crucial point for the channel, and Stern is hopeful that the business model is shifting.

"Who knows? This upfront season you might find that we can monetize that DVR usage," he said. "The important thing is when you add in the DVR numbers, the audience is there."

Bringing back moderately rated, critically hailed series has largely been the privilege of subscription-based networks such as HBO and Showtime, which don't make money from advertisers.

The Sci Fi Channel acknowledged that "Battlestar Galactica" is the network's most expensive original series, but costs are also offset by strong DVD sales (more than 1 million discs of the show have been sold).

Either way, executives and producers say they are comfortable with where the ratings have settled.

"The show is always going to be limited [in appeal] by its title," said executive producer David Eick. "We just tell the best stories we can and hope that it will convince some people it's not a show just for 'Star Trek' fans." Ronald D. Moore, the executive producer who developed the remake of the 1978 series, and Eick are busy working on outside projects (Moore is writing a remake of the sci-fi thriller "The Thing" for Universal Pictures, while Eick is producing the NBC series pilot for "The Bionic Woman"), which gave some fans pause for concern.

Moore said with a laugh: "I don't think we ever doubted doing another season. I design my season-ending cliffhangers with the hubris that we'll be back."

Moore and Eick recently confirmed rampant online speculation that by the end of the season, one of the main characters would be revealed as a Cylon, the robotic race set on wiping out its human counterparts.

Moore said that he had a general idea of where the story would go in the fourth season but hadn't committed anything to paper. He and Eick went to Las Vegas over the weekend to get started.

"We'll hash it out over blackjack and Jack Daniels," Eick said. "We came up with the second season cliffhanger over a Johnny Walker Blue." The season finale airs March 25.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/tv/la-et-galactica12feb12,1,3154158,print.story?coll=la-headlines-entnews

Critic’s Notebook
More Cylon goodness coming your way:
'Battlestar Galactica' gets a fourth season
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” February 12, 2007

Sci Fi’s “Battlestar Galactica” will get a fourth season, according to story posted Monday on the Los Angeles Times’ Web site. The acclaimed series will get at least 13 episodes for a fourth season, according to the piece.

Sci Fi Channel is expected to make an official announcement regarding Season 4 on Tuesday. The past two seasons of the program, by the way, have had 20 episodes.

Though the series’ ratings were not notably increased by a recent move to Sunday nights, executives told the Times that critical acclaim, DVD sales and other factors influenced their decision to bring back the show, which ended up on many critics’ year-end Top 10 lists.

“‘Battlestar’ is a cachet show. It gives us a lot of credibility with the creative community,” said Mark Stern, head of programming for the cable network. “It’s the kind of series we want to continue producing in the future.”

"Battlestar Galactica" executive producers Ron Moore and David Eick told the Tribune in December that if a fourth season got the green light, there was a strong likelihood that a standalone direct-to-DVD would also get made. There’s no official news on that front yet, however.

The “Battlestar Galactica” DVD movie, which could also air on Sci Fi, would be a standalone film and would involve characters known to fans of the series, but it would not tie Seasons 3 and 4 together.

The series is known for its hair-raising season-ending episodes, and Moore told the Tribune in December that whatever Sci Fi executives decided regarding a fourth season, he’d long ago planned to give Season 3 a cliffhanger ending – actually, he said there will be multiple cliffhangers.

“So what we’re doing at the end of this year, which involves Kara Thrace and others, is [taking the storytelling] in a different and unique direction from what’s come before,” Moore said.

Even before the end of the Season 3, however, other changes will rock the show, including “a major event” involving Kara “Starbuck” Thrace in the March 4 episode of the show.

Other revelations are planned before the season ends (click on the LA Times story if you want to know more; warning – there’s at least one big spoiler in the piece).

“I would just add whether the fans of the show like what we do at the end of this year or find themselves aghast at what we do, they can rest assured it’s not what they’re expecting. Whatever they think is going happen, think again,” Eick told the Tribune in December.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/02/more_cylon_good.html#more

Critic’s Notebook
Why dazzling dramas ended up in Dumpster
By Jonathan Storm Philadelphia Inquirer Columnist


Gone: All three new Fox dramas, Vanished, Standoff and Justice; Smith (CBS), Runaway (CW), Kidnapped (NBC).

http://www.philly.com/mld/philly/entertainment/television//16661790.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp

Standoff isn't officially dead yet. They're moving it to Fridays when it returns in March. What I don't understand is why Fox would order the remaining episodes of (almost) a full season (19) but then dump the show on Friday where it's sure to die a quiet death.

I know it is coming back, but out of sweeps, and the cutdown full-season order is a bad sign. I think Fox felt it had to order something additonal from its crowp of new shows this year just to fill some time slots.

If it had been my choice, I don't think Standoff would have made it back at all.

Unless the ratings improve dramatically (and that is a very long shot on Friday nights) Standoff is dead.

I certainly wouldn't count on seeing it next season, Tommy

TV Notebook
'Battlestar' will be back for four
The Sci Fi Channel is expected to renew the acclaimed "Battlestar Galactica" for a fourth season.
By Denise Martin Special to The Los Angeles Times February 12, 2007

Hip hip, HOORAY!!! :D :D :D

I knew there would be quite a few regulars here who would be happy with the BSG news. :)

I actually stopped watching Men in Trees since it moved from fridays...

I actually stopped watching Men in Trees since it moved from fridays...

I'm still watching, but I liked it much better on Friday's, as far as I was concerned the move was too late and that 10:00 on Thursday was already taken by Shark and ER, ER was smart enough to always start at 10:01 already.

I agree, Thursday at 10 suddenly became really competitive.

I am surprised Shark grew on me, but it did.

I knew there would be quite a few regulars here who would be happy with the BSG news. :)

Hate to be frackin' greedy - but I'm also hoping for good news on the Caprica prequel series.

I am surprised Shark grew on me, but it did.

I'm waning on Shark. I preferred the earlier shows when it was James Woods dealing with his kid rather than serial killers and gun runners. I'm glad to see Henry Simmons join the cast more permanently however.

Whenever a new show keeps changing the opening title sequence every other week, it says to me that there are problems in the creative department and they have no clear idea what the show is supposed to be. I think it's on it's fifth title sequence now.

Hey everyone -- I'd really like some feedback on the first few posts of the thread. That is where the ratings, schedules and other information is stored.

Please take a moment and go there -- and tell me are things easier to find now? I not, how can we (that means how can CPanther95!) help to make it better?

Hey everyone -- I'd really like some feedback on the first few posts of the thread. That is where the ratings, schedules and other information is stored.

Please take a moment and go there -- and tell me are things easier to find now? I not, how can we (that means how can CPanther95!) help to make it better?

I know what I would like, but I'm not sure it's possible because of the way the forum software creates links, but it would be nice if you could go to the first post, which is easy enough by clicking on the first in the navigation of this topic, but when you click on one of the links to the various posts, it opens up a new browser page/tab, I wish there was some way to keep it in the same browser or tab(depending on the browser you are using) Does that make sense?

It makes sense, but I just don't think it can work in this forum's software.

I would love to make this much more like a website: with a front page and buttons linking you to ratings, reviews, stories, etc.

It makes sense, but I just don't think it can work in this forum's software.

I would love to make this much more like a website: with a front page and buttons linking you to ratings, reviews, stories, etc.

No doubt, this thread is big enough and popular enough to be a forum of it's own.

No doubt, this thread is big enough and popular enough to be a forum of it's own.

You say that because this thread just recently crossed the...(cue Dr. Evil's voice)

1,000,000 Views

... threshhold, right?

http://forum.mazda6club.com/style_emoticons/default/ring.gif

Hey everyone -- I'd really like some feedback on the first few posts of the thread. That is where the ratings, schedules and other information is stored.

Please take a moment and go there -- and tell me are things easier to find now? I not, how can we (that means how can CPanther95!) help to make it better?

Its current setup works well for me..of course..im easy to please...lol

I would think if you were to have the time and knowledge you could probably make those links in the first post direct users to your own personal webspace. If thats what youre looking to do

I knew there would be quite a few regulars here who would be happy with the BSG news. :)

Gotsta have my Battleship Galaxy.

You say that because this thread just recently crossed the...(cue Dr. Evil's voice)

1,000,000 Views

... threshhold, right?

http://forum.mazda6club.com/style_emoticons/default/ring.gif

22,000+ replies, aka posts is also pretty impressive. I love this place, but some of the threads are just humongous.

Critic’s Notebook
More Cylon goodness coming your way:
'Battlestar Galactica' gets a fourth season
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” February 12, 2007

Sci Fi’s “Battlestar Galactica” will get a fourth season, according to story posted Monday on the Los Angeles Times’ Web site. The acclaimed series will get at least 13 episodes for a fourth season, according to the piece.

Sci Fi Channel is expected to make an official announcement regarding Season 4 on Tuesday. The past two seasons of the program, by the way, have had 20 episodes.
http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/02/more_cylon_good.html#more

I'm another big BSG fan and this is good news (though not unexpected.) Last night's ranks among my least favorite episodes and yet it was still good.

22,000+ replies, aka posts is also pretty impressive. I love this place, but some of the threads are just humongous.

We're gradually making better use of the first post in the Local HDTV threads. Ideally each will end up with an updated summary of the area for newbies (or anybody else) to check so they can get 90% of the common questions answered without reposting the same questions over and over again.

The point is that no matter how big and cumbersome a thread gets, there are two quick access points always readily available - the first post, and the last post. If the first post has links to all the key info that fredfa keeps up to date, then everything is always at our fingertips - and the end of the thread is used for all the breaking news, reviews, and ongoing conversation. Another option is to just scroll down and review the first half dozen posts in this thread to get all the key up-to-date info.

fredfa has plenty of posts in the beginning of the thread that can be used to expand the categories in the first post - but I'd caution you guys to try and keep in mind the frequency of updating necessary to add and maintain an additional category when making recommendations. For instance, one suggestion I made to Fred was to compile links to a cross-section of his favorite critics/reviewers that he frequently quotes in the thread. Once set up, that should require minimal maintainence.

I'm another big BSG fan and this is good news (though not unexpected.) Last night's ranks among my least favorite episodes and yet it was still good.

At least the quality of 'BSG's' stinky stand-alone episodes has increased dramatically from Season 2, when we had to endure horrendous crap like that Black Market episode. Last Sunday's episode was a small-scale failure but it was a more noble attempt at something bigger than what previous season's filler episodes have attempted to be. Did I mention I "love" this show? :o

You mean like the killer robot military Humvee episode from a couple of months ago that was clerly a dig at Glen Larson's Knight Rider? Bellisario worked under Larson for the 70's version of 'Battlestar Galactica' (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0069074/) and created one of the many 'Knight Rider' rip-offs from the 80's, TV's Airwolf (a cross between 'KR' and the Roy Scheider movie 'Blue Thunder'). Even from the promos of this particular episode it was obvious 'NCIS' was poking fun at the Larson-Bellisario working relationship over the years.
Whoa - yes, it was poking fun at some of the other shows, but it was a direct stab at the Department of Defense contest for building a autonomous combat vehicle (we're talking real deal, not made for TV stuff here...).

DARPA Grand Challenge (http://www.darpa.mil/grandchallenge/index.asp)

Personally, Airwolf (Another Bellisario product) was better in the first couple of seasons then Blue Thunder (Take your pick, the movie or the short-lived series) in that part. Had they been considered a knock-off of Larson's Knight Rider or Stephen J. Cannell's A-Team, Universal would have never greenlighted the project (since all three were Universal backed). Jan Michael Vincent's public problems with drugs and alcohol in the third season, plus Bellisario's departure, wrote the demise of the series (and don't get me started about the ill-fated Canadian produced 4th season)

Like JAG, NCIS seems to get better with age. The characters age and experience life changing events that continue to carry forward as the series progresses. My problem with many shows (and right now, few scripted dramas keep my attention) is that they lock characters into a "time-warp" and the events of the previous episodes are not incorporated into the character. NCIS continues to keep the "B" and "C" storylines as an ongoing gag... Be it McGee's book, Denozo's relationship, and Gibbs' boats.

Of the scripted dramas I watch, the only ones that are true HD are NCIS and The Unit. Stargate Atlantis is now in reruns on UHD (Very nice picture quality by the way). I also enjoyed Commander In Chief - too bad politics and infighting killed the show.

Hey everyone -- I'd really like some feedback on the first few posts of the thread. That is where the ratings, schedules and other information is stored.

Please take a moment and go there -- and tell me are things easier to find now? I not, how can we (that means how can CPanther95!) help to make it better?I think things are easier to find. To make them even easier, you should consider adding a table of contents that describe the contents of each post. This would be helpful for posts that have more than one subject. Just list the major subjects in each post under the link for that post.

Include the links and table of contents in each of the first six posts.

Click here (http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?p=4682052&&#post4682052) to go to a post by DoubleDAZ that uses this technique. Also, his second post uses this technique. The items listed in PART ONE and PART TWO are like a table of contents.

Thanks for the ideas, RussB.

I am considering everthing to make this thread more user friendly.

We're gradually making better use of the first post in the Local HDTV threads. Ideally each will end up with an updated summary of the area for newbies (or anybody else) to check so they can get 90% of the common questions answered without reposting the same questions over and over again.


Here's an example of the above. It was a collaboration amongst the members of the local SF Comcast thread. BTW, this thread got so big it was re-started a few weeks ago as it was one of many that were bogging down the servers. The post actually needs to be updated again with the news of 1GHz systems being implemented in a number of bay area cities.

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=793017
San Francisco, CA - Comcast - AVS Forum

TV Sports
TW wants to swap Braves
By Paul Bond and Georg Szalai The Hollywood Reporter Feb 13, 2007

Time Warner is planning to sell the Atlanta Braves professional baseball team and a group of magazines to Liberty Media Corp., sources said Monday.

According to sources familiar with the negotiations, the deal, which must be approved by Major League Baseball, has Time Warner transferring the Braves, some magazines and $1 billion in cash to Liberty in exchange for about 60 million Time Warner shares, worth about $1.27 billion as of the close of trading Monday.

Liberty has about 170 million shares of Time Warner, equivalent to a stake of about 4% of the media conglomerate now, though that would be reduced to about 2.6% if the deal closes.

Time Warner CEO Richard Parsons signaled two weeks ago during a conference call with analysts to discuss the company's quarterly earnings that some sort of asset swap with Liberty was being discussed, though he declined to provide details.

Executives at Liberty did not return phone calls Monday and Time Warner executives declined comment.

Liberty also is in the midst of shedding shares of News Corp. The company said in December it intends to give its 16.3% stake in that conglomerate in exchange for News Corp's 38.5% share of DirecTV Group. News Corp. also will pay Liberty $550 million in cash and give Liberty three regional sports networks.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i49998ef2b580e2b506604fa4f474179a

I'm still coming down from the high that was last Monday's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. As was the case with "The Option Period" following the "Nevada Day" two-parter in 2006 last night's "The Friday Night Slaughter" capped the events from the preceding "Harriett Dinner" two-parter with a gut-wrenching trip into the mind and soul of a tortured writer. I don't want to give it away for those that haven't seen it but that twist at the end (which on hindsight I should have seen coming but was too wrapped-up in the story and Perry's tour-de-force performance to look for clues) truly startled me in its subtetly and power. What made the shift in tone from sweet to sour stand out even more (aside from the fact the episode of Heroes that preceded 'Studio 60' stunk) was that the NBC promos misled me into expecting sacharine Valentine's Day-type romantic tripe. I got exactly that from the handful of embarrassing scenes between Jordan and Danny, but these were few. Most of the episode was actually pretty depressing and somber, a turn toward the darkside that was reflected even in the opening title's intro music. There were more than a handful of laughs though. Nathan Corddry's Irish Electrician... what??!! line literally had me howling out loud at 2AM (to the delight of my neighbors no doubt) when I checked the show on DVR.

Which doesn't mean 'Friday Night Slaughter' was perfect (nothing is in life, especially new HDTV's! :rolleyes: ). For the life of me I cannot understand why Sorkin didn't bring back Judd Hirsch to play West in this episode. West's 'mad as hell' monologue still stands tall as 'Studio 60's' finest moment. Just alluding to him being there in the 1999 flashbacks as the decision maker is the type of inside baseball stuff that the handful of new viewers tuning into 'Studio 60' for the first time will miss entirely. Then again, maybe Sorkin wanted us to only view Matt's stint as the present showrunner to contrast what he went through eight years prior to justify his behavior. Also the inevitable Christian bashing dialogue Sorkin is known for really stuck out in this episode more than usual. I'm usually not bothered by the Sorkin bashing of the right wing because I happen to agree with most of his viewpoints, but in this flashback-driven look into how Matt and Harriet met the religious bashing was totally out of place within the show's context. It dawned on me several months ago but 'Studio 60' has to be seen first and foremost as an exploration of the influences a muse (in this case the Harriet Hayes character) has over the emotions and abilities of an intellectually-driven man (Matt Albie), a behind-the-scenes showbiz expose second. I'm not sure this is what NBC thought they were getting when they bought the show (along with every autobiographical detail from Sorkin's life right there on the screen for everybody to see), which means the lack of compatibility between where the show is headed and how NBC is promoting almost certainly has doomed it into a one-season wonder.

Why can't Thomas Schlamme direct every 'Studio 60' episode (like he did almost all of Sports Night's first season)? The man knows how to turn Sorkin's scripts into brilliant television. Between this episode and the show's pilot (and whatever surprises the show has left in the tank) I cannot see how 'Studio 60' isn't a lock for a slew of Emmy nominations come summer. Wouldn't it be ironic if 'Studio 60' actually got the attention and recognition that elluded it during its run when it's too late for Emmy accolades to do it any good? Sorry for the lengthy rant gang. But last night's 'Studio 60' showed me the Sorkin-Schlamme duo working at their usual peak collaborative effort, and I swallowed it whole and was left asking for seconds. Then it dawned on me that brilliance like this cannot possibly last or be understood in our media culture by the masses, and that 'Studio 60' is a goner. And you know what they say about letting go of the things you love the most. :(

TV Sports
Deal to sell Braves finally done;
Now goes to MLB for OK
By Tim Tucker The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Time Warner agreed on terms of a sale of the Atlanta Braves to Liberty Media and sent the deal to Major League Baseball for approval Monday, team president Terry McGuirk told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

The breakthrough came after about a year of negotiations between the two media companies on a complex deal in which Time Warner would swap the Braves and about $1 billion for a huge block of Time Warner stock long held by Liberty.

Tax considerations motivated Liberty to do the deal, which is expected to come under close scrutiny from Major League Baseball because of its novel nature. Approval by 75 percent of the MLB owners is required for the deal to close. The approval process could take weeks or months.

"This is a very complicated deal that will take baseball some time to review and consider," McGuirk said in an exclusive interview Monday night. "Until we hear back from baseball, there is nothing further to do."

Asked what he would say to Braves fans who might be concerned about a Colorado-based corporation buying Atlanta's baseball team for tax reasons, McGuirk said: "That is a really good question. My enthusiasm for this deal is the transparent way in which it will affect current Braves management. The expectation is that the entire structure of management will stay in place. [General manager] John Schuerholz and [manager] Bobby Cox and everyone else who operates the Atlanta Braves will operate no differently, and that'll be the magic in this deal."

Time Warner and Liberty declined to comment Monday, but throughout the protracted process Liberty has indicated its intent would be to keep current Braves management, including McGuirk, in place. That could be key to its chances of getting MLB approval.

Baseball commissioner Bud Selig said last year that he hoped new Braves ownership would include some sort of local component. McGuirk said "no comment" Monday night when asked if he might have a minority ownership stake under Liberty.

Behind Liberty Media

Liberty is a publicly traded company with vast holdings in the media and entertainment industries. Its holdings include home-shopping network QVC, movie channel Starz Entertainment and, in a recent acquisition, satellite-TV provider DirecTV.

The company is controlled by chairman John Malone, a cable television pioneer who held a major stake in Turner Broadcasting before its sale to Time Warner.

Time Warner put the Braves up for sale in December 2005, and after negotiating for several months with other bidders -- including Falcons owner Arthur Blank and Atlanta real estate executive Ron Terwilliger -- turned its focus exclusively to the negotiations with Liberty in April 2006. The negotiations dragged out because of the difficulty of structuring a transaction within the rules of both MLB and the Internal Revenue Service.

Under federal tax law, the inclusion of an operating asset -- the Braves -- in the deal can make the transaction tax-free, potentially saving Liberty hundreds of millions of dollars in capital gains tax on the appreciation of its Time Warner stock.

Finally, on Monday, the companies got the last of the voluminous terms on paper and moved into the next phase of the process: MLB approval.

MLB president and chief operating officer Bob DuPuy told the AJC by e-mail Monday night that baseball's general counsel, Tom Ostertag, "did receive some papers [on the deal] today."

DuPuy detailed in the e-mail how MLB will process the deal: "It will be reviewed by our office, specifically the lawyers and financial folks. It will then be turned over to the ownership committee, who will meet with the buyers and interview them. Assuming a positive result there, [the committee] will issue a report to the [30] clubs. And then the Executive Council and clubs will review and vote in that order."

How long now?

As for how long the process might take, DuPuy said: "Depending on the complexity of the documentation, that can be short or long. In the case of Fox buying the Dodgers, it was long. In the case of, for example, David Glass buying Kansas City, it was short."

McGuirk said there is "no way to speculate" on how long the process might take.

Typically, franchise sales are voted on at regularly scheduled meetings of the 30 owners. DuPuy noted that the next such meeting isn't until May, so "given the time of year, it is certainly possible this could be voted on by either conference call or special meeting."

It would not be unusual for MLB to raise concerns that require new issues to be negotiated between buyer and seller.

The only real deadline the parties have been operating under is a coming change in tax law that could require the deal to be altered if it isn't closed by mid-May.

http://www.ajc.com/sports/content/sports/braves/stories/2007/02/12/0213bravessale.html

TV Notebook
24's Creative Team Hatches New Programming Plans
By A.J. Frutkin MediaWeek

When Fox's 24 launched in the fall of 2001, success was by no means guaranteed. Having premiered in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, some advertisers questioned whether viewers were ready for the type of high-octane thrills 24 offered. And ratings underscored some of those concerns. By season's end, the series averaged a promising 4.1 among adults 18-49, but it was drawing fewer than 8.5 million viewers. Add to that mix a serialized format that repeated poorly, and renewal looked uncertain.

Even if it was renewed (which, of course, it was), creators Joel Surnow and Robert Cochran weren't sure if they wanted to retain 24's real-time structure or switch to a more conventional means of storytelling. "It would have been such a relief, not having to account for every second of every hour of every day," Cochran says of the show, in which Counter Terrorist Unit (CTU) agent Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland) repeatedly saves the United States from looming destruction.

Meanwhile, Fox executives also were considering a format change, whereby each episode would take place within 24 hours. Cochran notes they even came up with a script that conformed to Fox's wishes. "But it wasn't the same," he recalls. "We began to realize that the real-time format was one of the things that made the show unique. That was the way we designed it, and however miserable it got for us, by God, we would continue."

Now in the midst of its sixth season—and up against stiff competition from NBC's freshman hit Heroes—24 remains one of Fox's strongest performers. After four broadcasts this year, the show averaged more than 14 million viewers and a 5.2 among adults 18-49, according to Nielsen Media Research. Along with American Idol, 24's now-annual midseason launch plays a key role in the ratings spike Fox enjoys each spring.

With success under their belts, Surnow and Cochran are branching out. For the past two seasons, producing partner Howard Gordon has taken the reins as 24's showrunner. Last season, the three formed Real Time Productions, through which a number of projects already have been developed. Casting has begun on two network pilots for the fall: a Fox drama tentatively titled NSA: Innocent, about an everyman who gets recruited by the CIA, and The Call, an ABC comedy about a pair of L.A. paramedics, which, like 24, takes place in real time.

At women's basic-cable network Lifetime, the company has a drama pilot, The Madness of Jane, about a troubled neurosurgeon dealing with her own mental disability. Outside of Real Time Productions, Surnow is prepping the 1/2 Hour News Hour, a red-state skewing weekly comedy show satirizing current events, which launches Feb. 18 on Fox News Channel.

All this production, Surnow says, allows him and his partners to create a life after 24. "We like each other, we like working with each other, and we do good work together," he adds. "So why not keep it going?"

Even as they look ahead, Real Time's principals seem surprised that 24 itself has kept going. "We never thought it would last this long," says Gordon, who joined 24 as an executive producer for the show's first season. "When I saw the pilot, I was blown away. But I felt like it had a kind of obsolescence to it." After all, he asks, "How long could you keep this ball in the air?"

Quite a while, apparently. In fact, the more they continued 24's story line, "the more arabesques we were able to create," Gordon says. "The show just kept on giving."

Still, those flourishes didn't appear by themselves. "I really do think the creative courage that Joel and Bob and Howard display each season is addictive," says Fox Entertainment president Peter Liguori. "They fearlessly turn good guys into bad guys, bad guys into good guys and kill off characters when they have to. So the audience feels that whoever is behind this show is willing to do whatever it takes to maximize their entertainment pleasure."

Perhaps 24's only onscreen constant is Bauer, who, in his daily missions on behalf of the government, offers viewers a compelling fantasy figure. "People like to think someone's out there protecting us, and doing whatever it takes, at whatever the cost to himself, to accomplish that," Cochran says. "That's a nice thing to believe."

The show also gives viewers an unparalleled adrenaline rush. "You get a lot of great things on TV—comedy, drama—but you don't get a lot of suspense," Surnow adds. "We're a unique flavor."

So unique, that many viewers who missed the first season bought it on DVD, the results of which helped change the fortunes of the series, and helped alter the business model of TV production in general. Broadcasters traditionally relied on network repeats to recoup at least some of their initial investments in series. 24's DVD sales opened their eyes to new revenue streams. And because of those DVD sales, most nets opted to copycat 24 this season, offering serialized dramas such as NBC's Kidnapped, The CW's Runaway and even Fox's own Vanished.

The fact that all three of those series are no longer on the prime-time schedule proves how singular 24's achievements have been. While audiences have remained loyal to shows like 24 and ABC's Lost, there has been much hand-wringing over viewers' unwillingness to commit to newer serialized dramas. Not surprisingly, the lessons learned this season already are impacting development for next season, with most networks opting for close-ended dramas rather than for serialized ones.

Where NSA: Innocent falls on that spectrum may be crucial to its pick-up this spring. The project's edge-of-your-seat tone seems to have something in common with 24. But Dana Walden, president of 20th Century Fox TV, where Real Time is housed, says the show will be more viewer-friendly than this season's wannabes.

"Our hope is that by the end of each episode, there will be a feeling of closure in terms of the show's story and mission," Walden notes. "Even if you can't air it out of order, our goal is that viewers could pick up the series in episode seven or eight and not feel lost."

While NSA tries to avoid emulating 24's demanding format, ABC's The Call hopes to capitalize on the show's most notable feature: real time. And with sitcoms still in a development down-cycle, any attempt to revitalize the genre may be worth the attempt. "It's a smart idea," Walden says. "They're using real time to enhance the comedy, so the show isn't just a series of jokes and hijinks."

At this point, 24 may not need enhancements. But, from time to time, its creators do toy with expansion. "We have thought about a spin-off," Cochran admits. "On the one hand it seems like a natural—24: N.Y., 24: Chicago. But we're still ambivalent about it. It's so much trouble doing L.A. And we know we can't turn around and do the same type of show at the same time."

Fox, too, remains unsure. "Our success as a network seems to be focused on remaining economical with our properties," Liguori says. "And I believe that pays dividends in the long run."

Spin-offs notwithstanding, behind 24's estimable payout is one essential conceit: The show may adhere to real time, but there's nothing real about the plot lines Surnow, Cochran and Gordon spin. So far, two black presidents have held terms. A nuclear bomb has exploded on U.S. soil. Moles have infiltrated CTU. And politicians are even more venal than those currently in office.

Such flights of fancy can still inspire chuckles from 24's creative team. "The show has never pretended to be real," Gordon says. "But what it does have and where it succeeds, we hope, is in a certain emotional realism between the characters, where their internal lives are consistent and real-feeling in terms of the journeys each of them is taking." For Surnow, 24's key to success is even simpler.

"It may not be good, but it's never boring," he says, laughing. "That's our motto."

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/departments/features/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003544292

The Business of Television
Malone/Liberty Keep Expanding
CBS Spins Off Fifth TV Station
By Katy Bachman MediaWeek February 13, 2007

CBS Television announced Tuesday it is spinning off the fifth TV station from its portfolio to focus on operating stations in the nation's largest markets. In a complicated financial transaction, Liberty Media will acquire WFRV-TV, CBS owned-and-operated station in Green Bay, Wis. (valued at $64 million), and about $170 million in cash. In exchange, CBS will get more than 7.5 million shares of CBS stock owned by Liberty.

Last week, CBS agreed to sell seven of its smaller-market stations in Austin, Tex. (No. 52); Salt Lake City (No. 35); Providence, R.I. (No. 51); and West Palm Beach, Fla. (No. 38) to Cerberus Capital Management for $185 million.

The Green Bay transaction will leave CBS with 31 TV stations and only three stations in markets ranked below No. 25, including stations in Norfolk-Portsmouth, Va. (No. 42); New Orleans (No. 54); and Marquette, Mich. (No. 180).

For Liberty, the acquisition moves it away from stock ownership to operating properties. “We are continuing to convert passive investments into operating businesses,” said David Flowers, senior vp and treasurer for Liberty. “We are impressed by the success achieved by the long-standing management team in Green Bay and look forward to welcoming them to the Liberty family.”

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003545055

TV Notebook
“Men In Trees” Coming Back?

[B]MediaWeek's[B] "Mr. Television", Marc Berman, is reporting in his invaluable “Programming Insider” blog that: “I heard through an insider that (ABC) is very happy with “Men In Trees”) creatively and plans to bring it back next season.”

“MIT” has done marginally better since its switch to Thursday, following “Grey’s Anatomy” but it still loses a vast percentage of the Grey’s audience, and Berman had been noting he felt the show was doubtful, at best, to return next year. In fact, after analyzing last Thursday’s overnights, he noted that “…Too much fall-off for Men in Tees out of Grey’s Anatomy means the network is sharpening the axe.”

http://pifeedback.com/eve/forums/a/tpc/f/63310451/m/39110333?r=18110533#18110533

TV Notebook
ABC Briefly Shelves Two Comedies

In a sign ABC is concerned about the slumping ratings of “Lost” (as well as its unhappiness with a pair of its under-performing comedies), the network is making some February sweep schedule changes.

As quietly noted in a routine scheduling news release (and noticed first by Brian Ford Sullivan at “The Futon Critic”), ABC will replace the February 14 and 21 showings of “According to Jim” and “In Case of Emergency” with reruns of “Lost” at 9 PM ET/PT which will then lead into the new episodes of “Lost” at 10.

Last week, about nine million viewers watched a “Lost” recap at 9, far above the recent average of about five million who watched the two comedies. It remains to be seen, though, how “Lost” repeats will fare in the time slot. In the past the repeats have not done well.

TV Notebook
“Men In Trees” Coming Back?

MediaWeek'sd "Mr. Television", Marc Berman, is reporting in his invaluable “Programming Insider” blog that: “I heard through an insider that (ABC) is very happy with “Men In Trees”) creatively and plans to bring it back next season.”


Hurrah!

It would be nice to see the return of a show that isn't another crime drama.

Yesterday’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 second post in this thread.

I hope the long wait for the return of "Jericho" doesnt hurt the shows ratings.

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
’Rules of Engagement' tops its lead-in
New CBS sitcom gains on 'Two and a Half Men'
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 13, 2007

Last year CBS struggled to find a show that could hold “Two and a Half Men’s” lead-in. This year it’s found one that surpassed it.

In its second outing, “Rules of Engagement” actually built on “Men’s” 9 p.m. lead-in in an extremely competitive 9 p.m. timeslot. “Engagement” averaged a 5.0 adults 18-49 rating, according to Nielsen overnights, 0.1 better than “Men.”

“Men” did draw 2.1 million more total viewers, 15.6 million, than “Engagement.” But that’s of little concern to CBS. Last year the network cycled several shows through the 9:30 p.m. timeslot last year – “Out of Practice,” “Courting Alex” and “The New Adventures of Old Christine” – and none held more than 82 percent of the lead-in, much less surpassed “Men.”

The reason may be that “Engagement” is simply a better fit. Like “Men,” which focuses on two brothers and a young boy, it has a strong male perspective, with two beleaguered husbands and a swinging single pal. By contrast, “Christine” and “Alex” had female lead characters and “Practice” had a strong female lead with Stockard Channing.

“Engagement” fell just 4 percent from last week’s solid 5.2 debut and is the highest-rated new sitcom of the season.

And the show’s success could give CBS’s entire Monday a boost for next year. Assuming the new show “The Class” is axed, “Christine” could move to 8 or 8:30 to pair with the more compatible “How I Met Your Mother.”

Meanwhile, Fox finished first among viewers 18-49 on a tightly contested Monday night, averaging a 5.0 rating and a 12 share. CBS was a close second at 4.9/12, NBC third at 4.6/11, ABC fourth at 3.5/9, Univision fifth at 1.9/5 and CW sixth at 1.2/3.

At 8 p.m. Fox began the night in the lead with a 4.9 for the first of two hours of “24.” NBC was second with a 4.6 for “Deal or No Deal,” ABC third with a season-high 3.7 for “Wife Swap” and CBS fourth with a 3.4 average for “How I Met Your Mother” (3.6) and “The Class” (3.3). Univision was fifth that hour with a 2.1 for the first half of a two-hour “La Fea Mas Bella” and CW sixth with a 1.2 average for “Everybody Hates Chris” (1.2) and “All of Us” (1.2).

NBC took the lead at 9 p.m. with a 6.3 for “Heroes,” with Fox and CBS tied for second at 5.0, Fox for its second hour of “24” and CBS for “Two and a Half Men” (4.9) and “Rules of Engagement” (5.0). ABC dropped to fourth with a season-high 4.1 for “Supernanny,” with Univision fifth with a 2.2 for the second half of “Bella” and CW sixth with a 1.3 average for “Girlfriends” (1.3) and “The Game” (1.2).

CBS took its turn on top during the 10 p.m. hour, leading with a 6.4 for “CSI: Miami,” the night’s top-rated show in the demo. NBC was second with a 2.8 for “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” ABC third with a 2.7 for “What About Brian” and Univision fourth with a 1.5 for “Cristina.”

The standings among households were also fairly competitive, with CBS coming out on top for the night with 9.4 average rating and a 14 share. Fox was second at 7.9/12, NBC third at 7.7/12, ABC fourth at 5.3/8, Univision fifth at 2.5/4 and CW sixth at 1.8/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10165.asp

Yesterday’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 second post in this thread.

"It was business as usual at 10 p.m., meanwhile, with CBS’ CSI: Miami head and shoulders above the rest with 19.85 million viewers and a 6.4/16 among adults 18-49. Comparatively, that built from potent lead-in The Rules of Engagement by a solid 6.35 million viewers and 28 percent among adults 18-49. In the distant No. 2 spot was NBC’s hiatus-bound Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (Viewers: 6.56 million; A18-49: 2.8/ 7), followed by the return of ABC’s What About Brian at a barely visible 5.55 million viewers and a 2.7/ 7 in the demo. The axe, no doubt, is getting ready to swing at both ABC and NBC."

Sob... sob... sob... :( :( :(

I agree, dad. It is too bad about Studio 60.

Critic’s Notebook
Wayne's world:
Thoughts on where '24' is headed ears
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher”

[b}Below I write about this season of "24" so far. Be aware that this post contains information about Monday's episodes, so if you haven't seen them yet, don't read further. [/B]

Fox’s “24” is one of those shows that’s better judged over an entire season -- individual episodes that don’t really work are easily glossed over if the majority of the two dozen episodes end up having a strong narrative flow and plenty of thrilling surprises, as Season 5 certainly did.

But now that one-third of Season 6 has aired, it’s appropriate to check in and see where “24” is headed, with the caveat that these concerns could melt away by the end of Jack Bauer's sixth bad day.

The show’s focus on Bauer’s tangled family drama has been too soapy for some, but I’ve mostly enjoyed it – the Bauer family dynamics have given star Kiefer Sutherland some prime opportunities for virtuoso acting, and James Cromwell was a great choice to play Papa Bauer, the most subtly evil character we’ve seen on the show in some time.

My biggest issue this season is with Wayne Palmer, the current occupant of the show’s Oval Office. Actually, he’s not occupying that storied office of late – he’s stuck in an underground bunker that looks like something Hugh Hefner put into a time capsule circa 1973.

In Mo[b}Below I write about this season of "24" so far. Be aware that this post contains information about nday’s episodes, Palmer’s conference with a former terrorist was undercut by the fact that the men looked as though they were hanging out in a slightly tacky bachelor pad from the swinging ’70s. Palmer’s bunker is a far cry from the much cooler Rat Pack-esque Western White House that the Nixonian President Logan occupied last season.

But the problems with Palmer (D.B. Woodside) go far beyond décor. Howard Gordon, an executive producer and the head writer of “24,” told reporters in January that the plan was to purposely make Palmer, the brother of the commanding David Palmer (Dennis Haysbert), seem weak at the start of the season.

“We’re really going to see the growth of a president. It gives us a place to go,” Gordon said. “If he started being this great, noble, perfect, correct-acting guy, we have nowhere to go.”

But the producers may have gone too far. In the most recent episodes of the show, only Palmer was advocating against detention of Arab citizens and in favor of the preservation of civil rights. Now that presidential adviser Karen Hayes has resigned from the White House staff, only Palmer is resisting efforts by powerful aide Tom Lennox, who views the Constitution as "a list of suggestions" in Hayes' words, to create a draconian police state.

But by making the weak, inexperienced Palmer virtually the only advocate for civil rights, the show is making it seem as though only indecisive, wishy-washy people are against setting up internment camps and against severe, open-ended restrictions of civil liberties. That’s just ridiculous, not to mention condescending.

“There’s definitely a political attitude of the show…” “24” producer David Nevins says in a long, fascinating Feb. 19 New Yorker article about the politics of “24” co-creator Joel Surnow and the real-world implications of the use of torture on the drama. “The show doesn’t have much patience for the niceties of civil liberties or due process. … Joel [Surnow’s right-leaning] politics suffuse the whole show.”

But if the audience is able to predict who the good and bad guys in government are based on their political leanings, that makes for bad drama. One of the show’s strengths has been its willingness to show that patriots – and villains – come from many different parts of the political spectrum. And predictability of any kind – and "24" is already showing its age in other ways, through recycled plot devices – should be avoided at all costs on a show that's meant to keep us guessing and on the edge of our seats.

Also, a Monday story line in which Palmer worked with a former terrorist, Hamri al-Assad, to draft a statement in which Assad would denounce the attacks on the U.S. was frankly nonsensical. With all the chaos occurring in the fictional world of “24” – terrorists had detonated a suitcase nuke in L.A. just hours before, after all – why dither over a prepared statement that would probably affect nothing?

One would think Palmer would be trying to getting helpful information or intelligence from this guy (and please, not through torture; aside from the fact that “24” has apparently has emboldened real-life torturers, according to the New Yorker article and an LA Times piece, those scenes are just getting repetitive).

And as Assad pointed out, making a statement under the auspices of the White House would only serve to destroy his credibility in the Arab world. No one would listen to a statement made under those conditions anyway.

Having Palmer make these kinds of inexplicable decisions undercuts the drama of the show, because “24’s” writers are making it, at this point anyway, nearly impossible to invest in him as a character. And it’s hard to get on board with “24” if you’re not at the very least strangely fascinated by the man at the top.

Having said that, the story line with Jack Bauer’s seriously twisted father shows promise. Phillip Bauer was willing to kill his son Graem and seems capable of murdering his own grandson in order to keep certain secrets about his nefarious business dealings from Jack.

He’s not only the kind of dastardly guy who’d kill his own son, he also put a major guilt trip on Jack by letting Jack think that he was responsible for Graem’s death, and then repeatedly reminding Jack of his supposed culpability.

Papa Bauer’s quietly evil machinations are absolutely fascinating this season. And his daughter-in-law probably made a very bad decision in letting Philip watch her son while she went out to chase down leads with Jack.

Because Papa Bauer may just be the Worst Babysitter Ever.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2007/02/waynes_world_th.html#more

Update
“BSG” Officially renewed

Even after reading the stories here yesterday, in case any of you were worried, SciFi just announced it has renewed “Battlestar Galactica”. More details are coming.

TV Notebook
Sci Fi Renews “BattleStar Galactia”
Season 4 To Premiere in January of 2008
Sci Fi News Release February 13, 2007

New York, NY –– SCI FI has renewed its Peabody-winning signature series 'Battlestar Galactica.' The Channel will bring the critically-acclaimed series back for a minimum of 13 hours. Production will resume this summer with an eye toward a January 2008 premiere.

The decision comes after the series' incredibly successful move to Sunday nights. Since moving to its Sunday night (10pm) slot last month, 'Battlestar's audience has grown in Total Viewers (+8%), Female Viewers (+double digits across every female demo) and in the show's Target Demos of Adults 18-49 (+19%) and Adults 25-54 (+14%), versus the season 3.0 averages. The January 28th episode, "Taking A Break From All Your Worries," delivered 2.5 million total viewers and 1.6 million Adults 18-49 – the largest audience for any 'Battlestar' episode since the season 2 premiere (7/15/05).

"We're thrilled to bring 'Battlestar' back for another season. This series has delivered on every level – from the writing to the acting to the production values," stated Mark Stern, Executive Vice President of Programming, SCI FI. "SCI FI is proud to be the home of the best show on television."

Redefining the space opera with its gritty realism, Galactica's intensity, issues-driven topicality, and command performances have garnered it unprecedented critical acclaim. In addition to winning a prestigious Peabody Award, the series has been honored as one of the 10 Outstanding Television Programs of the Year by the American Film Institute (AFI) for two years running. Battlestar is also responsible for introducing the expletive "frak" into the pop culture lexicon.

"While we never had any doubt that SCI FI would get behind a fourth season of 'Battlestar,' it's thrilling to finally make it official, and for Ron and I to continue using this great genre to investigate the darker corners of society, politics and humanity," stated Executive Producer David Eick.

'Battlestar Galactica' is the gripping drama of human survival against unimaginable odds. When the Cylon robots rose against their human creators, they launched a devastating nuclear attack that left less than 50,000 survivors. On the run and in search of a new home, the last remnants of humanity struggle against waning supplies, weapons and hope.

The series is from NBC Universal Television Studio and is executive produced by Ronald D. Moore and David Eick. Its stellar cast is led by Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer and Grace Park. 'Battlestar' recently returned with the second half of its third original season on its new night and time, Sundays at 10pm, immediately following SCI FI's newest original series, 'The Dresden Files.'

With Liberty owning Directv and now or soon the Braves, how long will it be before the Braves games are only on Directv.

This may sound far fetched but remember that MLB Extra Innings is probably going there :( and I have seen where the NHL package may follow next year. :( Since I subscribe to them both and can't have a dish; more time to watch reruns on INHD :mad:

Won't happen -- at least with current laws. Sports events which have been transmitted via satellite must be offered to all carriers.

Of course many see the day coming (and some say pretty soon) when almost all sports will be a subscription-only model. Perhaps in a while when the internet gets fast enough so it can handle HD, a sports league might pull all of its games off OTA, cable, telco and DBS and only offer the games via the net. And in that case, who knows?

But your fears are not warranted in the near future, at least.

TV Notebook
Evening News Ratings:
Gibson Is Golden

ABC's World News With Charles Gibson was the No. 1 evening newscast in total viewers and the key news demo, adults 24-54, for the week of Feb. 5.

This was ABC's second week in a row as the No. 1 newscast for adults 25-54 and its best total-viewing audience since the week of Feb. 28 2005. It was up 6% year to year in total viewers.

Gibson averaged 9,700,000 viewers and a 2.6 rating/10 share in adults 25-54.

NBC's Nightly News With Brian Williams averaged 9,520,000 total viewers and a 2.5/9 in the demo. It was down 3% year-to-year in total viewers.

CBS' Evening News With Katie Couric averaged 7,990,000 viewers and a 2.2/8 in the demo. This was the newscast's highest total-viewer number since Couric's premiere week (Sept. 4, 2006). The newscast notched its second-highest rating in adults 25-54 since the week of Sept. 11, 2006. Year to year (interim anchor Bob Schieffer was at the desk at this time last year), it was flat.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6416117

Won't happen -- at least with current laws. Sports events which have been transmitted via satellite must be offered to all carriers.

How does that fit in with the MLB Extra Innings deal with Directv?

MLB-EI simply retransmits what is already available to local markets, usually via RSNs. Those RSNs, if they are delivered via satellite, mist be offered to all comers: cable, satellite and telco. The two exceptions are the Phildaelphia Comcast RSN and the Cox San Diego RSN. Which is why you see no games on those networks appearing on MLB-EI (although the San Diego games, at least) were part of the InHD package in the past. I do).t know if the Comcast Phillies games were included.)

In other words, MLB-EI simply retransmits materially available lin local markets. It produces none of its own content.

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

TV Notebook
ABC Briefly Shelves Two Comedies

In a sign ABC is concerned about the slumping ratings of “Lost” (as well as its unhappiness with a pair of its under-performing comedies), the network is making some February sweep schedule changes.

As quietly noted in a routine scheduling news release (and noticed first by Brian Ford Sullivan at “The Futon Critic”), ABC will replace the February 14 and 21 showings of “According to Jim” and “In Case of Emergency” with reruns of “Lost” at 9 PM ET/PT which will then lead into the new episodes of “Lost” at 10.

Last week, about nine million viewers watched a “Lost” recap at 9, far above the recent average of about five million who watched the two comedies. It remains to be seen, though, how “Lost” repeats will fare in the time slot. In the past the repeats have not done well.
I'll bet they don't do well this time either. I mentioned awhile back that I thought that was some bad scheduling, those comedies leading into Lost, and it looks like ABC has figured that out as well. ABC needs a scripted drama of some sort to lead into Lost as I just can't see people who watch comedies like that sticking around for an intense hour of sometimes incomprehensible supernatural drama/scifi.

At this point, it appears ABC is running away from the competition(moving to 10pm) and that can't be a good long term solution.

I agree Jim. I think ABC is frantically trying to figure out how to shore up "Lost".

This particular move, IMO, is not a good idea, but perhaps we'll both be proven wrong when the Wednesday ratings arrive Thursday morning.

I'll bet they don't do well this time either. I mentioned awhile back that I thought that was some bad scheduling, those comedies leading into Lost, and it looks like ABC has figured that out as well. ABC needs a scripted drama of some sort to lead into Lost as I just can't see people who watch comedies like that sticking around for an intense hour of sometimes incomprehensible supernatural drama/scifi.

At this point, it appears ABC is running away from the competition(moving to 10pm) and that can't be a good long term solution.

They shouldnt have been so quick to ax "Commander In Chief".

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

Highest Rated Shows By Network
Week of February 5-11

These are the highest-rated programs by network for last week.
(Shows are listed by overall rank and viewers in millions.)

3 GREY'S ANATOMY-THU 9PM ABC 25.20
8 DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES ABC 18.10
11 EXTREME MAKEOVER:HOME ED. ABC 16.93
19 LOST ABC 14.49
20 UGLY BETTY ABC 14.28


5 CSI CBS 22.52
6 GRAMMY AWARDS(S) CBS 20.06
7 CSI: MIAMI CBS 18.43
8 TWO AND A HALF MEN CBS 17.68
12 SURVIVOR: FIJI CBS 16.44


1 AMERICAN IDOL-TUESDAY FOX 33.36
2 AMERICAN IDOL-WEDNESDAY FOX 27.91
4 HOUSE FOX 24.88
22 24 FOX 13.60
24 BONES FOX 12.57


10 DEAL OR NO DEAL-MON NBC 17.41
17 HEROES NBC 14.62
23 LAW AND ORDER:SVU NBC 13.45
26 E.R. NBC 11.54
37 LAW AND ORDER NBC 9.64


84 FRIDAY NIGHT SMACKDOWN CW 4.83
90 SMALLVILLE CW 4.74
91 GILMORE GIRLS CW 4.70
97 BEAUTY AND THE GEEK CW 4.21
107 REBA CW 3.24


• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Lowest Rated Shows By Network
Week of February 5-11

These are the lowest-rated programs by network for last week.
(Shows are listed by overall rank and viewers in millions.)

75 IN STYLE: CELEB WEDDINGS(S) ABC 5.99
79 AMER FUNN HOME VIDEOS-TUE ABC 5.47
83 CHARLIE BROWN VALENTINE(S) ABC 5.24
83 KNIGHTS OF PROSPERITY ABC 5.21
90 WINNIE-POOH, A VALENTINE(S) ABC 4.65


37 CRIMINAL MINDS - 8PM SPC(S) CBS 9.80
40 CLASS, THE CBS 9.54
55 48 HOURS MYSTERY CBS 7.12
60 AFC/NFC PRO BOWL(S) CBS 6.98
78 CRIMETIME SATURDAY CBS 5.83


88 TRADING SPOUSES FOX 4.76
94 WAR AT HOME FOX 4.39
95 NANNY 911 FOX 4.22
100 KING OF HILL SP-2/11 7P(S) FOX 4.00
103 O.C. FOX 3.58


67-t FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS NBC 6.41
67-t APPRENTICE 6 NBC 6.41
69 SCRUBS NBC 6.26
79 DATELINE NBC-TUE NBC 5.77
83 30 ROCK NBC 5.17


118 GIRLFRIENDS CW 2.71
119 GAME, THE CW 2.63
119 REBA SUN CW 2.56
122 VERONICA MARS CW 2.40
125 BEAUTY AND THE GEEK-ENC CW 1.43

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

Wow, is that rating disappointing to me.

It's so much like Arrested Development in so many ways. Same creative genius. Same tenor in style. Same terrible ratings. Same plight eventually I assume.

Such a shame. Those that love it are completely obsessed, but there's just never enough of us.

I'm just hoping that somehow NBC gives it a second season to hopefully find an audience. However, if Arrested never could, how is this show so similar going to?

Lowest Rated Shows By Network
Week of February 5-11

These are the lowest-rated programs by network for last week.
(Shows are listed by overall rank and viewers in millions.)

37 CRIMINAL MINDS - 8PM SPC(S) CBS 9.80
40 CLASS, THE CBS 9.54
55 48 HOURS MYSTERY CBS 7.12
60 AFC/NFC PRO BOWL(S) CBS 6.98
78 CRIMETIME SATURDAY CBS 5.83

Any questions now (besides the already-discussed technical limitations of broadcasting in HD from Hawaii to the mainland) why the Pro Bowl isn't shown in HD? :rolleyes:

88 TRADING SPOUSES FOX 4.76
94 WAR AT HOME FOX 4.39
95 NANNY 911 FOX 4.22
100 KING OF HILL SP-2/11 7P(S) FOX 4.00
103 O.C. FOX 3.58

Yikes! :eek:

67-t FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS NBC 6.41
67-t APPRENTICE 6 NBC 6.41
69 SCRUBS NBC 6.26
79 DATELINE NBC-TUE NBC 5.77
83 30 ROCK NBC 5.17

It's so sad to see the good name and reputation of the 'Dateline' sexual predators soiled by being grouped together with such undesirable sleazy company like Donald Trump! :D And I'm sorry but it looks all the critical buzz and Golden Globe attention toward 'FNL' and/or Alec Baldwin's character in '30 Rock' isn't paying off in delivering viewers. I'm on a foul mood now that I'm finally convinced 'Studio 60' is a goner, so if my baby goes down everybody's babies should go down with mine. Not fair that 'FNL' or '30 Rock' survive for another season and 'Studio 60' doesn't... not fair! :mad:

118 GIRLFRIENDS CW 2.71
119 GAME, THE CW 2.63
119 REBA SUN CW 2.56
122 VERONICA MARS CW 2.40
125 BEAUTY AND THE GEEK-ENC CW 1.43

Could someone actually explain to me in financial terms how 'Veronica Mars' can still be kept on the air and be considered profitable? Not even strong DVD Box Set sales can overcome such low ratings (overall and in the demo) dragging down potential income from producing an expensive $1 million plus per-episode hour-long drama. The numbers just don't add-up in my head! :confused:

Just as an aside, dad, "Studio 60" was 55th with 7.00 million viewers.

And how can the entire CW be kept on the air? Six Univision programs have better ratings that the CW's top-rated show:

71 FEA MAS BELLA MON 6.18
72 FEA MAS BELLA TUE 6.15
73 ESTADOS UNIDOS MEXICO 2/7(S) 6.13
75 FEA MAS BELLA WED 6.02
76 FEA MAS BELLA THU 5.98

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

VM up against The Unit and House has caused me to call it quits with VM. I'll try to catch up with summer reruns. :(

It's so sad to see the good name and reputation of the 'Dateline' sexual predators soiled by being grouped together with such undesirable sleazy company like Donald Trump! :D

I checked out the last two "To Catch a Pedator" episodes of Dateline (my first time seeing it) and while I definitely see the "guilty pleasure" appeal of the show - I also understand how seeing the same thing over and over again (to an eerie extent among the perps) would get old and the ratings would suffer. Although it should be noted that tonight's episode is the one that received a lot of press because of the aftermath of the Dateline sting.

They need to mix it up a bit, or get them to take off their clothes before "I'm Chris Hanson" comes in and tells them to sit and chat. :D

Or Univision could schedule regular US-Mexico soccer games!

They need to mix it up a bit, or get them to take off their clothes before "I'm Chris Hanson" comes in and tells them to sit and chat. :D

And be liable to a huge lawsuit if the perp comes close to hurting the decoy actors or a crew member when the predators are in close proximity to anyone else? These dudes are proven perverts by the time they reach the house. Who wants to risk finding out too late they had a shank or a gun hidden under their shirt? I agree though, 'Dateline' has taken this 'To Catch A Predator' stings as far as they can without crossing into the boundary of voyeuristic tastelessness (although some would argue they've already gone beyond that). Last show they tried to do a sting outdoors and the perp smelled the con before good footage could be taken. Shame the sexual predators have lost their TV ratings draw power. Where else can we see them parade like lemmings straight into the loving arms of a smarmy reporter (who thinks he's God's gift to network newsmagazines) and eager police officers? Low-rated or not this remains one of the most amusing and entertaining hours of TV on the networks. Period! :rolleyes:

I checked out the last two "To Catch a Pedator" episodes of Dateline (my first time seeing it) and while I definitely see the "guilty pleasure" appeal of the show - I also understand how seeing the same thing over and over again (to an eerie extent among the perps) would get old and the ratings would suffer. Although it should be noted that tonight's episode is the one that received a lot of press because of the aftermath of the Dateline sting.

They need to mix it up a bit, or get them to take off their clothes before "I'm Chris Hanson" comes in and tells them to sit and chat. :D

Yeah...or give them a chance to run, then it could be like an episode of "COPS" or something. :D

Fred, Univision will be in a world of hurt when that "Ugly Betty"-type telenovela ends its run in a few months for good. Essentially every few months Univision's primetime block has to start over from scratch hoping that enough of a carry-over audience continues the family tradition of watching telenovelas. Such is life when a soap opera (which is what a telenovela essentially is) is your primetime show and (unlike a regular American series) it has a beginning, middle and end within a year's time without a repeat cycle. As with regular TV shows telenovelas come and go like clockwork but few actually become blockbusters (which is what "Fea Mas Bella" is). Something good and/or similar (by Spanish TV standards) will replace "Fea Mas Bella" and get a basic audience carrying on its daily routine, but chances are it won't equal or surpass the ratings of its predecessor.

Economically though these Mexican telenovelas (made in Mexico = cheap) are already profitable from sales to worldwide markets before they're even aired. The cost of an entire season of Supernatural or Veronica Mars could fill Univision's schedule for years with a dozen or so six-month long telenovelas that'd get a higher rating than the CW shows. Too bad Univision, Telemundo and the other Spanish broadcasters have to contend with the low-income, low-education and low-brow audience (generalizing here, don't hate me!) that would watch programming in their native language. Just because Univision can deliver higher ratings than The CW doesn't mean it can profit from them as much as the CW folks can profit (however much squeezing they have to do wring out something) from their anemic schedule. The power of demographics and income distribution at work! :(

I'm on a foul mood now that I'm finally convinced 'Studio 60' is a goner, so if my baby goes down everybody's babies should go down with mine. Not fair that 'FNL' or '30 Rock' survive for another season and 'Studio 60' doesn't... not fair! :mad:


I have to disagree with that. If Studio 60 goes down, it's the fault of the writers and Aaron Sorkin. Creatively, 60 is all over the map and the writers cannot decide what show they are trying to make. It's like every other week they all walk into a meeting and try and change direction depending on the mood. Is it a romantic comedy? Is it a satirical look at the television industry? Is it a behind the scenes parody of SNL? Is it a quirky drama? There's a good show buried somewhere in that but they should have sorted that out before it went to air.

FNL on the other hand has been consistent from almost day one in both writing, direction and acting.

If FNL fails it's the fault of the audience, if 60 fails it's the fault of the creative team and producers. FNL is doing everything right and for that alone it should get a reprieve.

I understand that, dad, I was attepting (obviously unsuccessfully!) to be a bit tongue in cheek.

But as Univision's potential audience matures, assimilates and grows ever larger it will be more and more of a force. Advertisers are desperate to reach the Hispanic community and Univision certainly offers the most bang for the buck at the moment.

But as more and more of that auidence is wooed (and won over) by the traditional networks, Univision certainly will have to step up to the plate with better and high-quality programming.

(Based on this item, I would warn you not to invite dad and Tina Fey to the same party.)

TV Notebook
Ouch!
From the Arch and Molloy column “The Daily Dish” in the New York Daily News February 13, 2007

Tina Fey dissed archfoe Aaron Sorkin Sunday night at the Writers Guild Awards.

The "30 Rock" star competes with Sorkin's "Studio 60": Both take place behind the scenes at a show like "Saturday Night Live," where Fey was head writer.

While jiggling around the Hudson Theatre stage in a party frock with plunging decolletage, Fey told the crowd, "I hear Aaron Sorkin is in Los Angeles wearing the same dress - but longer, and not funny."

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/gossip/story/497047p-418943c.html

MLB-EI simply retransmits what is already available to local markets, usually via RSNs. Those RSNs, if they are delivered via satellite, mist be offered to all comers: cable, satellite and telco. The two exceptions are the Phildaelphia Comcast RSN and the Cox San Diego RSN. Which is why you see no games on those networks appearing on MLB-EI (although the San Diego games, at least) were part of the InHD package in the past. I do).t know if the Comcast Phillies games were included.)

In other words, MLB-EI simply retransmits materially available lin local markets. It produces none of its own content.
Games from CSN-Philly were part of the INHD package of games over the past few years.

What I don't understand is that CSN-Philly can withhold Phillies games from D*, but every once in a while a CSN-Philly feed of the Flyers is on Center Ice on D*.

...If Studio 60 goes down, it's the fault of the writers and Aaron Sorkin. Creatively, 60 is all over the map and the writers cannot decide what show they are trying to make. It's like every other week they all walk into a meeting and try and change direction depending on the mood. Is it a romantic comedy? Is it a satirical look at the television industry? Is it a behind the scenes parody of SNL? Is it a quirky drama? There's a good show buried somewhere in that but they should have sorted that out before it went to air.

FNL on the other hand has been consistent from almost day one in both writing, direction and acting.

If FNL fails it's the fault of the audience, if 60 fails it's the fault of the creative team and producers. FNL is doing everything right and for that alone it should get a reprieve.

I agree completely.

Plus, NBC would have the advantage of being able to replay and repackage "FNL" during the summer months, when it might get an auidence hooked, as well as hyping the DVD.

And as an added plus, many, many critics see this show as a major quality program. Just to keep them somewhat happy during the May upfronts, (and in the absence of a lot of high-quality replacements) Kevin O'Reilly might want to keep it on for a second try next season. Lord knows NBC has lots of schedule problems with shows which get neither the demographics nor the acclaim of FNL.

Maybe next year start it after MNF ends and run it straight through May. I don't hold out all that much hope, but that is about all the rationale I can muster.

Weekly Nielsen Notebook
Syndication Ratings: Talk, Magazines Hot
By Rebecca Stropoli Broadcasting & Cable 2/13/2007

Most first-run strips had nice gains as the February sweep began, but talk shows and magazines were especially sizzling. One talker hit a new season and series high in the week ending Feb. 4: Rookie champion Rachael Ray, which jumped 9% to a best-ever 2.4 rating.

Although not yet cleared nationally, the newest syndication entry, The Morning Show With Mike and Juliet, reached a 1.5 rating/5 share in 27 metered markets in its third week. That represents a gain of 7% over its second week and an improvement of 15% over its premiere week.

Tyra Banks had the biggest improvement among the veteran talkers, growing 23% to a 1.6. Other talk shows moving up included Oprah, up 4% to a 7.0; Dr. Phil, up 6% to a 5.3; Live With Regis and Kelly, up 3% to a 3.7; Maury, up 4% to a 2.5, and Montel Williams, up 13% to a 1.8.

Elsewhere, all of the magazines continued to score, although only one, The Insider, hit a new season high. The show gained 4% to a 2.9.

Driven by SAG award coverage, every magazine show was higher. Leader Entertainment Tonight gained 2% to a 5.7; Insider Edition rose 3% to a 3.7; Access Hollywood advanced 7% to a 3.1; and Extra climbed 4% to a 2.4.

Most court shows were also higher, with Judge Joe Brown, Judge Mathis and rookie Cristina's Court all hitting new season highs.

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6416229

What makes the failure of 60 worse is that on paper it has everything going for it. A reasonably big name cast, a creative pedigree, it was a drama show about a television comedy show which gave it an interesting premise ... when the dialog is good it's very good and delivered with style. It started in great fashion with Judd Hirsch. That opening scene for me was one of the highlights of any new show that started last year.

It's frustrating to see so many good elements falling apart.

Games from CSN-Philly were part of the INHD package of games over the past few years.

What I don't understand is that CSN-Philly can withhold Phillies games from D*, but every once in a while a CSN-Philly feed of the Flyers is on Center Ice on D*.

Thanks for the word on CSN-Philly.

I have no idea how all the vagaries of the federal loophole allowing Comcast (and Cox) to withhold their RSNs work. (But I am sure the lawyers at Comcast and Cox [and DirectTV and Dish!] are well aware of every comma.)

Maybe JWhip, the resident Comcast expert -- and an occasional participant here -- will weigh in with some insight.

TV Notebook
Ancier tops at BBC Americas
Network finds new president of U.S. operations
By Josef Adalian Variety February 13, 2007

BBC Worldwide Americas has tapped TV vet Garth Ancier for the newly-created post of prexy of U.S. operations.

Wide-ranging post will put Ancier in charge of everything BBC in the States, from the BBC America cabler to original productions such as "Dancing with the Stars." He'll also manage home video, ad sales and BBC Worldwide's expanding digital efforts.

After being based in Los Angeles for years, Ancier -- who's run the entertainment divisions at NBC, Fox and the WB -- will relocate to BBC Worldwide Americas' HQ in Gotham. Gig begins immediately.

Hiring of Ancier comes as BBC Worldwide continues its push into the U.S., with several scripted and unscripted projects in development at the networks. BBC America is also on the rise, and is now available in more than 53 million homes.

"Garth has an impeccable pedigree in U.S. media," said BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith, to whom Ancier will report. "His experience with America's most formidable networks, in both traditional and new media, will be fantastic for us as we grow the BBC brand in this market. Bringing all of our businesses in the U.S. under the guidance of someone with Garth's experience and vision will be invaluable for BBC Worldwide as we move to double the scale of our business in this territory."

Ancier had been working in a dual role at Warner Bros. Television, overseeing creative content for In2TV and developing new programming. Just prior to that, he oversaw the decommissioning of the WB, the network he helped create.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959389&categoryid=14

I hope the long wait for the return of "Jericho" doesnt hurt the shows ratings.

I don't see how the layoff can help. ("Lost", with a far more devoted -- and veteran -- fan base dropped about 20% after its hiatus.)

And while it has been gone, "Bones" has steadily been growing in the ratings.

TV Notebook
The Politics of “24”

There is a fascinating piece in this week’s New Yorker magazine which looks closely at the man behind “24” and the political views which emerge on the show.

Rather than posting it here and encouraging a political debate, I’ll just link to it – and you can read if (or not!) and comment elsewhere.

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070219fa_fact_mayer?page=1

I don't see how the layoff can help. ("Lost", with a far more devoted -- and veteran -- fan base dropped about 20% after its hiatus.)

And while it has been gone, "Bones" has steadily been growing in the ratings.

Personally, LOST is not as good as it was, the show itself is the problem, I was hooked because of the supernatural/scifi aspect of the island, they seem to have forgotten about that, it's all about the people now, that wasn't what hooked me on LOST. Jericho still has some mystery going for it, but if they develop the story and don't get hung up on developing all the characters I'll stick with it. The LOST writers are the problem concerning LOST in my book.

Glad to hear that MIT is looking healthy from the inside.

I agree rebkell, but I think the problem in the case of "Jericho" is that the show has been gone quite a while.

Some of those who were on the fence have probably found new things to watch. And it is very difficult to get new people to join a serial in progress.

But we shall see next week how many of those viewers return.

Posted only because I know some of you can’t get enough of this story :)
TV Notebook
Sci Fi Renews Battlestar Galactica
By Anne Becker Broadcasting & Cable 2/13/2007

Sci Fi Channel renewed Battlestar Galactica for a fourth season, the network said Tuesday. Production on at least 13 new hour-long episodes will begin this summer, working toward a premiere in January 2008.

Separately, NBC Universal will likely create a direct-to-video Battlestar movie which will come out in between seasons three and four, according to sources with knowledge of the matter. The film would fill in plot gaps and give information not previously unveiled in the TV show.

The decision comes after Sci Fi moved Battlestar, currently in its third season, from Friday to Sunday nights. The show's fans had a scare when it premiered to lackluster ratings (1.8 million total viewers, according to live-plus-same-day data from Nielsen Media Research) on the new night Jan. 21.

But that was against football on CBS, which drew 50 million, and Battlestar rebounded in subsequent weeks. Week two grew to 2.1 million viewers - 2.5 million accounting for playback on DVRs within the week. The Feb. 11 episode drew 1.5 million viewers (live-plus-same-day).

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA6416283

(But I am sure the lawyers at Comcast and Cox [and DirectTV and Dish!] are well aware of every comma.)
There is no doubt about that fact.

I probably should have added lobbyists, too, homcom! :)

I agree rebkell, but I think the problem in the case of "Jericho" is that the show has been gone quite a while.

Some of those who were on the fence have probably found new things to watch. And it is very difficult to get new people to join a serial in progress.

But we shall see next week how many of those viewers return.

I'm not so sure of that, I think Bones may have benefitted from the hiatus of Jericho(which I'm thrilled about), I know you guys love FNL to death, but I do believe you are in the minority and that Jericho may very well be able to pick right up where it left off. I gave up watching FNL, I watched the first 8 eps, but it just didn't do it for me.

TV Notebook
The Politics of “24”

There is a fascinating piece in this week’s New Yorker magazine which looks closely at the man behind “24” and the political views which emerge on the show.

Rather than posting it here and encouraging a political debate, I’ll just link to it – and you can read if (or not!) and comment elsewhere.

http://www.newyorker.com/fact/content/articles/070219fa_fact_mayer?page=1


Great article! Thanks for pointing it out.

Weekly Cable Nielsen Notebook
USA Makes It Six-for-Six Atop Cable Heap
By Anthony Crupi MediaWeek February 13, 2007

USA Network has shown no sign of relinquishing its place at the top of the ratings heap, closing its sixth consecutive week as ad-supported cable’s most-watched channel.

According to Nielsen Media Research data for the week of Feb. 5, USA averaged 2.7 million total viewers in prime time and swept all three core demos, delivering 1.18 million adults 18-49, 1.16 million adults 25-54 and 579,000 in the 18-34 demo.

The net boasted the week’s top three programs, drawing 5.98 million viewers with the second half of its Monday night WWE Raw showcase, a slight buildup from the 5.71 million 9 p.m. lead-in. The Feb. 9 installment of Monk lured 4.86 million viewers, good for third place on the week.

In the total cable universe, the ad-free Disney Channel took second place overall, averaging 2.44 million viewers and continuing its run as the top prime-time destination for kids 6-11 (1.04 million) and ‘tweens 9-14 (952,000). The Mouse has laid claim to both demos for nearly two years.

Among ad-supported nets, Lifetime picked up second place, thanks in large part to Montana Sky, the latest installment in a series of adaptations of works by author Nora Roberts. The movie was ad-supported cable’s fourth most-watched program of the week, delivering 4.78 million viewers Monday night between 9 p.m. and 11 p.m.

For the week, Lifetime averaged 1.75 million viewers in prime, and took third among women 18-49 (443,000) and W25-54 (477,000).

Third place on the week went to TNT, which averaged 1.73 million total viewers, while also taking third among A18-49 (760,000) and A25-54 (784,000).

TBS finished in fourth, with 1.7 million viewers, and fared even better in the core demos, claiming second place among A18-49 (1.02 million), A25-54 (893,000) and A18-34 (574,000).

Fox News Channel repeated as cable’s fifth-place finisher last week, averaging 1.66 million prime time viewers, up from 1.52 million a week ago.

http://www.mediaweek.com/mw/news/recent_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003545274

Great article! Thanks for pointing it out.

My pleasure --- and now you have read it, I am sure you can see why I didn't post it in full here!

I thought about posting it in the "24" thread, but I believe that it would only, as Ken H says, lead to trouble.

Ancier tops at BBC Americas

Thanks for this Fred. BBC America, IMHO, has declined greatly without a solid Mystery Monday lineup. But maybe that's just me.

I hope Ancier can right the ship - at least for this viewer! :cool:

His resume will help a lot, I suspect.

(Based on this item, I would warn you not to invite dad and Tina Fey to the same party.)

TV Notebook
Ouch!
From the Arch and Molloy column “The Daily Dish” in the New York Daily News February 13, 2007

Tina Fey dissed archfoe Aaron Sorkin Sunday night at the Writers Guild Awards.

While jiggling around the Hudson Theatre stage in a party frock with plunging decolletage, Fey told the crowd, "I hear Aaron Sorkin is in Los Angeles wearing the same dress - but longer, and not funny."

That effen b*ee*tch! :mad: I hope '30 Rock' gets beaten in the ratings by a rerun of Reba! :rolleyes:

The Futon Critic says Studio 60 is being replaced by The Black Donnellys a week earlier than what was planned.

http://www.thefutoncritic.com/news.aspx?id=20070213nbc03

Here is the NBC release:
TV Notebook
Bye Bye, “Studio 60”?
It will be replaced a week early
THE BLACK DONNELLYS' – NEW DRAMA FROM OSCAR WINNERS PAUL HAGGIS AND BOBBY MORESCO – WILL PREMIERE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (10-11 P.M. ET) ON NBC

NBC News Release

BURBANK – February 13, 2007 – NBC's new mid-season drama "The Black Donnellys" will premiere on Monday, February 26 (10-11 p.m. ET) -- following the hit drama "Heroes" (9-10 p.m. ET), it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.

"The Black Donnellys" had previously been announced to debut on March 5. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (currently Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), will return to the schedule later this season on a date to be determined.

Academy Award winners Paul Haggis and Bobby Moresco (both for "Crash") are the creators and executive producers of "The Black Donnellys," a gritty new drama series filmed in New York City and loosely based on Moresco's background. Haggis is also an Academy Award nominee for the original screenplay, "Letters From Iwo Jima."

The series follows the exploits of four young, working-class Irish-American brothers and their involvement in organized crime in New York City. The Donnelly brothers will do anything to protect each other against all odds.

The ensemble cast includes Kirk Acevedo, Thomas Guiry, Billy Lush, Keith Nobbs, Michael Stahl-David, Jonathan Tucker and Olivia Wilde. The pilot was directed by Haggis, who also wrote the Academy Award-winning "Million Dollar Baby."

I hear a fat lady singing...

TV Notebook
“New Yorker” article rebuttal

Anyone who read the New Yorker article I linked earlier regarding “24” might want to also hear the reaction of co-exec producer David Fury. He spoke with Television Week’s David Ross. There is video available on the TV Week website … and the transcript islinked below (the Nerw Yorker stuff comes near the end).

http://www.tvweek.com/page.cms?pageId=585

TV Notebook
Bye Bye, “Studio 60”?
It will be replaced a week early
THE BLACK DONNELLYS' – NEW DRAMA FROM OSCAR WINNERS PAUL HAGGIS AND BOBBY MORESCO – WILL PREMIERE MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26 (10-11 P.M. ET) ON NBC

BURBANK – February 13, 2007 – NBC's new mid-season drama "The Black Donnellys" will premiere on Monday, February 26 (10-11 p.m. ET) -- following the hit drama "Heroes" (9-10 p.m. ET), it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.

"The Black Donnellys" had previously been announced to debut on March 5. "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" (currently Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), will return to the schedule later this season on a date to be determined."

Does anybody know if 'Studio 60' will continue production of its remaining number of agreed-upon episodes for the season? Or does the fact its going on hiatus earlier than announced means NBC can stop production of the show sooner even though its renewed for the season to cut its losses? At this point all I want is for Aaron Sorkin to have enough notice to wrap-up 'Studio 60' as best he can. Sports Night had a rushed but satisfying swan song at the end of Season 2.

And why can't AVS Forum get an emoticon for people that want to cry their hearts out? :( :( :(

First, NBC PR needs to proof-read its own press releases ('Stuido'??!!). :rolleyes:

Second, does anybody know if 'Studio 60' will continue production of its remaining number of agreed-upon episodes for the season? Or does the fact its going on hiatus earlier than announced means NBC can stop production of the show sooner even though its renewed for the season to cut its losses? At this point all I want is for Aaron Sorkin to have enough notice to wrap-up 'Studio 60' as best he can. Sports Night had a rushed but satisfying swan song at the end of Season 2.

And why can't AVS Forum get an emoticon for people that want to cry their hearts out? :( :( :(


I just sent your question to my friend at NBC. He does all the Studio 60 promos. I'll post his answer here.

Thanks PJO1966. If you could also find out what the total number of episodes for the season will be (should be 22 but wouldn't be surprised if the order is cut down to 20 or less). All I care now is that whatever's left of 'Studio 60' is shown or made available online for all of us to see.

Thanks PJO1966. If you could also find out what the total number of episodes for the season will be (should be 22 but wouldn't be surprised if the order is cut down to 20 or less). All I care now is that whatever's left of 'Studio 60' is shown or made available online for all of us to see.


I really do hope they get a chance to wrap things up. I'm in the minority, but I feel that the show has been consistently entertaining.

dad, the typo in the headline was mine, not NBC's.
The release was different from most of its kind only in that it actually mentioned the show which was being bumped. In almost all cases a network sends out a release announcing a time change and doesn't say anything about the show which is being bumped.

TV Notebook

dad, just for you: go to the link below to read a fairly reasoned explanation why the writer thinks there are (at least) seven reasons why “Studio 60” won’t be cancelled. Sadly, I don't agree with him, but his reasoning might ease your pain a bit.

(By the way, last night's episode was number 15 of the season.)

http://www.tvseriesfinale.com/2007/02/studio_60_on_the_sunset_strip_seven_reasons_why_it.html

I'm in the minority, but I feel that the show has been consistently entertaining.

Same here! :) But I have to say, seeing it strictly as a programming decision, Reilly is doing the right thing by bumping 'Studio 60' and putting 'Black Donnellys' a week ahead. Feb. 26th is the last week that 'Heroes' will have a brand-new episode aired before it takes another brief hiatus to save episodes for the May sweeps. 'Studio 60' has wasted its enormous lead-in every time it has aired after 'Heroes.' Why not use the last big audience 'Heroes' will deliver to a 10PM Monday time slot for weeks to prop a new mid-season show that needs all the help it can to get sampled. Good for Reilly, bad for 'Studio 60.' :(

I really do hope they get a chance to wrap things up. I'm in the minority, but I feel that the show has been consistently entertaining.

I totally agree, and I will miss it.

While it misfired on occasion, I found it wonderful entertainment.

Funny how we are all assuming 'Studio 60' is already cancelled. Guess we've been around the block long enough to read the tea leaves when things turn sour.

In addition, "Black Donnellys" will get a promo bump from all the Oscar attention the previous night for "The Departed" also, if I am not mistaken, with a mob theme.

TV Sports
ESPN signs Baker for baseball
By Paul J. Gough The Hollywood Reporter Feb 14, 2007

NEW YORK -- ESPN said Tuesday that it had hired former Chicago Cubs manager and All-Star player Dusty Baker as an analyst on "Baseball Tonight."

Baker will join a team that includes host Karl Ravech, Peter Gammons, Steve Phillips and John Kruk. His first work for ESPN is set for March 28 at a Spring Training game between the New York Mets and the Atlanta Braves.

He also will work as an analyst on some regular-season telecasts, in the Bristol, Conn., studio for the League Championship Series and as an analyst for ESPN Radio's coverage of the divisional series in October. He'll also work on ESPN's coverage of All-Star Week and the World Series.

Baker worked as a guest analyst for ESPN last year during coverage of the World Series.

Baker has been a manager for 14 seasons, including the San Francisco Giants from 1993-02 and the Cubs from 2003 until last year. He went to the World Series as a manager in 2002, when the Giants lost to the Anaheim Angels.

He also was an All-Star player over the course of his 19-year playing career with the Atlanta Braves, the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Giants and the Oakland A's. He was a member of the 1981 Dodgers World Championship team.

ESPN also announced that former St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Fernando Vina would become an analyst for "Baseball Tonight" and "SportsCenter."

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i740568d193a1393763ecf665c665ea08

In addition, "Black Donnellys" will get a promo bump from all the Oscar attention the previous night for "The Departed" also, if I am not mistaken, with a mob theme.

Wrong network chief! :)

Critic’s Notebook
“Studio 60,” “Black Donnellys”
By Rich Heldenfels in his Akron Beacon Journal blog

Pondering an NBC schedule change …

I haven’t gotten through last night’s “Studio 60″ yet. Ten minutes in, I decided I needed sleep more. Maybe the 10 minutes was more than many viewers have given it, since NBC gave the Aaron Sorkin drama a more abrupt hiatus than was at first planned. Here’s the announcement:

“…NBC’s new mid-season drama ‘The Black Donnellys’ will premiere on Monday, February 26 (10-11 p.m. ET) — following the hit drama ‘Heroes’ (9-10 p.m. ET), it was announced today by Kevin Reilly, President, NBC Entertainment.

‘The Black Donnellys’ had previously been announced to debut on March 5. ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’ (currently Mondays, 10-11 p.m. ET), will return to the schedule later this season on a date to be determined….”

I guess it’s time to look at the rest of the “Donnellys” review disc.

I thought the pilot was interesting enough when I saw it last summer, although it felt like a more accessible version of “EZ Streets,” a marvelous but short-lived show also from Paul Haggis. Of course, almost no one saw “EZ Streets.”

For the vast TV audience, any comparisons would be about as useful as noting parallels with “Berlin Alexanderplatz.” (Fear not. I haven’t seen that either.) But the disc with more episodes has been around for weeks, and somehow I just haven’t gotten to it. But soon. And, obviously, sooner than I expected.

http://www.ohiomm.com/blogs/heldenfiles/2007/02/13/studio-60-winding-up-black-donnellys-sooner-than-expected/

Wrong network chief! :)

I know that, dad. I meant all the attention on the mob genre might rub off....

Now we move from one struggling NBC show to another.
(But if you haven’t sampled it yet, please, PLEASE do yourself a favor and give “Friday Night Lights” a try.)
Critic’s Notebook
'Friday Night' shines a light on racism
By Robert Bianco USA Today

If football is life, then life for a small Texas town just got a little bit tougher.

And that, as fans of this terrific but struggling NBC series know, is the real joy of Friday Night Lights: the way it uses high school football as a window into an America where people hold jobs outside of law enforcement and medicine.

Like no other show at the moment, Lights concerns itself with the real challenges facing families in small towns, from the basic struggle to make a living amid dying economies to the age-old clash between the desire to fit in and the need to escape.

Tonight's excellent conclusion of a two-part episode tackles an even tougher subject, one that has haunted the show from the sidelines from the get-go: race.

A racist comment from an assistant coach has provoked a walkout by the team's black players, led by star running back Brian "Smash" Williams (Gaius Charles).

Solving the problem falls to Coach Taylor — star Kyle Chandler, who is giving the kind of mature yet electric performance that shifts careers. His only hope to win the upcoming playoff game is to get the players back, and he may not be able to do that without sacrificing his authority or integrity.

But the show gives equal weight to the mix of anger, pride and fear that is driving Smash. As is often the case with the more subtle forms of racism, the problem isn't the way Smash and his friends are treated; it's the limiting assumptions they face about what they can and should do.

Fighting back, though, has its risks: If the team loses because they don't play, they lose their shots at a scholarship.

Multiple stories weave in and out of tonight's hour, as the show strives once again to capture a snapshot of the town as a whole. Still, at heart, Lights is a family drama, which means the show invariably makes time for the loving if sometimes contentious relationships among Coach Taylor, his wife, Tami (Connie Britton), and their teenage daughter, Julie (Aimee Teegarden).

And indeed, for anyone who yearns for a strong maternal role model, Lights has two of the best and best-performed in Tami and in Smash's mother, Corrina (Liz Mikel).

While Tami battles to pull her once-ideal daughter back from the brink of teen snottiness tonight, Corrina battles her fear that her son is throwing away his future just so he can "teach a lesson to a bunch of fools." Let's just say that Corrina is not one of those moms who battles in silence.

Granted, Lights is not always the easiest show to enter. The quick cuts between stories can be confusing, and the aggressively busy camerawork can be disorienting.

And while the show did an excellent job last week of building the town's racial tensions, it acts a bit too quickly this week to deflate them, a common problem when a series rushes to resolve a plot that defies a fast resolution.

Still, at least Lights is dealing with race, and doing so in a way overall that respects our intelligence. That's a tough task, but then, this is one tough show — in the best football sense of the term.

Feel free to sit in the stands and cheer.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2007-02-13-friday-review_x.htm

This thread has gotten over 16,000 views since the week after the Super Bowl when it crossed the 1,000,000 views mark. The Lost thread used to be red-hot but, reflecting that show's decreased viewership, it doesn't get the number of hits/views it once did. I think that in a few weeks 'Hot Off the Press!' will surpass the 'Lost' thread for good if this trend continues. The Studio 60/Friday Night Lights posts alone guarantee it! :o

Yeah, but if you consider the quality of most posts here, I think this thread beats them all hands down!

Thanks Dave and dad.

But I think it will be a couple of months before HOTP catches up to the Lost thread.

I have noticed that Lost used to get 4,000-5,000 views on some days. Now, even just after the show's return, it is getting fewer than 1,000 views a day. Just over a month ago, Lost led in views by 82,000. The last I looked (moments ago, to be honest) the difference had shrunk to 35,665.

This thread has gone from about 1,100 views a day last year at this time to an average of over 2,300 a day the past three weeks.

For which I say thanks to all of you who drop by.

(By the way, if anyone knows the source for a similar, in-depth look at the cable side of the retrans fight, let me know and I'll post it, or post it yourself.)
The Business of Television
From the Front Lines:
The Battle for Retransmission Fees
By Harry A. Jessell TV Newsday

Battling Time Warner for retrans fees in Spokane, Wash., the small-market broadcaster believes he will eventually triumph and other broadcasters could too if they could learn to support each other.

Most small broadcasters believe that can’t win a head-to-head retrans battle with a deep-pocketed cable operator.

But not Brian Brady.

The pugnacious owner of four Fox affiliates and two CBS affiliates in small markets has taken on the cable Goliath of Time Warner in Spokane, Wash. (DMA 77).

The issue is simple. Brady wants Time Warner to pay him a monthly, per-sub fee for the right to carry his Fox affiliate KAYU to 25,000 subscribers. Time Warner is saying no way.

After granting a series of extensions last summer and fall, Brady finally ordered Time Warner to drop KAYU from its lineup on Dec. 14.

And that’s where things stand two months later. Neither side appears ready to budge.

As chairman of the Fox affiliate board last year, Brady emerged as an industry leader, negotiating deals that make Fox affiliates full partners in the distribution of Fox’s primetime programming over the Web.

In this edited interview with TVNEWSDAY Editor Harry A. Jessell, Brady joins the vanguard of broadcasters’ growing retrans fight with cable. “This is the most important battle we’re going to fight over the next couple of years,’ he says. “We need to stick together.”

Harry A. Jessell: So what’s going to happen next?

Brian Brady: They’re going to continue to lose subscribers. From the best we can determine, they’ve lost as many as 3,500 subscribers. Now, if you ask them, they’re going to tell you that is not true, but we’re talking to installers and we see the numbers from Direct TV and EchoStar and what their ads are. We’re pretty confident in that number.

Harry A. Jessell: What has the battle cost you? Can you quantify that yet—the loss of that carriage?

Brian Brady: I would tell you that we have hit our budget for January and I expect that we’re going to hit our budgets for the first quarter and beyond.

Harry A. Jessell: Where is your leverage coming from in this standoff?

Brian Brady: Well, let’s see. We had the BCS games, we had NFL Football, we’ve got American Idol, we’ve got 24, we’ve got Prison Break. We’ve got quality programming. We spend millions of dollars on programming. We’ve spent millions of dollars upgrading the station to HD and providing programming in HD to the market.

Harry A. Jessell: Do you think this thing is going to be settled soon? Or is it going to go on for awhile?

Brian Brady: Well, I mean, there are 3,500 cable subscribers there. We answer each and every e-mail. We return each and every phone call that comes into the station. Most of the time people who call are very heated, very upset. But by the time we’re done explaining our position, they get it and they go back to the cable company and demand answers from them.

We’ve had a number of people tell us they’d be happy to pay a dollar for our television station because they don’t want to miss American Idol or 24 or football or anything else and Time Warner just doesn’t seem to care.

Harry A. Jessell: So, you think you’re winning the public relations battle?

Brian Brady: You know, I would tell you that we take our viewers very seriously and that one-on-one we feel good about the way we’re handling it. Are we winning the public relations battle? I don’t know if I would characterize it quite that way, but we certainly are doing our level best to explain our position to people.

Harry A. Jessell: What is that basic position?

Brian Brady: As a viewer, you can get the station over the air and we’re very proud to be over-the-air broadcasters, but the cable company seems to think that because the viewers can get it for free over the air, they should be allowed to take our signal, repackage it and sell it to you. We say, no you can’t.

It’s not unlike getting stuff off a radio for free. If you record music off the radio and then build a compilation CD and then sell it on eBay, you’re going to get shut down. You can’t do that. There are copyright issues. It’s the same way with the cable guys. You can’t take our signal and then sell it to the advertiser or sell it to the subscribers, which is exactly what they’ve done over the last four retrans cycles.

They’ve made billions and billions of dollars doing it and now we’re saying, you can’t do that anymore. You’re going to have to pay us for our signal. There’s a law that’s been in place for 15 years. We didn’t choose must carry so we bear the risk that we’re not going to be able to put together a deal with the cable company. We’re comfortable with that risk.

Harry A. Jessell: And what do you want as part of a deal?

Brian Brady: I’m not sure I want to get into how much money we’re asking for, but I will tell you that we think we’re asking for a very reasonable sum of money. What is a television station worth to a cable company? A cable company will tell you that a television station really isn’t worth anything because you can get it free over the air.

I find that quite interesting. They get $50 a month or $600 a year for their service. So, if a Fox station goes off the cable system and they lose a thousand subscribers, it costs them $600,000 in revenue per year. What does that make my television station worth to them? Is it worth 50 cents [per sub per month]? Is it worth a dollar?

Now, we’re not even talking about equity value or about reacquisition costs. I would also ask you, do you really think that if the History Channel came off the cable system that they would lose the number of subscribers that they’ve lost in the amount of time that we’ve been off?

Harry A. Jessell: What about your other markets? What’s going to happen there?

Brian Brady: We have contracts in all the other markets through ’09. When those contracts are up, we will be in the same position as we are in Spokane. We’ll be asking for retrans money.

The other network affiliates in Spokane are owned by Cowles, Morgan Murphy and Belo. Are they supporting you? Or are they taking advantage of the situation?

Oh, I think they’ve been very supportive. I mean the Cowles family has the NBC station and they have sold us advertising, which we’ve used to let the viewers know that if you’re not receiving your Fox station that you can go and get it either on EchoStar or DirectTV.

Harry A. Jessell: At NATPE, you gave a speech in which you urged your fellow Fox affiliates to take a harder line on retrans. Why?

Brian Brady: The cable industry is very united on this issue. They do a very good job of getting together and saying look, we are not going to pay broadcasters any money, and they’ve managed to do it for years. They prey on the fact that broadcasters have a tendency to eat their young and don’t stand together very well. My point to my fellow broadcasters is simple: This is the most important battle we’re going to fight over the next couple of years and we need to stick together.

I’m not talking about colluding against the cable company, but I’m talking about being supportive of each other. I have made it very clear that in my markets, if somebody goes off a cable system, we will not use that against them in selling advertising and if they want to buy advertising on our station to let their viewers know that they can be gotten on either EchoStar or Direct TV, we will happily sell them time.

Harry A. Jessell: Speaking of selling advertising, what’s wrong with these retrans deals in which the cable operators promise to buy a certain amount of advertising on your station? Isn’t that a good idea?

Brian Brady: Not in my book. Certainly that is what has been sort of standard practice over the last number of retrans cycles, but the day has come where they need to pay cash. I mean if they’re going to buy a dollar’s worth of advertising from me, I’m giving them a dollar’s worth of value.

What they’re asking for is my signal as a value-add to their advertising schedule and that just doesn’t make any sense to me. Why would I give them my signal for nothing? Either they’re valuing my advertising at nothing or they’re valuing my signal at nothing. On top of that, they’re taking up inventory that I can sell to somebody else.

Harry A. Jessell: What kind of reaction did you get from your Fox brethren?

Brian Brady: I would say that it was overwhelmingly positive.

Harry A. Jessell: Do you see much leadership from the Fox network on this?


Brian Brady: I think Fox is very much behind the retrans issue.

Harry A. Jessell: They haven’t made that evident. I mean CBS has been out there, but Fox has quiet because it’s got all the cable networks. They use retrans for leverage in negotiating for carriage of their cable networks.

Brian Brady: Everybody has to determine what value they’re going to get for their retrans. Frankly, people are going to do different things to get that value out of the cable companies.

Let’s fact it, the networks have been doing it for years and it’s really one of the reasons why the broadcasters haven’t got money prior to this. The networks were able to cut deals to launch cable networks and they’ve built great equity out of that.

Harry A. Jessell: I know you have been watching events on retrans in Washington. Cable operators are agitating for legislation that would gut broadcasters’ retrans rights. Any comment?

Brian Brady: You know what? The law has been around for 15 years and the law has worked wonderfully. There’s been four retrans cycles where the cable guys really haven’t had to pay anything. Satellite came along with local in local. They negotiated retrans agreements with broadcasters from coast to coast and not a peep. They didn’t go to Congress and say you need to change the law. They didn’t go to Congress and say this isn’t fair. They went out and they negotiated retrans with stations across the country.

Now stations are saying that they want to be paid by cable and what does cable do? The first thing they do is run to Congress and say this is unfair. They say the broadcasters want to be paid and that they’re going to have to raise the rates to advertisers and subscribers.

What they’re really saying isn’t that they have to raise the rates. What they’re really saying is, hey, we’ve been getting this for free for years, we’ve been making a killing on it and this is going to eat into our profits. That’s what they’re really saying and Congress needs to understand that cable is out there trying to hoodwink them.

http://www.tvnewsday.com/articles/2007/02/13/daily.5/

Critic’s Notebook
TV Watch:
Still in Third Place, but Working Hard to Move Up
By Alessandra Stanley The New York Times February 14, 2007

Diane Sawyer, a host of ABC’s “Good Morning America,” looked an awful lot like a globe-trotting, war-seasoned evening news anchor as she donned a head scarf to confront the president of Iran on Monday’s evening news.

On the “CBS Evening News” that same night, Katie Couric seemed to be reliving her heyday at NBC’s “Today” with a feature on the health benefits of napping. “The old saying ‘You snooze, you lose’ has it all wrong,” Ms. Couric said.

It’s a weird day-for-night role reversal for the two most famous women in television news.

Perhaps restless in her morning job now that her former co-host, Charles Gibson, is the anchor of ABC’s evening news program, Ms. Sawyer seems intent on scoring gravitas points with show-stealing trips to North Korea last October and, most recently, Syria and Iran. In Tehran she even mingled with an anti-American mob to get a feel for the Persian street.

“Do you not like me?” she asked an Iranian chanting “Death to America” slogans. (He said it wasn’t personal.) Outside the former American embassy, she reminisced about covering the Iranian revolution in 1979. “It was a truly dangerous place for Americans,” she said. “Back then, I remember thugs threatened to cut off my forbidden lipstick with razor blades.”

Ms. Couric, whose move to CBS last September to become the first solo female anchor of a network evening news program was hailed as a milestone, has yet to jolt CBS out of third place. But she is trying: she recently introduced a segment, “The American Spirit,” in which she spiritedly interviews inspiring Americans all over the country, hoping to enliven the newscast with some of her trademark early-morning pep and pizazz — the “Today”-ification of the “CBS Evening News.”

All the evening newscasts carve time out for health and feel-good human interest stories. NBC’s Brian Williams, who is usually in first place, interviewed his own father on Monday for a special series on how baby boomers care for their elderly parents.

And Mr. Gibson, a No. 2 who seems disinclined to try harder, was in Chicago while Ms. Sawyer was in Tehran, anchoring from an outdoor balcony in a scarf and a topcoat for no apparent reason other than demonstrating that he can confront the cold. He did provide a voice-over narration for a feature about a gung-ho marine who gave up the corps to donate a kidney to his father, but the interview itself was conducted by a producer who stayed out of camera range. On Tuesday Mr. Gibson spent the day behind the scenes at O’Hare International Airport to cover storm-related problems firsthand.

But Ms. Couric, who was wooed by CBS for her personality and star power, does more features, more often. And after nearly six months of tinkering, Ms. Couric’s show does look and sound different from the other two. For one thing, female correspondents are more prominent: on some nights, only one or two male correspondents make it to the air.

Most anchors go to the scene of big stories like hurricanes and the State of the Union address. Ms. Couric prefers to be in the field for small stories: a woman who created a networking Web site for businesswomen; a billionaire scientist who donated $50 million to recruit talented math and science teachers.

Inevitably, hard news gets squeezed by the soft. For the week of Feb. 5-9, ABC and NBC each devoted a total of 14 minutes to the Iraq war, according to the Tyndall Report, a newsletter that tracks the three evening newscasts. CBS’s total for the week was 5 minutes.

So far, the personal touch hasn’t healed CBS’s wounded ratings, but lately there has been some sign of improvement. Last week Ms. Couric had close to eight million viewers — the highest number since her debut in September, though Super Bowl exposure may have helped. CBS was also the only one of the three networks whose share of the most elusive demographic, viewers 18 to 49, was higher than the same week a year ago. CBS still trails far behind ABC and NBC, which are often neck and neck.

Sometimes Ms. Couric’s interviews can be enlightening: she went to San Diego County in October to talk to financially strained wives of servicemen in Iraq who rely on charitable food handouts to make ends meet.

Others are lurid daytime “gets” disguised as news scoops, like a fireside interview in December with the tearful widow of Kelly James, one of three climbers who died after getting lost on Mount Hood.

Ms. Couric’s style is informal, except when it’s not. She greets viewers with the jaunty words “Hi, everyone,” then reads off the top news stories with an air of burdened gravity.

Her male rivals always wear formal suits and ties. (Mr. Williams is a bit of a Savile Row dandy, whereas Mr. Gibson favors a rumpled J. Press look.) Ms. Couric’s on-air wardrobe is more mercurial: a casual navy turtleneck one night, pearls and dark suit the next. It can be distracting, which is odd, given Ms. Couric’s complaints about being held to a different standard because of her sex. Society’s obsessive focus on a newswoman’s hair and outfits is such a sore point that it’s surprising she hasn’t settled on a more consistent look. In the battle to change the culture, frequent sartorial makeovers stoke unwanted attention rather than defuse it.

The anchor is not solely responsible for the success of a news broadcast. Experts often cite the lead-in as crucial: the more successful a local news program, the more viewers stay tuned. (On a good week, Oprah Winfrey can boost the ratings of both the local and network news programs that follow her.)

But there is also a bench factor: Mr. Williams’s success is partly his own work, partly the legacy of his predecessor Tom Brokaw and partly the strength of the network’s best reporters: Lisa Myers, David Gregory, Campbell Brown, Tim Russert and, in Baghdad, Richard Engel. ABC also has a lot of firepower in its newsroom, including George Stephanopoulos, the investigative reporter Brian Ross and Martha Raddatz at the White House.

The “CBS Evening News” has a thinner lineup of stars. Lara Logan stands out in Baghdad (sometimes too much), and so does Elizabeth Palmer. But for the most part, CBS correspondents are not as distinctive — or as carefully showcased.

That could be house policy. On their Web sites, NBC and ABC list the biographies of more than 20 correspondents who contribute to the evening news. On cbsnews.com, where Ms. Couric writes a chatty, first-person blog, it’s almost impossible to find a full roster of the evening-news team. It’s the Web equivalent of a shrubbery maze: the “bios” section keeps returning to Ms. Couric, her executive producer and the weekend anchors.

Cults of personality are common in and around the anchor desk. But they are most effective when the personality has a huge cult following.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/14/arts/television/14watc.html?_r=1&oref=login&ref=media&pagewanted=print

Weekly Nielsen Notebook
Viewers go to Grammys
By Gary Levin USA Today

• Grammys rise. CBS' Grammy Awards averaged 20.1 million viewers on Sunday, its best tune since 2004. The show was up by 3 million from last year, when it aired opposite American Idol.

• Lost found. ABC's Lost (14.5 million) returned from a three-month break in a new slot with its second-smallest audience yet, well below its 17.8 million fall average, and was edged by CSI: NY.

• Survivor sinks. Thursday's opener of Survivor: Fiji, the reality show's 14th installment, proved its weakest yet with 16.4 million viewers, down from 18 million for fall's Cook Islands and 19.2 million for last winter's Panama. But it spanked producer Mark Burnett's other series, NBC's The Apprentice, which hit the skids Sunday with a series-low 6.4 million.

• Rules unbroken. CBS got a Monday bounce from Super Bowl promos for Rules of Engagement (14.8 million) and season highs for Two and a Half Men (17.7 million) and How I Met Your Mother (10.6 million). Wednesday's wind-up of a Criminal Minds two-parter averaged 16.3 million, down 10 million from the post-Super Bowl opener and below the show's pre-Idol season average.

• News watch. ABC's World News (week-long average: 9.7 million viewers) beat NBC's Nightly News (9.5 million) for the first time since July. The CBS Evening News, though a distant third (8 million), had its biggest audience since Katie Couric's debut in September.

• Hot docs. Grey's Anatomy (25.2 million) had its biggest crowd since September's season opener, and House (24.9 million) continued its torrid post-Idol pace.

• College kids. Grey's is one of the shows up sharply among ages 18-24, gaining from Nielsen's new analysis of college students' viewing. Others include Ugly Betty, Gilmore Girls and Beauty and the Geek.

• Clear skies. Lifetime scored Monday with Montana Sky (4.8 million), the first of several planned movies based on Nora Roberts potboilers. But Bravo's Top Design sunk to 872,000 viewers Wednesday from 1.8 million for last week's premiere behind the Top Chef finale.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2007-02-13-nielsen-analysis_x.htm

More 'Studio 60' parodies from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuS71qH1k8E and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UrtVegsURDU (WARNING: contains humor that might be a little too racy and explicit for some viewers. Viewer discretion is advised :D).

dad...thanks for fixing my headline typo in the Studio 60 thread!

Posted only because I know some of you can’t get enough of this story :)
Sci Fi Channel renewed Battlestar Galactica for a fourth season, the network said Tuesday. Production on at least 13 new hour-long episodes will begin this summer, working toward a premiere in January 2008.


JANUARY!!!!??? :(

Didn't it just premiere a short while ago for this season, Kracko?

Second, does anybody know if 'Studio 60' will continue production of its remaining number of agreed-upon episodes for the season? Or does the fact its going on hiatus earlier than announced means NBC can stop production of the show sooner even though its renewed for the season to cut its losses? At this point all I want is for Aaron Sorkin to have enough notice to wrap-up 'Studio 60' as best he can. Sports Night had a rushed but satisfying swan song at the end of Season 2.


Our kids go to school with Tommy's. I've asked my wife to ask if she runs into him or his wife over the next few days about this and I'll let the board know what she finds out.

Didn't it just premiere a short while ago for this season, Kracko?

Season 3 premiered in October. 3.5 in January. When 3.5 ends, sometime this spring, it means no new shows for over 6 months. :(

dad...please go fix my headline typo in the Studio 60 thread! I beg of you! :)

Done!

Posted only because I know some of you can’t get enough of this story.

Sci Fi Channel renewed Battlestar Galactica for a fourth season, the network said Tuesday. Production on at least 13 new hour-long episodes will begin this summer, working toward a premiere in January 2008.

JANUARY!!!!??? :(

If you read the news stories Kracko you'll notice that, like the cancelled Stargate SG-1, Sci-Fi Channel plans to make a direct-to-video Battlestar Galactica made-for-TV movie to be released during the months-long hiatus. Think of it as both a cash grab and a way to appease fans while the producers/writers get ready for next season. In case you haven't noticed last year's delay of season 3 until October allowed the writers to come up with better stand-alone episodes (like last week's medical crisis with the Sagitarian refugees) that are miles better than garbage like Season 2's 'Black Market.' Sometimes delaying a series for months or years pays off with better quality in the end. Look at The Sopranos for example (and yes, I'm including Season 6 Part 1 in my praise). :cool:

Looking forward to hearing about 'Studio 60' from your sources Kracko. :)

Lost actually lost many of us live viewers when they bumped it to 10PM. The thread suffers exponentially because the most active period has always been the first 24 hours immediately following its airing. With more timeshifters, many don't check the thread until after a day or two when a single view will allow them to catch-up with the conversation.

Wonder if ABC anticipated the impact on post/view counts when they authorized the move to 10pm. ;)

They probably lost viewers when ABC added 2 more commercial breaks per hour on their dramas, the amount of commercial breaks on ABC shows is annoying as hell, even when using a DVR.

Nielsen Notebook
Colossus rising: ABC Thursday night
NBC owned it for decades, then CBS for years
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 14, 2007

It took CBS three and a half years from the time it started programming aggressively on Thursdays to finally overtake longtime No. 1 NBC among adults 18-49 on TV’s most lucrative night.

It took ABC only one week, the first week of this season, to take it away, and in recent weeks that lead has been growing. The only real question now is how much the network can continue to build its average on the night.

Last Thursday, on Feb. 8, ABC finished 16 percent ahead of No. 2 CBS with a 6.5 rating, 25 percent above its season-to-date average on the night, according to Nielsen data analyzed by Fox. It was the network’s second-best Thursday this season, behind only its premiere night, and it was up 48 percent over the equivalent night last year.

There are several reasons ABC has become so successful so fast, and one certainly is that CBS has also taken a 25 percent tumble on Thursday. Ratings for “Survivor” and “CSI” are down from last year, in part due to the increased competition from ABC, and new 10 p.m. show “Shark,” while strong with total viewers, is not with 18-49s.

Another reason is that ABC is especially strong with 18-34s, where CBS lags. “Ugly Betty” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” which air at 8 and 9 p.m., had season highs in that demographic last week.

And among women 18-34, ABC’s entire lineup is becoming a must-see. The network averaged a 9.8 in that demographic last Thursday, its best since 1994. “Grey’s” actually finished ahead of “American Idol” in women 18-34 last week, and its 10 p.m. show,”Men in Trees,” ranked No. 1 in its timeslot in that demographic.

Whether ABC’s Thursday can continue to grow will depend in large part on “Men,” which is rising but still losing more than half its “Grey’s” lead-in. ABC has said it will give the show time to grow, and it�s doing better than original timeslot occupant “Six Degrees” fared earlier this season.

“Men” took over the timeslot at midseason, always a disadvantage, but the show’s romantic theme certainly meshes well with the sweet “Betty” and steamy “Grey”s.” Still, ABC will switch things up next year if it thinks another show can maintain more of its lead-in.

One pilot getting lots of buzz right now is the soapy “Football Wives,” which just signed “Xena’s” Lucy Lawless to star. It would fit perfectly on the night.

ABC certainly has been willing to take chances on Thursday. Moving “Grey’s” away from Sunday, where it formed a dynamic duo with lead-in “Desperate Housewives” was the year’s most aggressive and potentially disastrous scheduling move.

It could have killed both Sunday and Thursday. Instead, while Sunday is down 40 percent from last year, Thursday is up 100 percent and growing.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10167.asp

The TV Column
The Week’s Winners and Losers
Grammys Pay Off to the Tune Of 20 Million Viewers
By Lisa de Moraes Washington Post Staff Writer Wednesday, February 14, 2007

The Dixie Chicks' last laugh catapulted CBS to first place in the ratings last week.

Here's a look at the week's songbirds and turkeys:

WINNERS

"Criminal Minds." In its first Wednesday broadcast following its post-Super Bowl play, CBS's pervy crime drama clocked more than 16 million viewers against Fox's "American Idol." While nowhere near the more than 25 million who watched ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" right after its post-Super-Bowl-cast, it's virtually the same size crowd "Minds" snagged last time an original episode aired without "Idol" competition. Ergo, a post-Super Bowl play can (a) give a show a huge ratings spike or (b) offset "Idol" impact.

"Sarah Silverman Program." Comedy Central, the unabashed guys-do-comedy, chicks-not-so-much network, ordered 14 more episodes of the Silverman show after just two telecasts, because it averaged 1.7 million viewers -- yes, even though it stars a chick. For comparison, the series debut of Comedy Central's animated guy-centric "Freak Show" snared 1.4 million; live-action "Naked Trucker & T Bone" opened with 1.3 million; and Carlos Mencia's "Mind of Mencia" kicked off with 1.2 million.

Grammy Awards. After two lousy ratings years -- including last year's worst-ever showing (17 million viewers), opposite "American Idol" -- the music trophy show snapped back on Sunday. More than 20 million viewers caught the Dixie Chicks thumbing their pretty little noses at Music Row, collecting five statuettes, including best album. While it didn't persuade many country radio stations to start playing Chicks tunes -- they haven't since '03, when lead singer Natalie Maines said she was ashamed POTUS hails from Texas -- the Chicks' "Taking the Long Way" leapt to the No. 1 spot on the iTunes Music Store's top albums list yesterday, their "Not Ready to Make Nice" became the digital music store's most-downloaded single, and trade publication Hits reported physical CD sales of "TTLW" were up 830 percent after the Grammy sweep.

"Rules of Engagement." Despite casting David Spade as a ladies' man, CBS's sitcom opened to nearly 15 million viewers last week, making it for one brief shining moment the No. 1-ranked new series on TV this season.

"Grey's Anatomy" went all "ER" for a very special February sweeps episode in which a ferry boat crashes (and Meredith falls off the pier) and copped its second biggest audience ever among young women, behind only that post-Super Bowl broadcast. Among women ages 18 to 34, it was the week's No. 1 broadcast, beating both nights of "American Idol."

LOSERS

"Lost." Returning to the lineup in a protected time slot out of "American Idol's" way, ABC's circuitous serialized drama suffered its smallest audience ever for an original episode. (That said, it snagged what was, last week, the season's biggest 10 p.m. rating among the 18-to-49-year-olds advertisers target.)

"Survivor: Fiji." The reality series's 14th iteration opened with its smallest debut crowd since it first washed ashore in May '00 -- 16.4 million viewers. Even so, that's a solid number for a 14-edition-old reality series.

"The Apprentice." Donald Trump sleeps in the TV ratings tent after his reality series suffers a franchise-low 6.4 million viewers opposite the Grammy Awards on Sunday. Previous low was the 6.8 million who watched "Apprentice" on Thanksgiving night in '05. (NBC "specialed out" that holiday night's number from the season average.)

• • • • • • • • • • •

Garth Ancier, the first programming chief at the Fox broadcast network and more recently chairman of the WB network, has been named president of BBC Worldwide America.

It's a new position that puts Ancier in charge of all the company's U.S. businesses, effective immediately.

Which means the guy who famously, in his late 20s, put the spanking-new Fox network on the map with "Married . . . With Children" and "The Simpsons" is now in charge of sales of BBC's crunchy-gravel period dramas to PBS.

Ancier, who created teen-angst WB network with its lineup of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Dawson's Creek," "7th Heaven" and "Charmed," and who later became that network's chairman, also will oversee the BBC America cable network.

Additionally, Ancier would be in charge of the BBC execs who would negotiate to continue reality series "Grease: You're the One That I Want" at NBC -- a network under which he labored briefly as head of entertainment until he was let go under the pretext he'd been too slow getting the network into the reality-TV game.

We love irony.

BBC Worldwide Productions also gets credit for ABC's reality hit "Dancing With the Stars." And while Ancier never ran the programming division at ABC, he was the first president of parent company Disney's TV production operation.

Ancier also spent time working at Turner Broadcasting System, where he's credited with turning Anderson Cooper into Anderson Cooper, and Aaron Brown into, well, the guy who used to have Anderson Cooper's time slot.

Ancier's also known as the guy who helped refocus TBS and TNT as Turner's comedy and drama networks, respectively, and who expanded the blasted-in-Boston Adult Swim block of programming on the Cartoon Network.

Ancier cut his TV-industry teeth as an exec at NBC, where in his 20s he supervised series like "The Cosby Show" and "Cheers."

"Garth has an impeccable pedigree in U.S. media," his new boss, BBC Worldwide CEO John Smith said yesterday, stating the obvious.

"Bringing all of our businesses in the U.S. under the guidance of someone with Garth's experience and vision will be invaluable for BBC Worldwide as we move to double the scale of our business in this territory."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/13/AR2007021301381_pf.html

Washington Notebook
FCC’s Martin Shopping New Must-Carry Plan
By Ted Hearn MultiChannel News

In a new must-carry proposal from Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin, cable operators would be forced to carry the programming of certain “eligible entities” that had leased excess spectrum from local digital-TV stations, FCC and industry officials confirmed Tuesday.

“The chairman wants to do all that he can to facilitate entry by small business and other eligible entities in an already-crowded field of broadcasting,” an FCC official said Tuesday, one week after Martin and his aides began reaching out for support.

At one meeting not attended by Martin, National Cable & Telecommunications Association president Kyle McSlarrow discussed the proposal with Catherine Bohigian, a Martin confidante who is chief of the Office of Strategic Planning and Policy Analysis. Also in attendance were an official from the National Association of Broadcasters and attorney David Honig, executive director of the Minority Media & Telecommunications Council. Honig also met with Martin separately.

“This is an idea that he’s been openly discussing with a variety of parties, including David Honig, broadcasters, and cable,” an FCC official said.

Honig said he wanted “to give Martin credit” for trying to “split the difference between broadcasting and cable” on carriage of digital-TV signals, which has been raging for nearly a decade.

FCC rules require cable systems to carry just one programming stream of each local digital-TV station that has elected mandatory carriage, or must-carry. Over Martin’s opposition, the FCC has three times rejected rules that would require cable to carry multiple programming streams transmitted by digital-TV stations. Digital-TV stations can't elect must-carry until they have surrendered their analog TV licenses, which is now mandated to occur no later than Feb. 17, 2009.

Under Martin’s new plan, the leasing of spectrum by qualified entities would be voluntary for TV stations, but carriage of the programming would be compulsory for cable operators, an FCC official said.

“We are not commenting right now,” NCTA vice president of communications Brian Dietz said. An NAB official didn’t have an immediate reaction to Martin’s plan.

Martin’s goal is for the FCC to issue a notice of proposed rulemaking to select entities that would be allowed to lease the spectrum and obtain cable-carriage privileges. Martin’s preference is to limit eligibility to new entrants and small businesses to keep the program race neutral, Honig said.

It's doubtful that broadcasters will rush to embrace Martin's idea. Digital-TV stations were hoping that multicast-must-carry mandates would entitle them to cable carriage of five or six channels. But Martin’s plan would seem to shift the cable-carriage benefits to third-party lessees of digital-TV spectrum. TV stations might need to surrender 5% of their lease revenue to the U.S. Treasury under FCC rules today.

“This is not about multicast must-carry for broadcasters,” an FCC official insisted. “This is about providing opportunities for new voices and diverse voices to be heard by any viewers.”

Eligible entities, an FCC official said, would need to comply with public-interest obligations that apply to TV stations, including indecency and children’s television rules.

http://www.multichannel.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleid=CA6416299

Another bad idea. :rolleyes:

Critic’s Notebook
Question of the Day:
What do 'Medium,' 'Boston Legal' and 'CSI: Mi-hammy' have in common?
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” February 14, 2007

It's time to address the fact that some TV shows are residing in the wrong categories.

"CSI: Miami" is, of course, a comedy, as anyone who watches the David Caruso vehicle knows. It's an unintentional comedy, to be sure, but it's not possible to take in the CBS procedural's wretched dialogue, wooden acting (with the exception of Khandi Alexander) and preposterous plots without laughing.

The comically portentous Caruso and his inevitable Sunglasses of Justice are the reason that some viewers call the show "CSI: Mi-hammy." (OK, maybe that was just one viewer who left a comment on the Watcher blog. Sorry, MG, I'm stealing that nickname and I'm not giving it back.)

Then there's "Boston Legal," which is as twisted a take on the standard legal drama as we're ever likely to see. I'll call it a comedy -- and an intentionally wigged-out one at that -- but only because the Emmy people haven't come up with a category called "gleeful celebration of inventive perversity."

What other show would feature a male lawyer made up as a woman debating the merits of gay marriage with another lawyer who was leery of the concept -- yet happy to admit his attraction for the strangely fetching man in elegant drag?

And below the balcony where these two debated and drank Scotch, two more lawyers -- both dressed as Buzz Lightyear -- were duking it out because . . . well, really, does it matter?

And that's one of "Boston Legal's" more normal scenarios.

I haven't even gotten into the recent visit from a mean lawyer for the Yankees called Mr. Prig, or scenes in which Alan Shore (James Spader) held up cue cards for Denny Crane (William Shatner), or the story of the Crane, Poole & Schmidt employee who likes to channel Oprah. He's male, of course.

Who in their right mind would call any part of this show a legal drama? What's more, who on this show is in their right mind? Not that the wackiness bothers me much; it's quite the opposite.

To its credit, "Boston Legal" loves nothing more than goofing on the entire concept of the legal drama. Shore brought a soapbox to one recent closing argument; "I'm climbing up on my soapbox. I do it every week," he calmly announced. Characters frequently address the audience ("cue the music," Crane told the camera in one episode) and assess how the show's doing ("Do you think we win so much that we lose all suspense?" Denny has wondered).

And what other self-respecting legal series would have a eternally confused judge [ital]tell[end ital] the courtroom that he’s confused, or ask, “Hold on, where’s the naked rabbi?” (Don’t ask. It’s a long story.)

One of my favorite recent moments involved Shore looking bored in the courtroom, and randomly shouting, "I'm sorry, have we won yet?"

Ironically enough, thanks to Spader's finely nuanced performance, those courtroom theatrics and soapbox closings are often masterfully done. And Spader infuses the courtly Shore's perversions with wistfulness and dignity. "Boston Legal" laughs at its genre, but it rarely makes cheap jokes at the expense of its characters, whose strangeness it lovingly celebrates.

The secret of "Boston Legal's" appeal is that its characters may be goofy and perverse, but they're still people. Crane's sometime girlfriend Bethany is a little person, a fact that is used to comic effect at times, but the character is given some scenes of real substance, and actress Meredith Eaton-Gilden is more than able to stand up to Shatner's enjoyably hammy theatrics.

And though the entire cast is more than able to play both the comedy and the show's occasional moments of drama, it is especially pleasing that in Julie Bowen and Constance Zimmer, it finally has two female characters who can join Candace Bergen in both standing up to and secretly enjoying the Crane, Poole & Schmidt boys' willful weirdness.

Speaking of celebration, Wednesday's worthy Valentine's Day episode of "Medium" proves, once again, that the NBC show is not really a supernatural thriller. It's a romance, and a quietly satisfying one at that.

It's a measure of "Medium's" unflashy inventiveness that it can partly re-use a story line from last season and get away with it. In last season's finale, psychic Allison DuBois (Patricia Arquette) imagined what her life would have been like had she not married her patient husband, Joe, and not had three girls.

In Wednesday's episode, Allison wakes up in her own bed but with someone else inhabiting her body. Yes, it's that old sci-fi TV staple, the body-switch episode, but it's done with some pretty creative twists on Wednesday's "Medium."

It’d be giving away too much to say how the story ends, but it ends, as it often does, with Joe and Allison in a scene that’s almost impossibly tender. “Medium” is really the story of this compelling couple, and though Arquette does a excellent job of playing a woman who’s entirely unlike Allison, let’s pause a moment here to praise the work of Jake Weber, who plays Joe.

He has a brief moment at the end of the show where he wordlessly makes Joe’s feelings for Allison almost physically palpable. And that portrayal of deeply felt love is about as far from the likes of the dreadful “Ghost Whisperer” as one is likely to get.

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

Critic’s Notebook
Question of the Day:
What do 'Medium,' 'Boston Legal' and 'CSI: Mi-hammy' have in common?
From Maureen Ryan’s Chicago Tribune blog “The Watcher” February 14, 2007

"CSI: Miami" is, of course, a comedy, as anyone who watches the David Caruso vehicle knows. It's an unintentional comedy, to be sure, but it's not possible to take in the CBS procedural's wretched dialogue, wooden acting (with the exception of Khandi Alexander) and preposterous plots without laughing.

With the exception of Khandi Alexander? Are they kidding?

Caruso certainly generates more unintentional laughs from his corny lines that were supposed to be dramatic or intense - but Khandi Alexander is about as "wooden" as they come. She could be replaced with a cigar store Indian (assuming it could also convey the necrophiliac tendencies).

(From Marc Berman’s Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2007, Programming Insider column at Mediaweek.com )
National Ratings in Prime Time:
Week of Feb. 5, 2007

CBS and Fox shared leadership on this first full week of the Feb. 2007 sweeps, with CBS first in households, total viewers and adults 25-54; and American Idol-ignited Fox No. 1 among adults 18-49 and adults 18-34. Excluding a second-place finish among adults 18-34, ABC ranked third across the board, while NBC was fourth and the CW, of course, fifth. Keep in mind that the year-ago week featured the first three nights (including the opening ceremony) of the 2006 Winter Olympics on NBC, which is why the Peacock net is off by double-digit percentages.

In series-premiere news, CBS sitcom Rules of Engagement was amply sampled Monday at 9:30 p.m. with 14.83 million viewers (No. 16 overall) and a 5.2 rating/12 share among adults 18-49 (No. 14). Comparably, retention for Rules of Engagement out of Two and a Half Men (Viewers: No. 9, 17.68 million; A18-49: No. 11 tie, 5.8/13) was solid at 84 percent in viewers and 90 percent in the demo. Also of note on CBS was The 49th Annual Grammy Awards, which scored its largest audience (20.06 million) and highest ratings among adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 since 2004. And the season-premiere of Survivor: Fiji was down but far from out, with 16.44 million viewers (#12) and a 5.7/15 in the demo (#13).

In addition to more top-charting ratings for American Idol, Fox benefited by above average ratings for House, Prison Break and Bones (see rankings below). Bones is helped, no doubt, by the pre tune-in for American Idol on Wednesday. The CW built over UPN on the year-ago week, meanwhile, by as much as 43 percent among women 18-34 (2.0/ 5). And over at ABC, Lost returned after a three month hiatus at a new time, Wednesday at 10 p.m., with 14.49 million viewers (#19) and a 6.4/15 among adults 18-49 (#8t). Comparably, the ratings continue to diminish for Lost, but that is still a vast improvement over anything ABC has aired in the hour in years.

Far less successful was a two-hour edition of NBC’s recently introduced Grease: You’re the One That I Want (Viewers: #66, 6.48 million; A18-49: #71t: 2.0/ 5 from 7-9 p.m.) and The Apprentice 6 (Viewers: #68, 6.41 million; A18-49: #64t, 2.4/ 5), which were both negatively impacted opposite The Grammy Awards. The CW, meanwhile, has sprung a leak on Monday with its perennial sitcom line-up. Take a look:

CW/Monday
8:00 p.m. Everybody Hates Chris
Viewers: 3.16 million (#91), A18-49: 1.2/ 3 (#91t)

8:30 p.m. All of Us
Viewers: 2.74 million (#94), A18-49: 1.1/ 3 (#95t)

9:00 p.m. Girlfriends
Viewers: 2.71 million (#96), A18-49: 1.2/ 3 (#91t)

9:30 p.m. The Game
Viewers: 2.63 million (#97), A18-49: 1.2/ 3 (#91t)

And old CW faithful 7th Heaven is finally showing its age with just 2.90 million viewers (#92) and a 1.0/ 2 in the demo (#98) in the Sunday 8 p.m. hour.

Here are the final national ratings for the week of February 5, 2007 (with percent change versus the comparable year-ago period in parentheses for the Big 4 -- the CW is not included), followed by the top 30 ranked programs for the week in total viewers and adults 18-49.

Households:
CBS: 8.8 rating/14 share (+ 9)
Fox: 7.0/11 (+ 4)
ABC: 6.4/10 (-16)
NBC: 5.7/ 9 (-39)
CW: 2.2/ 3

Total Viewers:
CBS: 13.98 million (+10)
Fox: 11.85 (+ 7)
ABC: 10.13 (-15)
NBC: 8.82 (-43)
CW: 3.40

Adults 18-49:
Fox: 4.9 rating/12 share (+ 4)
CBS: 4.5/12 (+10)
ABC: 3.8/10 (-14)
NBC: 3.0/ 8 (-42)
CW: 1.3/ 3

Adults 25-54:
CBS: 5.5/13 (+ 8)
Fox: 5.1/12 (+ 4)
ABC: 4.2/10 (-18)
NBC: 3.5/ 8 (-44)
CW: 1.2/ 3

Adults 18-34:
Fox: 4.6/13 (+ 2)
ABC: 3.4/10 (- 6)
CBS: 3.2/ 9 (+ 7)
NBC: 2.5/ 7 (-38)
CW: 1.6/ 4

• Source: Nielsen Media Research data

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

"The Apprentice." Donald Trump sleeps in the TV ratings tent after his reality series suffers a franchise-low 6.4 million viewers opposite the Grammy Awards on Sunday. Previous low was the 6.8 million who watched "Apprentice" on Thanksgiving night in '05. (NBC "specialed out" that holiday night's number from the season average.)


"The Donald" has jumped the shark this season. From making the losing team live in tents to having the winning project manager repeat that role and sit in on the board meetings to having his own kids play the role of Carolyn and George, the show has just become an even bigger ego trip than it was before.

JMHO, of course. :)

With the exception of Khandi Alexander? Are they kidding?

Caruso certainly generates more unintentional laughs from his corny lines that were supposed to be dramatic or intense - but Khandi Alexander is about as "wooden" as they come. She could be replaced with a cigar store Indian (assuming it could also convey the necrophiliac tendencies).

They've toned down her stroking the hair of corpses and calling them 'baby'....but yeah she's still creepy. [shivers]

Tuesday’s metered market over-night prime-time ratings – and Media Week Analyst Marc Berman’s view of what they mean -- have been posted just near the top of Ratings News the second post in this thread.

Critic’s Notebook
'Knights of Prosperity,' off the money
New ABC sitcom began with so much promise
By Andrew Lyons in MediaLifeMagazine.com Feb 14, 2007

ABC’s “The Knights of Prosperity” is one of those rare comedies that seems to have it all: talented creators, a compelling premise and a magnetic star.

About amateur burglars--one of them refers to the crew as “Ocean’s Idiots”--out to rob Mick Jagger’s Manhattan flat, “Knights” comes from former “Late Show with David Letterman” producers Rob Burnett and Jon Beckerman and stars Donal Logue (“Grounded for Life”), one of the most charismatically scruffy leading men never to have made it big.

What “Knights" doesn't have is what so many comedies lack: a certain umph that pushes it forward. And the effect is that it squanders away its promise. The midseason series (Wednesdays at 8:30) coasts on chuckles and charm without ever being truly sharp or funny.

And there's a price that comes with the show's lazy execution. The robbery angle, the very premise that so cleverly sets the show apart from all those tired family sitcoms, is already wearing thin, and this after only a half-dozen episodes.

Eugene (Logue) is a janitor who sees a co-worker die and decides he deserves more out of life. When he sees Mick Jagger (hamming it up nicely) in a television profile, strutting around his fancy apartment and showing off all his booty, Eugene decides to rob him.

He enlists the help of fellow janitor Squatch (Lenny Venito, “Rescue Me”), Indian cabbie Gourishankar, or “Gary,” as the Knights call him (Maz Jobrani, "The Interpreter”), security guard Rockefeller (Kevin Michael Richardson, “Fatal Instinct”), Colombian waitress Esperanza (Sofia Vergara, “Four Brothers) and college student Louis (Josh Grisetti, a newcomer).

As the klutzy crew stumbles its way into and out of trouble, the show’s rumpled, goofy enthusiasm engenders a sense of goodwill and anticipation. But around episode four it becomes apparent that the Knights of Prosperity, as Eugene dubs them, aren’t really making much progress in their criminal plan--or in advancing the plotline.

That sense of goodwill and anticipation begins to ebb, replaced by rising disappointment.

By episode four of any sitcom, the characters should be fully flushed out. They're not in "Knights." Louis, Squatch and Rockefeller provide occasional laughs but are more clichés than characters. Esperanza appears to serve but one purpose, to be ogled.

Jobrani, playing cabbie Gary, fares better as an unrepentant ladies man with kids all over town. He's consistently funny because he acts against type as an unlikely Lothario.

Logue does his best but his character isn't up to his talents as an actor. He's miscast as thick-headed, and while that may work for the other Knights, it's a waste of Logue’s comedic intelligence. He's too smart to play dumb.

There's a sweet side to “Knights,” a warm generosity of spirit one you wouldn't necessarily expect, as this motley bunch turns to help one another deal with life's day-to-day challenges and hopes, as a kind of dysfunctional surrogate family.

Eugene persuades Gary to visit one of his kids. The gang helps Louis develop the confidence to ask a girl out.

But that only serves to worsen a sense of meandering and further drain away the anticipation that set the show apart in episode one.

It’s unfortunate because most of the elements are in place for a genuinely fresh and unconventional network sitcom, save the one that matters most, the ambition to live up to that promise.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10171.asp

TV Notebook
Earlier tack for 'Black'
NBC pulls 'Studio' for 'Donnellys'
By Josef Adalian Variety Feb. 14, 2007

NBC is pushing up the premiere date for "The Black Donnellys" -- and pulling "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip" off the air a week earlier than planned.

"Donnellys," which was set to bow March 5, will now sign on Monday, Feb. 26, at 10 p.m. Move gives "Donnellys" an extra week on the air with a firstrun "Heroes" lead-in.

"Heroes" is set to go into repeats after its March 5 episode.

Premiere date change was announced Tuesday afternoon, hours after Nielsen confirmed that "Studio 60" -- the current occupant of the post-"Heroes" timeslot -- dropped to its lowest ratings yet. NBC hasn't yet said when it plans to bring back "Studio 60" for its final run of season one segs.

Decision to yank "Studio 60" a week early will no doubt raise a new round of questions about the show's long-term fate. Insiders said the net still hasn't decided what to do with the show and that the sked change is mostly about giving "Donnellys" the best possible launch.

http://www.variety.com/index.asp?layout=print_story&articleid=VR1117959453&categoryid=14

Critic’s Notebook
It must be sweeps!
New ABC sitcom began with so much promise
By Aaron Barnhart Kansas City Star in his blog “TV Barn”Feb 14, 2007

On KMOX Tuesday, Paul Harris and I talked about the overblown coverage of Anna Nicole Smith's death, the debut tonight of a "Frontline" seriesabout the TV news business, and other shows to look for this week --the all-star edition of "The Amazing Race," "American Idol" finallymoving past those awful auditions episodes, the HBO movie "Longford,"and the terrorist thriller "The State Within" on BBC America.
Hear the poscast :

http://www.harrisonline.com/audio/aaron0213.mp3

http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/

Tuesday’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 second post in this thread.

The Business of Television
Fact: Dirty TV shows are ad bummers
Study finds se#%al content actually hurts recall
By Heidi Dawley medialifemagazine Feb 14, 2007

Certainly sex sells. We know this from decades of beer and car ads featuring scantily clad women. Why else would they be there?

But as a new study finds, sex doesn't always sell, and at times it's even a turnoff. That's when it's in TV programs as part of the content.

The study, reported in the Journal Applied Cognitive Psychology, finds that programs heavy on sexual content actually lead to less recall of ads that appear in commercial breaks.

And this is so for men and women.

In effect, the mind, aroused by what it sees, wanders off to wrestle with itself and misses what's being touted in the commercials. Or as the study's authors choose to put it, “This suggests that the presence of sex in programs is highly involving and thus reduces attention to the advertisements and therefore impedes recall.”

The research was conducted by Adrian Furnham and Ellie Parker of the Department of Psychology at University College London. Some 60 people between the ages of 18 and 31 were shown episodes of sex-laden “Sex in the City” but also the sex-barren “Malcolm in the Middle.”

The researchers put in pods of ads, some of which had sexual content and some that didn’t.

After watching the program and the ads, the participants were tested on recall. It turned out that when participants watched “Sex in the City,” their recall of the advertisements was lower than when they watched "Malcolm." Interestingly, the studies didn’t show that the sexual content made the episodes any more enjoyable, simply more involving.

The finding of reduced recall from ads appearing in "Sex and the City" was not entirely unexpected. Past research has found reduced recall from programs containing violence.

Researchers think sex and violence share a common effect in terms of how they involve the brain. The disturbing nature of both call upon the brain to work harder at processing what they're seeing, and the effect is to reduce the brain's capacity to process the messages in the commercials. They write, “Hence, sex does not sell because it reduces the possibility that viewers recall brand images.”

There were other findings in the study, some rather surprising.

Researchers had expected that participants would recall ads that contained sexual content better than non-sexual ads. But overall they didn’t.

But again, that was overall. Drilling down into the numbers, the researchers found that men do remember sexual ads better. In the case of women, they found that they remember the non-sexual ads better and also that the sex in an ad actually seems to have a detrimental effect on recall. This suggests that with a mixed audience sexy ads are at best probably a wash.

They conclude: “It appears that sex is only a useful advertising tool when selling to men.”

Which explains those decades of beer and car ads with babes. Though based less on science than the instincts of marketers and art directors, likely all males back then, they appealed to the right instincts, if not the highest ones.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10190.asp

Cable Nielsen Notebook
True grit: Remaking the A&E network
'Sopranos' has helped push it into the top five
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 14, 2007

When A&E Network paid a record $2.55 million per episode for the off-network rights to “The Sopranos,” it seemed like an incredibly risky move for a network long known as the home of “Biography” and “Colombo” reruns.

That was two years ago, and back then an edgy drama like “The Sopranos” just didn’t seem to fit its identity.
But in the time since A&E has been busy rebuilding itself as a network of hard-boiled reality shows and tough-knuckle drama reruns. So by the time “Sopranos" finally aired last month, the fit seemed dead center.

Or so early ratings suggest.

While "Sopranos" fell by about half after a huge first week, the twice-weekly primetime reruns have helped boost A&E to big gains over this time last year.

During January, the most recent month available, A&E’s primetime average soared 67 percent, from 1.01 million to 1.676 million, and it moved into the top five basic cable networks. That’s according to Nielsen data analyzed by Turner Networks.

Among adults 18-49, A&E averaged 806,000 viewers, up 54 percent over last year’s 522,000, and it also saw gains of 55 and 57 percent in 25-54s and 18-34s. It showed the most growth of any top 20 network in all of those demographics.

Two “Sopranos” episodes last Wednesday averaged more than 1.9 million total viewers, or nearly double the network’s usual primetime average.

In addition to “Sopranos,” other relatively new fare has given the network a boost as well. “CSI: Miami,” which recently entered syndication, regularly averages more than 1.5 million in the 8 p.m. weeknight timeslot and gives A&E a darker edge than one-time timeslot occupant “Biography.”

Its nonscripted pre-“Sopranos” fare also helped the network rise 7 percent in primetime last year in total viewers. Shows like “Dog the Bounty Hunter,” “Gene Simmons Family Jewels” and drug and alcohol addiction program “Intervention” are much more serious-minded than the usual reality fluff that litters basic cable.

And more gritty crime may be on the way. A&E said at last month’s Television Critics Association winter tour that it intends to use the additional exposure and awareness of the network that “Sopranos” has generated to launch a new scripted drama next year, putting six pilots into development, four of them about cops or crime.

The network attempted and failed to program dramas six years ago, when both “100 Centre Street” and “Nero Wolfe” flopped.

Meanwhile, in other cable ratings for the week ended Feb. 11:

Top five networks in primetime (18-49s):
USA
TBS
TNT
Comedy Central
A&E

Top five networks in primetime (total viewers):
USA
Lifetime
TNT
TBS
Fox News

Top movie (18-49s):
TBS’s “Men in Black 2” (Saturday, 8 p.m.) 1.82 million

Top sporting event (total viewers):
USA’s “WWE” (Monday, 10 p.m.) 5.98 million

Shows making the top 10 among 18-34s, 18-49s and 25-54s:
USA’s “WWE Entertainment” (Monday, 9 p.m. and 10 p.m.)

Show on the rise:
MTV’s “The Hills,” Monday 10 p.m. The reality spinoff of “Laguna Beach” rose 13 percent week to week among 18-34s, averaging 1.65 million.

Show on the decline:
USA, “Monk,” Friday 9 p.m. The detective show was down 10 percent week to week among 18-49s.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10168.asp

TV Notebook
Programming notes: An earlier exit for NBC's 'Studio 60'
MediaLifeMagazine.com Feb 14, 2007

A day after once-promising “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” posted its lowest adults 18-49 rating of the season, barely besting ABC’s weak “What About Brian,” the Aaron Sorkin drama is being yanked early for “The Black Donnellys.”

The latter was supposed to premiere in March, but NBC apparently decided it would be smart to debut it during the February sweeps, when it could run behind an original episode of the hit show “Heroes” rather than a rerun.

“Donnellys” will take over “Strip’s” 10 p.m. Monday timeslot on Feb. 26.

NBC has not said when or if “Strip,” which is averaging a 3.4 (in the 18-49 demo) on the season but hasn’t hit a rating that high in months, will return. The first-year show has done well among affluent audiences but is expensive to produce with its myriad of big-name stars.

It looks increasingly likely that it will not return next year.

Meanwhile, another fall launch, Fox’s “Standoff,” is being pushed back to an April 6 return, a week later than expected. It will air Fridays at 8 p.m.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/cat_index_31.asp

Overnights in the 18-49 Demo
'Primetime' rises on polygamy report
ABC newsmagazine pulls a 3.4 in 18-49s, up 31 percent
By Toni Fitzgerald MediaLifeMagazine.com staff writer Feb 14, 2007

Viewers showed some big love to ABC’s “Primetime: The Outsiders” last night as the show focused on the outlawed but still practiced custom of polygamy.

That resulted in a big bump over the previous week’s installment, despite strong competition from Fox’s “House.”

“Primetime” averaged a 3.4 adults 18-49 rating in the 9 p.m. timeslot, according to Nielsen overnights, up 31 percent over the previous week’s 2.6 average.

The long-running newsmagazine, which has acted as a utility fill-in for ABC for years, finished third in its timeslot behind Fox’s “House,” which nearly matched a series high, and CBS’s “The Unit.” It also drew ABC’s best rating in the timeslot in three months.

The show focused on the town of Centennial Park, Ariz., and one family in particular with a husband, two wives and nine children. The profile suggested a family remarkably comfortable with its nontraditional lifestyle as part of its series on people who live by their own rules and in their own worlds.

Last week the show focused on a lawyer convicted of torturing his wife through brainwashing and satanic rituals. There are five more “Outsiders” episodes on tap.

This week’s episode may have gotten a boost by increased attention to the subject after the debut of HBO’s polygamy-themed “Big Love.” Viewers of that show may have wanted to see if the fictionalized version is anything like real life.

Meanwhile, Fox finished first comfortably among 18-49s with a 12.0 average rating and a 28 share. NBC was second at 3.4/8, CBS third at 3.3/8, ABC fourth at 2.7/7, Univision fifth at 1.7/4 and CW sixth at 1.5/4.

Fox easily took the first two hours, starting with a 12.9 at 8 p.m. for “American Idol.” CBS was second that hour with a 3.6 for “NCIS,” NBC third with a 2.4 for “Dateline” and Univision fourth with a 2.1 for “La Fea Mas Bella.” ABC was fifth with a 2.0 for a repeat of “America’s Funniest Home Videos” and CW sixth with a 1.9 for “Gilmore Girls.”

At 9 p.m. Fox led again with an 11.1 for “House,” just 0.1 behind last month's series high. CBS remained in second with a 3.6 for “The Unit,” with ABC third with a 3.4 for “Primetime” and NBC fourth with a 2.9 for “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.” Univision was fifth with a 1.6 for “Mundo de Fieras” and CW sixth with a 1.1 for “Veronica Mars.”

NBC took over No. 1 at 10 p.m., posting a 4.9 rating for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” ABC was second with a 2.8 for “Boston Legal,” CBS third with a 2.6 for a repeat of “Without a Trace” and Univision fourth with a 1.4 for “Ver para Creer.”

Among households, Fox led with a 16.1 average rating and a 24 share. CBS was second at 7.7/12, NBC third at 6.3/10, ABC fourth at 5.4/8, and Univision and CW tied for fifth at 2.2/3.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/artman/publish/article_10195.asp

I just sent your question to my friend at NBC. He does all the Studio 60 promos. I'll post his answer here.


The answer is that he doesn't know if they're going to continue shooting. He's going to ask the higher ups.

Washington Notebook
FCC’s Martin Shopping New Must-Carry Plan
By Ted Hearn MultiChannel News

In a new must-carry proposal from Federal Communications Commission chairman Kevin Martin, cable operators would be forced to carry the programming of certain “eligible entities” that had leased excess spectrum from local digital-TV stations, FCC and industry officials confirmed Tuesday.

What the ?????? .... Is this alternatively known has the USDTV bail out-plan, part C? :rolleyes: :confused: :eek:

Could somebody translate this "plan" into English for us mere mortals?

The station can't force the cableco to carry subchannels using must-carry...but they can sell the bandwidth to a third party, and the third party can program it and invoke must carry.

Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? :rolleyes:

The station can't force the cableco to carry subchannels using must-carry...but they can sell the bandwidth to a third party, and the third party can program it and invoke must carry.

Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? :rolleyes:
Which could no doubt be used subversively by the station to get around the no-must-carry" rule, sell it to a corporately owned entity of the station and then they have a way to get their multicasted program on cable through must-carry.

TV Notebook
Programming notes: An earlier exit for NBC's 'Studio 60'
MediaLifeMagazine.com Feb 14, 2007


The first-year show has done well among affluent audiences but is expensive to produce with its myriad of big-name stars.


I think this is a prime reason why FNL probably has a better shot at a second season than Studio 60, even with lower ratings.

The station can't force the cableco to carry subchannels using must-carry...but they can sell the bandwidth to a third party, and the third party can program it and invoke must carry.

Makes a lot of sense, doesn't it? :rolleyes:

Is this just for infomercials? Televangelist channels? What?

It would seem that if an infomercial provider wanted to show infomercials on cable he should lease some spectrum from the cable company. I'm not sure why this money or negotiation right should be given to the broadcasters. It just seems like a handout.

- Tom

I think this is a prime reason why FNL probably has a better shot at a second season than Studio 60, even with lower ratings.

Plus, the critics adore "FNL".

The Business of Television
Sinclair Eyes $48M in Retrans Fees
By Linda Moss MultiChannel News 2/14/2007

Sinclair Broadcast Group, on the heels of its bitter battle with Mediacom Communications, this year expects to generate nearly $48 million from retransmission-consent agreements, nearly double last year’s figure, officials said Wednesday.

The expected $48 million will represent almost a 90% increase from the $25.4 million in retransmission-consent revenue that the broadcaster secured in 2006, Sinclair officials said during a conference call on fourth-quarter results.

Sinclair president and CEO David Smith urged his fellow broadcasters to continue the quest for cash from cable companies.

“Now is certainly a significant time in history, and point in time in history, when we as a company have been able to get what we think is the beginning of the fair value of our content,” Smith said. “Having said that, it is now incumbent upon the rest of the industry to kind of recognize what we’ve been able to accomplish and kind of step up and start asking for what their due is.”

In a bitter dispute, Sinclair pulled 23 TV stations off of Mediacom systems in 16 markets Jan. 6, affecting 700,000 subscribers. But a new agreement was struck earlier this month, in which Mediacom reportedly paid cash fees for carriage of Sinclair’s stations, which were restored to the cable company’s lineup.

In January, Sinclair also completed a new retransmission-consent pact with Time Warner Cable for the carriage of analog and digital signals of 35 stations in 22 markets, representing nearly 6 million cable subscribers.

During a question-and-answer period, Smith also said he hopes that CBS, which has been vocal about getting cash for its TV-station signals, will move forward with that strategy.

“I think the next big driver in this category is going to be CBS, who has publicly said they would like to get 50 cents a subscriber,” Smith said. “We think that’s a very do-able number, and would certainly encourage them to hold the line, and for the CBS affiliate body, to the extent that it can, to hold the line to start to get paid.”

Added Smith, “There is no confusion on the part of the consumer about what they watch and what they think has value. I think it’s time for the consumer to kind of let the cable company know that it’s OK to pay for content that we choose to watch.”

Sinclair officials were circumspect about details of their deals with Mediacom and Sinclair and other operators.

“There are rate increases in all of our retrans deals,” Smith said. “They vary deal to deal.”

When asked what kind of losses or negative impact the Mediacom dispute had, Smith said, “Anything that we lost there was immaterial relative to what we get. So it’s not worth chatting about.”

After being complimented on their conduct during the Mediacom battle by an analyst, Sinclair officials commented on some of the remarks made about them, not only Smith but general counsel Barry Faber, by the cable company.

“It’s one of the most difficult things Barry and I’ve ever been through, and Barry was bearing the brunt of the entire transaction,” Smith said. “It was necessary to stay above the foolishness, as you suggested, because I think if we hadn’t, then it would have just degenerated into just a name-calling kind of thing…It’s not easier, but it’s sometimes difficult to stay on the outside of that and say, ‘We’re just going to be really good guys here and do the right thing and let the chips fall where they’re going to.’ It was hard, but it was necessary, given the personalities of the two companies.”

Sinclair, which reached a retransmission-consent deal with Mediacom Feb. 2, told analysts that it still needs to secure such agreements for roughly 25% of its viewers who are customers of multi-channel video programming distributors, having done deals for the other 75%.

The broadcaster also expressed some expectations for retransmission-consent revenue going forward.

“By 2010, there is no reason why our numbers, I’m being cautious here, probably couldn’t double if the industry moves in the right direction,” Smith said.

http://www.multichannel.com/article/CA6416344.html?display=Breaking+News

I just sent your question to my friend at NBC. He does all the Studio 60 promos. I'll post his answer here.

The answer is that he doesn't know if they're going to continue shooting. He's going to ask the higher ups.

Thanks. Looks like whatever's in the can plus maybe a wrap-up show (if NBC feels generous) is all we're gonna get unless 'Studio 60' has an angel we haven't heard of (Zucker, Wright, etc.) pulling its strings. :(

I can't think of a single logical reason why NBC would renew "Studio 60".

It pains me, because not only haven't I missed an episode, but I look forward to each eagerly.

But the ratings have been eroding, and aside from the apparent abundance of wealthy viewers, there is no reason to keep the show. It has been a commercial failure and is receiving very little positive buzz from the press and little if no reaction from viewers.

Too bad.

But perhaps the real problem is that it is just not all that interesting to see how a TV show (or network) is operated. Watching control room chaos is OK -- the first time. Network pitch meetings are, for the most part, boring and repetitive.

It isn't like "The West Wing" where decisions could effect millions of people. It is television, very ephemeral, and what happens in today's meeting has very little effect on anyone except those directly involved.

And, IMO, we got to know far too many characters on a surface level, and none deep down.

The banter was, as usual for Sorkin, witty and filled with the "why can't I think of smart things like that to say on the spur of the moment"? moments. It is a truly disposasble show, and appafently millions have decided it isn't worth the bother.

TV Sports
Television Taking Fans Away From Baseball
By Leonard Shapiro Special to washingtonpost.com

If you are a New York Yankees fan (well, there's no accounting for taste) living in Washington, no longer will you be able to get your pinstriped cable television fix on a nightly basis this season if a proposed deal between Major League Baseball and the DirecTV satellite service is consummated in the next few weeks.

Similarly, if you are a Washington Nationals fan living in the Bronx (all seven of them, maybe), you're out of luck, too. In fact, thousands of baseball fans across the country who root, root, root for their favorite teams via television while living in areas far, far away from those markets are not going to be able to have a chance to purchase the old Extra Innings cable package available on cable since 2002.

That 10-channel service, costing $179 last year, provided an additional 60 baseball games a week to more than 230,000 cable and Dish Network subscribers last year, with another 270,000 getting it for the same price on DirecTV. In the next few weeks, baseball and DirecTV are expected to announce a new deal that will take that package exclusively to one satellite television company, a seven-year, $700 million contract that also will include the start-up of a new baseball channel that most likely will begin in 2009, also only on DirecTV.

The sports world blogosphere is atwitter about the pending agreement, and so, apparently, are some members of Congress. Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) sent a letter this past Friday to Federal Communications Commissioner Chairman Kevin Martin asking him to look into the proposed deal, which still hasn't been made public by either party.

"We're a little ahead on this issue right now," Kerry spokesman Vince Morris said on Monday. "But before it does become a done deal, we'd like some answers on how it would be regulated or even if it could be stopped or amended to satisfy more baseball fans."

"Here's what bothers me," Kerry, a member of the Senate Commerce Committee that oversees telecommunications, told the New York Times last week. "You get Major League Baseball and DirecTV marshaling their forces to go out and make money while cutting out fans. In my judgment, more fans watching games strengthens baseball...There's a whole movement toward fans being screwed by consolidation which raises prices and reduces options."

Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), past chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, also told the Times he's asked his staff to see if the proposed new deal would constitute an antitrust violation, even if baseball still clings to a long-time anti-trust exemption handed down years ago by the Supreme Court.

But forget the legal implications for a moment. What baseball apparently is about to do just seems plain dumb to a lot of people, who point out that the league probably will be leaving millions of dollars on the table by making an exclusive deal with DirecTV instead of hammering out agreements with cable and satellite services that might have been worth $140 to $150 million a year, instead of the $100 million from just one source.

And, oh yes, why would you alienate such a substantial fan base so devoted to the game they're more than willing, in fact, now begging, to pay a premium price to watch the games?

Rich Levin, a spokesman for Major League Baseball, said the league would not comment because the deal has not been finalized.

Baseball actually did try to work a deal with a consortium of cable networks, hoping to use the Extra Innings package to get a baseball network launched on the basic tier of cable services. The consortium balked, telling baseball it preferred to sell a baseball network as a premium station on the sports tier, where only those who wanted the service would have to pay for it.

When that bargaining strategy failed, Major League Baseball went directly to DirecTV, which now covers about 16 million television homes around the country, compared to more than 75 million cable homes that had access to the Extra Innings package last year.

DirecTV also is the exclusive home of the National Football League's Sunday Ticket package of games. The NFL gets $700 million a year for Sunday Ticket, which consists of all the games being televised on Sunday by rights-holders CBS and Fox. But the package has never been available on cable television, so consumers could never argue that something had been taken

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/13/AR2007021300604_pf.html

Thanks. Looks like whatever's in the can plus maybe a wrap-up show (if NBC feels generous) is all we're gonna get unless 'Studio 60' has an angel we haven't heard of (Zucker, Wright, etc.) pulling its strings. :(


I just got a phone call. They are indeed shooting the whole season, so even if it gets pulled we'll probably see them somehow. NBC was good about releasing Book of Daniel on-line and then on DVD. He said the next episode that was supposed to air on the 26th is about how the show within the show is tanking in the ratings. :)

TV Notebook
Nightline changes ahead?
Will Cynthia McFadden and Martin Bashir Bump Out Kimmel?
By Rebecca Dana New York Observer

On the afternoon of Feb. 9, the cast and crew of ABC News’ Nightline convened quietly in the network’s Times Square studio to shoot two secret pilots of an hour-long version of the half-hour 11:30 p.m. news show, according to three sources familiar with the project.

The test versions were prepared for ABC and Disney executives, who will consider whether to further develop an expanded version of the show. Nightline has done hour-long episodes in the past, as when its founding host, Ted Koppel, conducted celebrated news-breaking panels in Israel and South Africa, but the show has never owned an entire hour of regular late-night real estate.

In its current incarnation, the show has three hosts: Cynthia McFadden, Martin Bashir and Terry Moran. One of the pilots featured Ms. McFadden as the solo anchor of the broadcast. In the other, Mr. Bashir joined her behind the anchor desk.

Mr. Moran’s absence from the project may be explained by the fact that he lives in Washington, D.C.

Disney executives in Burbank, Calif., gave permission for the pilots in January. Nightline executive producer James Goldston relayed the news in a Jan. 18 conference call with his staff.

Were ABC to pick up the longer version, the extra time would fill the slot currently held by Jimmy Kimmel Live, the network’s underperforming answer to David Letterman and Jay Leno’s talk shows on CBS and NBC. According to Nielsen, Mr. Leno averages about 6.1 million viewers a night, Mr. Letterman 3.9 million, and Mr. Kimmel—confined to a later, less-attractive half-hour—1.8 million.

Nightline averages some 3.5 million viewers and actually beat Mr. Letterman’s Late Show on a handful of momentous nights this past summer and fall. But the talk shows, which charge a premium for commercials, are far more profitable enterprises.

Nightline still loses a small amount of money for ABC—although not nearly as much as it did when Mr. Koppel was running things, two sources said. Given the fixed costs of putting on a broadcast, a majority of Nightline’s senior management believes that the extra advertising revenue from stretching the show to an hour could put the program in the black for the first time in a long while.

Two sources said that Mr. Goldston described Mr. Kimmel’s show as losing “buckets of money” during the conference call.

Still, one ABC News executive urged caution. “I would not read a whole lot into this,” the executive said. “We are always experimenting and trying things. This is an idea that bubbled up from Nightline, and it would not be unusual for the network occasionally to look to Nightline to do an hour here or there, and it also is a potential hedge against a writers’ strike down the road.”

The ABC writers’ guild has been without a contract for over two years, and the network sees the threat of a strike as distant but feared.

Aside from anchor adjustments, the hour-long pilots filmed Feb. 9 looked a lot like the regular show, the three sources said. Ms. McFadden and Mr. Bashir took turns introducing a slate of pieces that had already appeared on the program. Leading the fake broadcast was a piece by veteran correspondent John Donvan on South Carolina schools. Also included was an interview that Mr. Bashir conducted with Forest Whitaker, a piece by Jessica Yellin about a company whose employees are all nice to each other, and a story about giant rabbits. There were a few other tweaks and innovations, including a contribution of some sort from a star of the Australian version of American Idol. The sources had difficulty precisely explaining the singer’s role.

Nightline hasn’t always had luck with test pilots in the past. In early 2005, the network tried out a few unconventional ideas, which drew snickers when they leaked to the press. One featured a nightclub-like setting, complete with smoke machines.

When Mr. Goldston took over in the summer of 2005, he brought considerable but measured change to the critically beloved news show. He went from one anchor and one topic per half hour to three anchors and multiple topics. He moved the show, which had always been produced in Washington, to New York, where it was filmed live out of the Disney-owned second-floor studio at 1500 Broadway.

The new Nightline has paid more attention than the old version to popular culture, with Ms. McFadden scoring a big get early on with Angelina Jolie. One of Mr. Goldston’s innovations has been to use celebrities as a vehicle for telling serious news stories—as in a piece following Hotel Rwanda star Don Cheadle around Africa.

Purists have reacted badly to the new version. Washington Post critic Tom Shales, who panned the 1979 debut of Nightline and then reversed his opinion in print weeks later, also panned the second generation when it debuted, calling it a “sallow shallow shadow of its former splendid self.” Mr. Shales hasn’t retracted that opinion—nor have other critics—but he did laud the new Nightline a few months later for pressing on in its tenuous commitment to the coverage of foreign news.

Viewers, meanwhile, seem to enjoy the new Nightline—certainly more than they enjoy the midnight talk show that follows it. Nightline’s audience has grown steadily in the last year and a half, and on its best nights, it has occasionally topped five million viewers.

http://www.observer.com/printpage.asp?iid=14183&ic=News+Story+2