Hot Off The Press! The Latest Television News and Info - Page 74  

That would be good news, foxeng, but Ligouri also needs ratings winners. And AD has never shown any signs of being a ratings winner.
(I've still can't understand why Fox put "American Dad" and a "Simpsons" episode on after the Super Bowl rather than "Arrested Development".)

You are right.
(And welcome to the thread.)

FCC Looks at New Indecency Rules
By STEPHEN LABATON The New York Times March 29, 2005


The television and radio industries are about to come under renewed attack over sex, violence and profanity in their programming, both in Congress and at the Federal Communications Commission.

Leading lawmakers and the new leader of the F.C.C. have proposed a broad expansion of indecency rules, which were significantly toughened just last year. They are also looking for significant increases in the size of fines and new procedures that could jeopardize the licenses of stations that repeatedly violate the rules.

Some senior lawmakers, including Senator Ted Stevens, the Alaskan Republican who is the leader of the Commerce Committee, as well as Kevin J. Martin, the new chairman of the commission, have suggested it may be time to extend the indecency and profanity rules to cable and satellite television providers, which now account for viewership in 85 percent of the nation's homes. And organizations opposing what they consider indecent programming have joined forces with consumer groups that have been trying to tighten regulation over the cable industry and force it to offer consumers less expensive packages of fewer stations, known as Ã* la carte services.

Some of the anti-indecency groups see Ã* la carte services as a way of helping consumers block out programming they consider indecent. "We are at a rare moment when there seems to be bipartisan energy on both sides of the political aisle and both sides of the ideological divide," said L. Brent Bozell, president of the Parents Television Council, a leading advocacy organization that officials say has been responsible for the vast majority of complaints against the broadcasters.

Mr. Martin and the senior Democrat on the commission, Michael J. Copps, have consistently been among the most aggressive members of the agency on indecency issues. President Bush is expected shortly to announce the appointment of two new members to the five-person commission. Those appointments will determine whether the views of Mr. Martin and Mr. Copps on indecency issues will prevail at the agency.

Last year, the agency proposed fines of nearly $8 million in 12 cases involving television or radio stations. By contrast, in 2003, the agency proposed about $440,000 in three radio cases.

The number of complaints has also risen sharply, to more than 1.4 million last year, compared with 111 in 2000. Commission officials say that the number of complaints is misleading, because most of them come from the Parents Television Council. But Mr. Bozell disputes that, saying that the agency has no way of accurately tracking the source of the complaints.

Lawyers for cable companies say any effort to impose indecency standards on paid programming would violate the First Amendment. Meanwhile, broadcasters have been slow to respond to the new climate. The networks and affiliates have filed papers with the commission seeking a rehearing on the three major indecency cases: the Janet Jackson incident at the Super Bowl, Bono's use of a profanity at the Golden Globe Awards and a racy episode of "Married by America."

But the agency has sat on those appeals, and may not issue rulings for months or longer. As a practical matter, the inaction by the commission has prevented the networks from taking the matter to court. And for now, at least, the courts are widely viewed as the last hope for the broadcasters.

"The courts really are the only avenue of relief," said Kurt A. Wimmer, a lawyer at Covington & Burling in Washington, which represents a number of broadcasters in disputes with the commission. "The commission and Congress are locked in a political spiral that provides no avenue of relief."

Michael K. Powell, the former chairman of the commission, came under heavy criticism by broadcasters, civil liberties groups and producers for taking a hard line on indecency cases; Mr. Martin and Mr. Copps have taken an even harder line. They have argued in a number of cases that the commission erred by either not finding violations or not imposing tough enough sanctions.

Mr. Martin's views on the limited constitutional protections of broadcasters is summed up in a letter he sent to Mr. Bozell in December 2003 in which he complained that the agency was interpreting the indecency rules too narrowly. "Certainly broadcasters and cable operators have significant First Amendment rights, but these rights are not without boundaries," he wrote. "They are limited by law. They also should be limited by good taste."

He emphasized that view when he dissented from a decision by the commission in an indecency case over an episode of the "Keen Eddie" show. In that case, decided last November, the agency did not to penalize Fox for an episode in which three men hired a prostitute to get semen from a horse for the artificial insemination of another horse. "This order involves a television program that the majority admits 'contains references of a sexual nature that were broadcast at a time of day when children were likely to be in the audience,' " he wrote in that opinion. "Yet the majority concludes that the program, in which a prostitute is hired to sexually arouse a horse by removing her blouse and to 'extract' semen from the horse, is not indecent because the prostitute is 'never seen actually touching' the horse. Despite my colleagues' assurance that there appeared to be a safe distance between the prostitute and the horse, I remain uncomfortable. I respectfully dissent."

Mr. Martin's views appear to have broad support in Congress. Last month, the House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved a bill that would raise the amount the commission could fine a station to $500,000, from $32,500. The bill, proposed by Representative Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican who is chairman of the Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, was adopted by a vote of 389 to 38. The legislation also requires the commission to hold a hearing to consider revoking the broadcast license of any station that has three indecency violations.

In the Senate, meanwhile, a number of similar measures have been introduced. One bill introduced earlier this month would increase the maximum fine to $500,000 and permit the commission to double fines for egregious incidents, such as when the indecent material was scripted. The legislation would also require the commission to study the V-chip, which some senators say has not been effective in blocking undesired programs, and would force the broadcasters to double the amount of children's programming they offer, to six hours rather than three.

The bill is sponsored by Senators John D. Rockefeller IV, Democrat of West Virginia, and Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas. "I would welcome voluntary actions by the industry to address both indecency and gratuitous violence, but they aren't stepping up to the plate, and that's why Congress cannot wait any longer to protect our communities and our families," Mr. Rockefeller said when he introduced the measure. "If the industry won't protect our children from gratuitous violence and indecency, then we must act."

Actually there are already surveys including TiVos.
(One of them involves about 10,000 users.)
So advertisers are aware of what is happening.
It is just a question of Nielsen incorporating DVR users into its national and local surveys in a statistically reliable way.

CBS, UPN Fill in the Gaps With Quality Shows
By John Consoli Mediaweek.com March 28, 2005

Media buyers reacted positively last week to the combined development presentation of CBS and UPN, with most believing that each network has enough quality shows to fill the holes in their schedules.

Buyers particularly liked prospective CBS dramas Conviction, about a defense attorney-turned-district attorney starring Eric LaSalle and Sally Field, and The Unit, from David Mamet and The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, about a secret-missions team that battles terrorists.

Other shows CBS discussed were 3 lbs, a medical drama starring Dylan McDermott as a surgeon; Commuters, a soapy drama about couples and infidelity; and Quantico, about an elite squad of FBI profilers.

Anything in the drama area has a shot at working because it can be launched on a platform with one of their already successful dramas, said one media buyer, who did not want to speak for attribution.

Buyers said the sitcoms that CBS executives pushed the hardest were Old Christine, starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as a divorced mother with a 10-year-old who owns a women's health club; Washington Street, a romantic comedy about another single working mother of a 10-year-old who finds love in her building; and an untitled sitcom starring Susie Essman, who is best known for her role in Curb Your Enthusiasm.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus is well-known to viewers, but she has not had much success since Seinfeld, another media buyer said. And Susie Essman is great on Curb, but HBO is only seen by 32 percent of the country, so not as many people know her.

UPN shows that made impressions on buyers include dramas South Beach, about two friends whose lives take different directions when they move to Miami, and Triangle, starring Ivan Sergei as a doctor whose wife disappears while honeymooning in the Caribbean. Sitcoms include 20 Things to Do Before You're 30, about four Chicago friends facing the anxieties in their lives, and Everybody Hates Chris, narrated by Chris Rock, about a teen growing up in Brooklyn during the early '80s who is bused to a white middle school in the suburbs.

UPN has enough good stuff in development to fill their schedule from scratch, said one impressed buyer. They will have lots to choose from. The buyer added that UPN's shows in development all seem to have elements targeting an 18-34 female audience.

HD Now in 4 Million U.S. Homes
A recent report by In-Stat says:
-- There are currently 4 million HDTV households in the United States, that up about 250% in a year from 1.6 million in March of 2004.
-- 45% of the 10 million worldwide HDTV households get their service from a satellite TV service provider. Terrestrial broadcasters and cable TV operators provide high-def service to the remaining HDTV households.
-- A survey of U.S. consumers showed that 76% of the respondents had watched HDTV programming on an HDTV set, although many of the respondents noted that they had simply seen a demonstration of HDTV in a retail store.

More here:
http://home.businesswire.com/portal/...04&newsLang=en

Sunday's prime-time ratings have been posted at the top of Latest News, the first item in this thread.

Rescue me: Five shows in danger

From the Boston Herald

We call them shows on the bubble--and make no mistake, these cult favorites are in danger of floating away forever. Here are five shows that need your lovin'. Because if you don't do something, they'll be gone forever and the TV landscape will be poorer for it.

Arrested Development Sundays at 8:30 p.m. on Fox

Come on people . . . isn't it time you were ``Arrested''?

Now in its second season, this Fox comedy is silly and smart, subtle and laugh-out-loud funny, all at the same time. Maybe that's because it wrings most of its laughs from the secret conviction so many of us share - that we're the only responsible, sane ones in otherwise crazy families.

OK, so your dad probably hasn't been sent to the slammer for fraud, grand theft and petty theft. And I hope your mom doesn't swill vodka for breakfast and occasionally dress your adult brother in a short-pants sailor suit.

Still, even while you're laughing at Michael Bluth's (Jason Bateman) impossibly messed-up clan, it's easy to sympathize with him. There he is, a 30-something widowed father, earnestly trying to help the family business recover from corporate scandal - but he keeps getting derailed by his thoroughly crooked father (Jeffrey Tambor), comically ruthless mother (Jessica Walter), three slacker sibs (Portia di Rossi, Will Arnett, Tony Hale) and hopelessly clueless brother-in-law (David Cross).

A man-eating seal in a yellow bow tie? An underhanded campaign for student-body president? A failed magician who gets married on a dare? That's just the last three weeks in the life of the Bluths. Note-perfect performances and hilariously droll narration by executive producer Ron Howard add to the laughs.

Low ratings almost sent this show to the scrapheap last season, but fan support and critical acclaim got it renewed. Good thing, too, since it went on to win five Emmys, including Outstanding Comedy Series.

This season has been even better than the first - but ratings are still low. Come on, people . . . it's time get behind ``Development.''

Write to Fox c/o FOX Broadcasting Co., P.O. Box 900, Beverly Hills, CA 90213. - LINDA G. KINCAID

American Dreams Wednesdays at 8 on NBC

NBC's ``American Dreams'' deserves a reprieve and a fourth season because there is no other show like it on the air.

Sure, the stunt casting (Paris Hilton as Barbara Eden!) is delicious. And who doesn't love seeing Third Eye Blind as the Kinks or Usher as Marvin Gaye.

Practically every singer on the Top 40 and every ``American Idol'' winner has stopped by ``American Dreams'' to impersonate a musical counterpart from yesteryear.

Set against the backdrop of ``American Bandstand'' and the tumultuous '60s, the show is a throwback to another television era - a time when there were quality one-hour dramas that could entertain the entire family. This season, the Pryor family deftly tackled everything from teen romance to corrupt local politics to civil unrest.

The series may be loose with the decade's time line, blending the era's significant events conveniently into the family's lives, but TV needs a show that understands how important the results of a high school essay contest are to a daughter, and a son's struggle after returning home from the Vietnam War. This dream should live on.

E-mail NBC at nbcshows@nbcuni.com or AmericanDreams@nbcuni.com - AMY AMATANGELO

Veronica Mars Tuesdays at 9 p.m. on UPN

There are dozens of reasons why UPN should renew ``Veronica Mars'' for a second season. Here are a few:

It's a smart, funny, lovingly crafted, well-acted hour that realistically depicts the horrors of high school through the eyes of a former Miss Popularity (the radiant Kristen Bell).

At the same time, it's a gripping mystery, slyly nods to pop culture, sports a hip theme song by the delicious Dandy Warhols and features the only voice-over narration worth listening to in prime time. It's the best new show of the season after ``Lost'' and ``Desperate Housewives'' and often has been more adept than both those shows at parceling out its mystery for maximum intrigue while deftly following Veronica's private detective gig of the week.

But the only reason that should matter to UPN's head honchos is the simple fact that for the first time ever the basement dwelling net-let has a bona fide water cooler show on its hands.

Fans obsess over who killed Lily Kane, who sexually assaulted Veronica and what drove Veronica's mom out of the home she shares with her lovable gumshoe dad (Enrico Colantoni).

Considering all of the gaping creative holes in its prime-time programming, it should be easy for UPN to see it's got a good thing going with ``Veronica.''

Aside from the trashy ``America's Next Top Model,'' UPN can't boast of a single true hit, and only the long-running sitcom ``Girlfriends'' could be considered top quality. (Sorry, ``Kevin Hill,'' you're good, but not as great as ``Veronica.'').

The Trekkies already are mad at UPN for canceling ``Enterprise;'' does the network really want more angry fans protesting outside the studio? Just as ``Buffy'' slayed new fans by word-of-mouth, more viewers will want to know about life on ``Mars.''

Go to upn.com and click on the ``contact us'' link. - SARAH RODMAN

Judging Amy Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on CBS

Don't judge, but I love ``Judging Amy.''

Yet the CBS drama, which is supposed to air Tuesday nights at 10 p.m. (half the time, it's not even on) seems to be on the skids, probably making way for the next reality brain drain like ``Nursing Home 911'' or ``Toddlers Gone Wild.''

This would be a big mistake - unless you're the editor of a pretty famous author I know who actually misses important deadlines because she is glued to the regular show and reruns on TBS and The Hallmark Channel - but I digress.

The point is ``Judging Amy'' needs to go on.

Why? Mostly because of Tyne Daly, who plays the salty social worker (and Amy's mother) Maxine Gray. She's who we want to be in lousy, stressful situations, offering sage advice while downing a few glasses of wine. Or if we don't want to be her, we want to be related to her, so we can invite at least one person we like to Thanksgiving dinner.

And we enjoy judging Judge Amy Gray (Amy Brenneman), who blunders and sputters and makes mistakes like we all do - she sleeps with the wrong guys, is sometimes a parental train wreck and still lives with her mother.

Plus, we really want her to end up with Bruce (Richard T. Jones).

In the midst of dehumanizing dramas out there - where the story du jour usually involves bloodied women or victimized children, ``Judging Amy'' is just the opposite, a show with family and heart.

And Cheech Marin.

Go to cbs.com, and click on feedback link at the bottom of the page. - LAUREN BECKHAM FALCONE

Boston Legal Sundays at 10 p.m. on ABC

If the Michael Jackson trial were televised, perhaps only then could we live without ``Boston Legal.''

Nah. We'd still need it.

Prime-time network schedules are chock-full of law and order and highly technical investigations (both medical and crime scene varieties). That's what makes the comic relief of ``Boston Legal'' so refreshing, even if its hourlong plots manage to sneak in some preachiness each Sunday night.

As if we should expect anything less from creator David E. Kelley.

His handiwork - quirky plots, stellar guest stars and laugh-out-loud moments - is evident here. But Kelley found something truly special in bringing Hub native James Spader to the small screen as the shady-yet-heroic lawyer Alan Shore.

Spader's Emmy win last year was no fluke.

He breathes life into every episode of ``Boston Legal,'' even if Kelley and his writers haven't quite figured out where the show should head next. As it stands, the show definitely needs to balance Spader and William Shatner - ``Denny Crane!'' - with the underused Mark Valley, Monica Potter and Rhona Mitra.

On the bright side, Candice Bergen and Betty White are back on series TV, and each week features another fabulous guest star, whether it's Carl Reiner, Shelley Long or the Rev. Al Sharpton [related, bio] riding to the rescue.

When the show returns from hiatus (tentatively April 22), you must see Rupert Everett's three-episode arc and Heather Locklear's turn as ``The Black Widow.''

If nothing else, you'll see the Hub represented onscreen with pride each week. At least three episodes have name-dropped the world champion Boston Red Sox or New England Patriots. And that's always worth watching.

Write to ABC at 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank, CA 91521-4551. - SEAN L. McCARTHY

That is the Boston Herald's take on things.
I seriously doubt "Boston Legal" is in trouble.

You might be right, but the Fox website does not list Nanny 911 as being broadcast in HD.
Are you sure it isn't just the deaded Fox Widescreen Digital?

I'd love to hear if Fox is sneaking more HD in on us!

One For The Books

On a special Law & Order "cross-over" episode April 15, Richard Belzer ("Law & Order: Special Victims Unit") guest-stars in a record sixth different series as Detective Munch ("Homicide," "Law & Order," "X Files" and "The Beat"). The story arc begins Wednesday, April 15 on the L&O mother ship, the continue Friday night on L&O: TBJ.

(Obviously the new L&O franchise needs all the help it can get: it has been losing to Numb3rs. But it also kinda makes you wonder who keeps track of all this prime-time minutiae (other than NBC's publicists, of course).

From Marc Berman's Programming Insider column Monday March 28th, 2005 at Mediaweek.com)
On the Air Tonight: Primetime Programming Options

Monday 3/28/05

ABC:
Extreme Makeover: Home Edition - How'd They Do That?
The Bachelor (season premiere two hours)

CBS:
Still Standing (R) HD
Listen Up (R) HD
Everybody Loves Raymond (R) HD
Two and a Half Men (R) HD
CSI: Miami (R) HD

NBC:
Fear Factor
Las Vegas HD
Medium HD

Fox:
Nanny 911
24 HD

UPN:
One On One HD
Cuts HD
Girlfriends HD
Half and Half HD

WB:
7th Heaven (R)
Summerland HD