Hot Off The Press: The Latest TV News and Information - Page 2537

TV Notes
On 'Gossip Girl,' a very grownup event
By Louisa Ada Seltzer, Media Life Magazine - Jan. 30, 2012

"Gossip Girl" is growing up.

Tonight at 8 p.m. one of the CW show's main characters, Blair Waldorf, in the show's 100th episode.

This being "Gossip," where fashion is really a character of itself, Blair does so in a gorgeous Vera Wang dress that's getting nearly as much buzz online among its demographic as the real royal wedding last year.

It's quite a grown-up moment for a show that helped define the CW as the network of rich teenage girls, and it very much reflects the maturing of the network itself in its effort to target a slightly older audience.

This season There are rumors that the identity of the show's mysterious gossip girl, who blogs about the tight-knit group of Upper East Side rich kids, may even be revealed soon.

The CW in turn switched its focus from shows about high school kids, like "Gossip," "Hellcats" and "90210," and tried out a couple shows featuring more mature characters, "Hart of Dixie" and "Ringer," in hopes of drawing a broader audience.

It was a risky move, and it has yet to pay off.

The network's ratings are down this season across every demographic, including 14 percent among its target women 18-34, where it's averaging a 1.2 Nielsen rating.

Still, it takes time for a network to change its identity, and TV ratings have never told the full story for the CW.

In the case of "Gossip," its ratings have always been low, yet it is one of the most popular shows watched online, and its Facebook page has 10.9 million fans, about eight times the number of viewers the show is averaging this season.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/art...wnup-event.asp

TV Notes
David Letterman, with Howard Stern on board, marks 30 years of transforming late-night comedy
By Richard Huff, New York Daily News - Jan. 30, 2012

When David Letterman marks his 30-year run in late night Wednesday, there won't a massive blowout, but rather an acknowledgment of a milestone.

It will have to be mentioned, it's a theme we'll have to do on the show, says executive producer Rob Burnett, who has worked there for 26 years. It's something that's important in our world. But I don't see an extravaganza coming to fruition.

Low-key is more Letterman's style, says Burnett.

Dave has never been super comfortable drawing a lot of attention to himself, Burnett says.

Letterman got his start in late night on Feb. 1, 1982, as host of NBC's Late Night With David Letterman. He left NBC after not being named to replace Johnny Carson, his idol, as host of Tonight. He launched his CBS effort in August 1993.

Howard Stern has been booked for the Wednesday show, Burnett says, because he is a very special guest for us.

Howard is a kindred spirit with Dave, Burnett adds.

Though Letterman may want to go low-key for the milestone, it is a huge one.

When he started on NBC, Letterman redefined late night. Then, he was a little comic scrambling for guests, most of whom were far bigger stars at the time than he was. He made his mark by being different. He did stunts. He asked questions others wouldn't.

He changed the face of late night.

The run at CBS has included huge markers, such as the birth of his son, his bypass surgery, his role as a unifying force after the Sept. 11 attacks and, most recently, exposing his own faults after a failed extortion attempt.

One of the constant things Dave has put forth in 30 years on television is honesty, in addition to being the funniest person I've ever seen, Burnett says.

One underrated aspect of Letterman's talent is his ability to change, says Burnett. It's very hard in show business to have the courage or wherewithal to evolve yourself, he says. Dave has done that miraculously.

It would have been easy, says Burnett, for Letterman to keep mining the stunts he used for the first four or five years, but he didn't.

Dave, to our chagrin, will suddenly say, I'm not going to do that kind of thing anymore.' He has this incredible internal sense to say, No, I've done that enough. I don't feel comfortable doing that kind of thing any more. It creates a vacuum and a hole that's terrifying, but lo and behold, you find a new direction.

During the past 30 years, Letterman has gone through several transformations, starting with breaking into late night, then shifting to CBS and now, Burnett says, settling into the Johnny Carson role, where he is bigger than the stars who visit the show.

When I watch Dave come out at the top of the show, and he sticks his hands in his pockets and tells jokes, I see the audience's response and see the wonder on their faces, Burnett says. I am immediately transported back to when I was 9 years old watching Johnny Carson.

Letterman's current deal with CBS ends this summer. Word is that he's nearing a deal to keep him on through 2014, or two hears longer than Carson.

Burnett says he has no idea when Letterman will step aside.

This is a guy who can still get around on a fastball and pull it right down the left field line, Burnett says. I don't see this thing ending anytime soon.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertain...icle-1.1013175

We'll soon hear that cable costs at least $100 a month again too.

SUNDAY's fast affiliate overnight prime-time ratings -and what they mean- have been posted on Analyst Marc Berman's Media INsight's Blog.

FYI, I only watched a portion of the NHL All-Star game, the intros, the anthems and the first goal (ironically, a NY Rangers player scoring on his own teammate, who was playing for the other team).

I watched pretty much ALL of the Pro Bowl.

Why? I guess it's name recognition. I don't know any of the NHL players, but practically all of the NFL players were familiar names.

Also, were all the players on the Pro Bowl rosters active for the game? I'd hate to be the players who were in a good news/bad news scenario - good news is you were selected for the Pro Bowl, bad news is you're going to be inactive so you won't get to suit up.

Nielsen Overnights (18-49)
Fox's 'Dynamite' implodes in second week
New animated comedy averages a 2.1 in adults 18-49
By Toni Fitzgerald, Media Life Magazine - Jan. 30, 2012

Without a highly rated football game to cushion its lead-in, Fox's new animated comedy "Napoleon Dynamite" dipped sharply from its premiere two weeks ago.

"Dynamite" averaged a 2.1 adults 18-49 rating last night at 8:30 p.m., according to Nielsen overnights, less than half the 4.4 the show drew in its premiere on Jan. 15, airing a half hour after a highly rated game between the New York Giants and Green Bay Packers.

Two weeks ago "Dynamite's" first episode enjoyed a 5.4 lead-in from "The Simpsons," retaining 82 percent of that rating, and its second episode, which aired later that same night, averaged a 3.3.

Last night "Dynamite's" lead-in was much smaller. "Simpsons" averaged a 2.4, and "Dynamite" retained more, 88 percent, of it.

The big rating dip was not an encouraging sign for a show that got so much sampling. The two-week lag time between new episodes probably didn't help; last weekend Fox broadcast the NFL Championship Game, which preempted its animated lineup.

Meanwhile, NBC led the night among 18-49s with a 3.7 average overnight rating and a 9 share. CBS was second at 2.2/5, ABC third at 2.1/5, Fox fourth at 2.0/5, Univision fifth at 1.0/2 and Telemundo sixth at 0.5/1.

As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback, which includes shows replayed before 3 a.m. the night before. Seven-day DVR data won't be available for several weeks. Forty-three percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.

Also, ratings for NBC's Pro Bowl coverage are approximate as fast nationals measure timeslot and not actual program data.

At 7 p.m. NBC was first with a 4.2 for the Pro Bowl, followed by ABC with a 1.9 for "America's Funniest Home Videos." CBS was third with a 1.5 for "60 Minutes," Fox fourth with a 1.0 for a repeat of "Bob's Burgers" (0.7) and a new "Cleveland Show" (1.3), Univision fifth with a 0.7 for "La Vida es Mejor Cantando" and Telemundo sixth with a 0.6 for "Pa'lante con Cristina."

NBC led again at 8 p.m. with a 4.1 for football, while ABC remained second with a 3.4 for "Once Upon a Time." CBS was third with a 3.0 for "Undercover Boss," Fox fourth with a 2.3 for "Simpsons" (2.4) and "Dynamite (2.1), Univision fifth with a 1.0 for "Parodiando" and Telemundo sixth with a 0.5 for more "Cristina."

At 9 p.m. NBC was first with a 3.5 for football, with Fox second with a 2.7 for "Family Guy" (3.0) and "American Dad" (2.4). CBS was third with a 2.2 for "The Good Wife," ABC fourth with a 1.6 for the first hour of the movie "A Smile as Big as the Moon," Univision fifth with a 1.3 for more "Parodiando" and Telemundo sixth with a 0.3 for the movie "Fighting."

NBC finished the night in the lead with a 2.9 at 10 p.m. for still more football, followed by CBS with a 2.2 for "CSI: Miami." ABC was third with a 1.5 for its movie, Univision fourth with a 1.0 for "Sal y Pimienta" and Telemundo fifth with a 0.5 for "Fighting."

CBS finished first for the night among households with a 7.2 average overnight rating and an 11 share. NBC was second at 6.4/10, ABC third at 4.7/7, Fox fourth at 2.4/4, Univision fifth at 1.3/2 and Telemundo sixth at 0.6/1.

http://www.medialifemagazine.com/art...econd-week.asp

TV Notes
Paul Telegdy finds his voice as a TV programmer
By Meg James, Los Angeles Times - Jan. 29, 2012

The Gig: Paul Telegdy is president of alternative and late-night programming for NBC Entertainment. He is responsible for unscripted shows, including "The Voice," "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" and "Saturday Night Live."

The gregarious 40-year-old Brit, son of a Hungarian political refugee who became a chemical engineer and a former British actress turned teacher, has lived in Switzerland, Austria, England, Belgium and the U.S. Telegdy, a father of two young daughters, took an unconventional path to network television, but the seeds were planted early. "I remember my grandmother saying, 'That child only watches TV.'"

The dogsbody: Telegdy earned his bachelor's degree in Japanese and Korean from the University of London. "There was this massive economic growth in Asia, and a professor told me, 'If you learn a language that allows you do business in Japan, Korea and China, the world will be yours.' I listened. The reason I learned Japanese was a cynical ploy to be of interest to the investment banking world."

But Telegdy had no interest in banking. His ability to speak five languages nonetheless opened doors. His first position was with a small London firm, Richard Price Television Associates.

"This guy had his fingers in a lot of pies. His primary business was the selling of British-made programming overseas and buying Australian imports. He jokingly said, 'You're going to be a 'dogsbody,' which is the British term for being a gopher. He wrote on the employment contract: 'your title is dogsbody, your salary is 9,750 pounds, which is about $15,000 [annually], and you are going to work terrible, long hours, but you'll get the first proper job that comes open.' After about three months, a proper job opened up and I found myself getting on planes to foreign lands."

The Beeb: In the late 1990s, after several years of selling TV shows, "I decided I was in the wrong business, so I applied for a job at the BBC. The BBC is a cultural institution, it's like all the networks rolled into one." Joining the BBC meant a cut in pay, but he wanted to get into programming. He managed music entertainment, children's programs, lifestyle and makeover shows. In 2004, he moved to Los Angeles to help the BBC expand its business.

The dance: On one of his first days in L.A., "The phone rings and it was Ricky Gervais' manager. Ricky was hot off [the original, British version of] 'The Office,' and his manager said, 'Ricky is thinking about doing this show where he is a struggling actor. He might make six episodes. Do you think you can sell it?' And I said, 'Yeah, I think I can.' I was trying a bit of a poker face." Two phone calls later, Telegdy sold the show to HBO. "We made 'Extras,' a show that Ricky is very proud of."

Before long, a cadre of BBC executives, including Telegdy, sold to ABC the concept behind a British hit about ballroom dancing. "We were like, 'What happens next?'" So Telegdy put together a production company to make the show. "Dancing With the Stars" became one of the biggest hits for the network, and propelled Telegdy on a rising star trajectory in the hit-driven TV business.

The peacock: Telegdy was recruited by NBC in 2008 to develop unscripted programming just after the network recalibrated "The Apprentice" with a celebrity twist. Several duds followed. "The rest is slightly folkloric, but I saw this Internet clip from this wacky Dutch show with a big red rotating chair. When we saw the Dutch version of 'The Voice,' we knew." He recruited Christina Aguilera and Cee Lo Green. "The Voice" turned into NBC's biggest hit in years. (It returns for a second season Feb. 5, and Telegdy got a promotion.) "People love success and the idea that there are people who want to help you succeed."

The secret weapon: What other elements are responsible for Telegdy's success besides his charm? "Well, charm is not to be underestimated in American corporate culture. It is adaptability, and I have had to do that my whole life. I went to boarding school at age 7, and you have to fit in. You have to be useful and have an impact. And I have creative insights, instincts, which are based from having absorbed every kind of programming from all over the world.

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-f...,1939566.story

Can't speak for Dave, but I'm definitely not upset at the wrong channels.

In most places, it's possible to get lifeline cable or satellite that doesn't include ESPN or any other high priced services. What is NOT possible is to get CNN, ESPN, HBO, and the like without also getting - and thus indirectly paying retrans fees for - ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC.


And you have that, both with OTA and lifeline cable.

The problem is, to the extent that broadcasters are correct in saying that they cannot survive without the additional revenue stream from retrans fees, your free/cheap ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC is now being subsidized by those who want CNN/ESPN/HBO, even when we do not want/need ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC. I'm tired of paying for your free TV.

It isn't that I'm against free OTA. Quite the contrary, I think the public is entitled to a free service as long as broadcasters are receiving essentially free spectrum. But that entitlement to free service does not include an entitlement to ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC prime time programming, nor does it include an entitlement to the Pro Bowl, or Super Bowl, or any of the other expensive programming that broadcasters like Sunbeam use to extort retrans fees from pay TV companies and their subscribers.


Wonderful. But nobody is paying hefty retrans fees for Me or This or Antenna or any other classic TV service. If OTA devolves into a classic TV service, that's fine with me.

But ABC/CBS/FOX/NBC should either be free for everybody or everybody should pay.

Nope....the super bowl players for example were on the roster but were not active for the game.

http://www.nfl.com/probowl/story/090...o-bowl-rosters

TV Notes
Downton Abbey Casts Shirley MacLaine as Lady Grantham's Mother
By Michael Ausiello, TVLine.com - Jan. 30, 2012

Maggie Smith’s acid-tongued Countess will no doubt have something delightfully bitchy to say about this: Oscar winner Shirley MacLaine is joining the cast of Downton Abbey as the mother of Elizabeth McGovern’s American-born Lady Grantham.

According to The Daily Beast,, MacLaine will appear during the international phenom’s third season, which begins production next month (just as Season 2 winds down on PBS.)

“My late grandfather directed Shirley MacLaine in Gambit in 1966,” said executive producer Gareth Neame in a statement, “so it is a delight for me that she will be joining us on Downton Abbey.”

http://www.tvline.com/2012/01/downto...aine-season-3/

TV Notes
Spike TV Greenlights 3 Unscripted Series, Revives World's Wildest Police Videos'
By Nellie Andreeva, Deadline.com Team - Jan. 30, 2012

Spike TV is bringing back one-time Fox reality staple World's Wildest Police Videos. The cable channel, which previously syndicated the show, has ordered 13 new episodes of the series, a compilation of outrageous police footage. Spike also has picked up three new original unscripted series: Full Bounty, a reality competition featuring aspiring bounty hunters, which has received a 10-epidode order; Tattoo Nightmares, chronicling the stories behind unfortunate tattoos and their owners' attempts to have them fixed, which has been picked up for six episodes; and Rat Bastards, following a group of guys in Louisiana who hunt down giant swamp rats, which has been ordered also for six episodes. Additionally, Spike has greenlighted a two-part special, Urban Jungle Man. These three new non-scripted shows share a theme of larger-than-life characters in extreme situations where the high stakes are real, said Spike's EVP original series Sharon Levy. They are perfect complements to our upcoming launches of Big Easy Justice, American Digger and Diamond Divers, which have similar distinctive characters.

Here are descriptions of Spike's newly ordered series:

Full Bounty - In this unique reality competition series, 12 aspiring bounty hunters attempt to hunt down real criminals who are running from the law in an effort to win the actual bounty. Each competitor will be doing this for the first time in their lives with the aid of law enforcement supervisors. The contestant that tracks down and apprehends the most fugitives will win and advance while others will be eliminated in each episode. The overall winner of the show will win a position with a prominent bail bond and fugitive recovery agency. The stakes couldn't be higher for each contestant as they risk their lives to rid the streets of potentially dangerous criminals, and live out the dream of becoming an actual bounty hunter. The series is created by Barry Poznick and John Stevens of Zoo Productions, an All3 media company.

Tattoo Nightmares - Real people with really bad tattoos seek the help of some of the best cover-up artists in the business to fix them. The tattoos range from hilarious to downright disturbing, with reenactments that will show how these people wound up with their awful, ugly and embarrassing ink. The contestants will go under the needle of top tattoo artists to see if they can work a miracle and cover someone else's mistake. Tattoo Nightmares is created by Sally Ann Salsano (Jersey Shore) and 495 Productions.

Rat Bastards - An invasive species of giant swamp rats are ravaging America's Southern wetlands and are especially dangerous to the tenuous ecological system of the Mississippi delta region. This non-scripted series follows a pack of industrious guys dubbed the Cajun Commandoes in Louisiana who hunt these elusive 40-pound menaces both to sell and to eat. These determined rat hunters compete over a limited four month window to earn big bucks by capturing these loathsome pests for a bounty. The series is co-created by Eli Holzman and Stephen Lambert of Studio Lambert and Royal Malloy, Duke Straub and Colt Straub of American Chainsaw. They are also the production team behind the upcoming Spike series, Diamond Divers.

Spike will also create new episodes of World's Wildest Police Videos, which will give viewers access to shocking and outrageous police footage never-before-seen on television. From high-speed car chases that turn deadly and bank robberies gone wrong to international hostage holdups, the wildest police videos from around the world are on display. Retired Sheriff John Bunnell hosts the series that is produced by Pilgrim Studios and Pursuit Productions. Executive Producers are Pilgrim Studios' Craig Piligian and Scott Popjes, and Pursuit Productions' Paul Stojanovich, Jr., Robert Ballantyne and John Bunnell. The original version was created by Paul Stojanovich Sr. and aired on FOX from 1998-2002.

Spike will air a two-part special, Urban Jungle Man, which follows the country's preeminent extreme animal handler, John Brennan, who rescues, captures and relocates dangerous and exotic animals in New York City's urban jungle. This non-scripted series chronicles Brennan's daily adventures as he runs the Urban Animal Relocation team, a privately-owned exotic and dangerous animal relocation service whose perilous missions runs the gamut from removing an alligator from a bathtub to capturing an escaped deadly python. Bitten or stung by nearly every animal in existence, Brennan is fearless when it comes to apprehending nature's deadliest creatures. Urban Jungle Man is produced by Asylum Entertainment and will be shot throughout the country.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/spik...police-videos/

* * * *

TV Notes
GSN Picks Up Bible Game Show Pilot From Who Wants To Be A Millionaire' Producer

The Bible is getting its own reality show! Game Show Network has given a pilot order to The American Bible Challenge, an original one-hour game show which tests contestants on their Biblical knowledge. It is executive produced by Who Wants To Be A Millionaire executive producer Michael Davies of Embassy Row and Tom Forman of RelativityREAL. Also involved as consultant producers are Nick Stuart and Maura Dunbar of Odyssey Networks, the country's largest multi-faith media coalition.

The American Bible Challenge celebrates America's passion for The Bible in an entertaining, unconventional format that makes The Good Book more accessible to the whole family, said GSN's new EVP Programming Amy Introcaso-Davis, who joined the network in November.

Given the spiritual subject of the show, it's not surprising that the contestants won't be vying for cash prizes for themselves. The competition will be rooted in personal stories of faith and community, and the teams will compete to win money to help support their faith communities, the network said.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/gsn-...aire-producer/

TV Notes
NBC pulls 'Fear Factor' donkey semen episode
By James Hibberd, EW.com's 'Inside TV' Blog - Jan. 30, 2012

Donkey semen is off the Fear Factor menu.

NBC has yanked tonight’s planned episode of the reality series, after it broke late last week that contestants would be served donkey semen. The episode had groups of twins competing for $50,000 and competing a trio of stunts, with donkey semen chugging as one of the segments (and surviving an electric fence as another). Instead, NBC will air a Fear Factor repeat.

The network had no comment on its decision to yank the episode, which was a source of debate behind the scenes. Producers typically make the case to network censors that a gross food item on the show is always a delicacy in some part of the world (horse semen is consumed in Australia and New Zealand).

Yet the network’s discomfort with the episode was evident. Originally, the episode’s official description listed only the two other stunts, then vaguely noted “the teams also put themselves to the test eating the unimaginable.”

I’m trying to decide whether I feel bad for the contestants or not. On one hand, they had to gulp donkey semen and now their episode isn’t even going to air. On the other hand, their lives and careers are probably better for it.

UPDATE: NBC’s entertainment president Robert Greenblatt released this statement: “I reviewed the episode late last week and decided it wasn’t a segment we should air.”

http://insidetv.ew.com/2012/01/30/fe...onkey-semen-2/

Indeed. Part of my nightly DVR schedule.

Because whenever I think of "fear" I think of drinking donkey semen.

Another reason why this show is a joke. It should just be called Jackass the Game Show.

Too bad he doesn't review more of NBC's programming and make a similar decision.

Yes, I knew about the Super Bowl players not there and being replaced, but usually for any other game, only 46 players on a 53-man roster can be "active". Do they waive that rule for the Pro Bowl?

Business Notes
Did AT&T Just Show That It Wants To Buy Dish Network?
By David Lieberman, Deadline.com - Jan. 30, 2012

It depends on whom you ask as Wall Streeters look for hidden meaning in a letter that AT&T sent to the FCC late last week. The issue at hand is excruciatingly technical: Regulators are considering whether to grant Dish additional time to provide broadband services on some spectrum it wants to buy. Without a waiver, Dish would have to serve 100M people within three years. AT&T urged regulators to reject Dish's plea, saying that the public would benefit from the fast build out while a delay would confer a substantial windfall on Dish.

What's interesting is the possible subtext. Credit Suisse's Stefan Anninger sees the letter as a clear sign that AT&T is salivating over Dish's spectrum following the collapse of the phone giant's merger plan with T-Mobile. If the government imposes tough build out requirements on the satellite company then it could increase DISH's interest in selling/dealing its spectrum, he says. He believes that AT&T is interested in increasing its negotiating leverage when it comes to a potential transaction negotiation with Dish.

But Breen Murray Carret analyst Todd Mitchell says the letter is a clear indication that an AT&T acquisition of Dish is not in the cards in the immediate future. The way he sees it, AT&T wouldn't make such a hostile move if it really wanted to deal with Chairman Charlie Ergen who controls the vast majority of his company's voting shares. That's why AT&T's letter looks more like a hail-Mary, sour-grapes effort to stop Dish from using the spectrum altogether, Mitchell says.

Dish shares were up 2.8% today while AT&T was up 0.6%.

http://www.deadline.com/2012/01/did-...-dish-network/

Yep there is no 53 player roster for the pro bowl.

priceless!

7.9 nfl pro bowl -- 1.0 nhl all star.

AVS Forums poster "scorpiontail60" pulls viewership of NBC

Heh... what's too bad is he didn't review the script in advance, before the donkey semen chugging took place.

Now it's all just semen under the bridge.

The problem is, you're not looking at the big picture of what you're asking for. What you want is for the cable company to spend extra money to include an ATSC tuner in their box, then not charge you for the local channels they're providing the hardware to view and guide data to allow you to record them when your favorite shows are on.

That's not realistic.


..and you're outvoted by a lot of J6Ps.


You ARE paying for the cable company to integrate the locals - and that's exactly what they do. They provide the signal via the same cable that all the pay channels come through so you don't HAVE to put up an antenna. They also provide a week or more of guide data for them. That's what you're paying for. You aren't paying for the local channels. You're paying to have them seamlessly appear in the guide all in one spot with easy to remember channels and more guide data than you'll ever get over the air. You're also paying for the same signal reliability you get with the rest of the channels on the system.


I hate to say it, but those shopping and religious channels help keep your bill lower. Nearly every one of them pays the cable company to be carried. If it were the other way around, they would never be there.

Exact opposite in my case. TWC don't send me any guide data and my Moxi takes care of the local channel lineup and where they appear.

More amusingly, thanks to the lousy SDV implementation the clear QAM locals are the only channels I can actually rely on seeing. Every cable channel is a crap shoot.

HD locals without a CableCARD are also a crap shoot too. It's not uncommon for TWC to move channel assignments. Sometimes out of the receivable range of your equipment.

That's all true enough, but if the cable company is paying retrans fees, then subscribers are also paying for content, not just signal integration.

I have no objection whatever to paying for signal integration. What I object to is paying for content when the companies providing that content have been given free OTA spectrum to provide that content for free.

As if any sports franchise isn't filled with overpaid jokers, as you call them.

The local affiliate had to muck with the network feed one way or another. Why? Because the network feed was a 40 Mbps MPEG-2 video stream that had to be converted to HD-SDI and then re-encoded to the lower ATSC bitrate (other than Fox).


I'm not sure how the Fox video can be different, as all affiliates use the Fox splicer system and put through what Fox sends out. That said, as I understand it, if a stations is running more than two SD subchannels. rate shaping is done in order to provide extra bits for the two SD streams. If both of the stations have no subchannels, or only one, they should both have the same MPEG-2 stream going out the transmitter.

As for the other OTA networks, the network feeds are a site to behold. OTA... not so much.


My local PBS affiliate also down converts to 720p for the same stupid reason. But I don't care, as I watch the PBS network sat feed. But, it only runs about 17 Mbps. Ya, it can suck at times. PBS is supposed to have in place their high bitrate push technology. The engineering website for this got changed to needing a password. So much for it being "public" television. So, I don't know if it is all in place. The sat feed is still there, so I do not care. Having access to east and west as well as repeats that do not have the damn PBS snipes, is great. DirecTV customers get the east feed on channel 389.


IMHO, ATSC can't handle 1080i without issues, even if it is the only video stream that is being broadcast. So, degradation will always happen with 1080i. Not enough bits.

Or, the NFL for that matter.

At least until the Los Angeles Rams come home.

TV Notes
David Letterman, with Howard Stern on board, marks 30 years of transforming late-night comedy
By Richard Huff, New York Daily News - Jan. 30, 2012

When David Letterman marks his 30-year run in late night Wednesday, there won’t a massive blowout, but rather an acknowledgment of a milestone.


What a piece of fluff & a kiss-ass piece of writing.

Good grief. Letterman will soon walk on water.

:-(

That is why we need ala-carte. I wouldn't mind having ESPN and the NFL Network but I don't want to pay for all the other crap like MTV and TLC. Until then we are stuck with the way it is.