[Ken H]

After the spate of unannounced HDTV programming from NBC (most recently, the Faith Hill special), and subsequent AVS member comments, I decided to follow up with my contacts there to see what could be learned. I'm glad I did, as the news is all good.


- The Friday night replacement for Providence is a new program called Mr. Sterling, which will be in HDTV.


- There are also 3 other mid-season replacement programs which have not been slotted yet; A.U.S.A., The Jake Effect & Kingpin. All will be in HDTV.


- Late Night with Conan O'Brien will be in HDTV, as The HDTV Insider, Gary Merson has previously announced. Unfortunately there have been delays in completing the technical infrastructure, which will delay the HDTV broadcasts. There is no specific date available at this time, but it will be no sooner than next year.

 

[Ken H]

Mr. Sterling

"Mr. Smith Goes to Washington" type hour about an unlikely politician who ends up in the U.S. Senate.


The Jake Effect

A man, unsatisfied with his high-pressure and high-paying job, becomes a teacher.


A.U.S.A.

First-year legal eagles in Foley Square NYC comedy. Scrubs with lawyers.


Kingpin

Created by David Mills (E.R., NYPD Blue), is about the struggles and machinations of a family of Mexican drug dealers.

 

[Kipp Jones]

Thanks for the good news Ken!

 

[HiDefSooner]

Ken great news about some new shows coming to NBC in HD but what about that unannounced HDTV programming from NBC lately. Are they ever going to let us know what movies and specials that are going to be in HD?

 

[sangs]

You know, I was going to say something about the ads I've seen for Mr. Sterling, but why get negative already? It's great that everything will be in HD though. Good steps forward.


Now, about West Wing, Friends and Scrubs....

 

[Ken H]

Quote:

Originally posted by HiDefSooner Ken great news about some new shows coming to NBC in HD but what about that unannounced HDTV programming from NBC lately. Are they ever going to let us know what movies and specials that are going to be in HD?

They are looking into their current public communications regarding HDTV. They also said I was welcome to check back on a regular basis for new info.

 

[Kipp Jones]

I am really happy that NBC is being so open to you. Have they shown any interest in participating here?

 

[R11]

Quote:

- The Friday night replacement for Providence is a new program called Mr. Sterling, which will be in HDTV.

Didn't I just read somewhere in the last couple days that NBC was already rethinking the cancellation of Providence?


ron

 

[Ken H]

Quote:

Originally posted by R11 Didn't I just read somewhere in the last couple days that NBC was already rethinking the cancellation of Providence?

Yes, they are. But for now it's gone.

 

[Ken H]

Quote:

Originally posted by kippjones I am really happy that NBC is being so open to you. Have they shown any interest in participating here?

Corporate policy does not allow employee participation.

 

[TomF]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken H Corporate policy does not allow employee participation.

This is where the big networks still don't get it and fail to make use of current technology. AVS Forum probably represents the largest group of HDTV enthusiasts that can be contacted easily. Each network should make it the job of one of their many PR people to make their HDTV announcements here rather than some press release that most of us will never see. The need to change their corporate policy to take advantage of this technology.


Wake up networks! Use the available technology! Stop thinking in the past!


P.S. Ken, thanks for your perseverence in getting this info to us and following up on it. You're basically doing the job the networks should be doing ... and you're not getting paid for it!

 

[Man E]

Quote:

Originally posted by TomF P.S. Ken, thanks for your perseverence in getting this info to us and following up on it. You're basically doing the job the networks should be doing ... and you're not getting paid for it!

Hey wait a minute! Ken makes me pay him $20/week or he'll delete my posts! Am I the only one


But seriously, I agree that they need to make more contact with us, as did ABC last week (re: Pinocchio). Then again, with the level of enthusiasm shown here at AVS I doubt that there is a press release, web page, or secret internal document containing the letters H and D that isn't scoured for relevance by someone here

 

[bdb]

Quote:

Originally posted by TomF This is where the big networks still don't get it and fail to make use of current technology

It would be smart for a network to monitor this forum, but a network employee would have to be extremly cautions in making comments that might even be perceived as "on behalf of their network"; there could even be legal ramifications of misstatements (intentional or otherwise). Employers avoid these potential problems by not letting their employees comment. Its not just networks - equipment manufacturers do the same thing. If people weren't so damn anxious to go to court over meaningless little issues these days, they might be able to do things differently.


BB

 

[Chris Carollo]

I work in game development, and while it's pretty easy to stick your foot in your mouth, so long as you're pretty careful what to say to the public, it's not that hard to CYA.


Someone from NBC posting on these forums with something along the lines of "We're trying to get the Muppet Movie and the Faith Hill special in HD, so heads up" would have been all it would have taken, and everyone would have been happy.


In fact, NBC would have gotten a bunch of praise for it. As it is now, half the forum is resentful for missing out on these shows being in HD.


Basically, all they'd have to do is qualify everything, and not overextend their predictions. Shouldn't be that hard, and it's really pretty inexcusable for companies in this day and age to neglect a resource as large and leading-edge as this forum.

 

[amarkow]

It's possible that NBC employees are under a GE corporate policy, which may have more to do with potential SEC violations than with concerns about mis-statements on HDTV decisions or other information that would interest us.


Alan

 

[Man E]

Quote:

Originally posted by amarkow It's possible that NBC employees are under a GE corporate policy, which may have more to do with potential SEC violations ...

I thought that CBS had the SEC

 

[michaeltscott]

Quote:

Originally posted by Ken H Kingpin Created by David Mills (E.R., NYPD Blue), is about the struggles and machinations of a family of Mexican drug dealers.

Well, now, that's a really PC plot. I wonder how long it'll last before Mexican-American activists shoot it down?


-- Mike Scott

 

[Ken H]

Quote:

Originally posted by michaeltscott Well, now, that's a really PC plot. I wonder how long it'll last before Mexican-American activists shoot it down? -- Mike Scott

Now what could be wrong with Sopranos: South of the Border, on NBC. Maybe if they run it after Leno? Way after Leno.

 

[Steven in Balto]

I know this note is off topic, but has anyone else noticed that the PQ on West Wing has been poor lately? It's so soft that it appears to be out of focus. Please tell me that it's not my TV or vision.


Thanks.


Steve

 

[Ken H]

Quote:

Originally posted by PVR Ken: The title of this topic made me think you were suggesting that the nightly news programs would be in HDTV... Maybe you could change the title to say something like: "News about NBC HDTV!"

Sure.