Stanley Cup clipped

More bad ratings news for sports: The Stanley Cup Finals have been a complete disaster for Versus and the NHL, drawing just 466,000 viewers for Game 2 between the Anaheim Ducks and the Ottawa Senators. Ratings are down 22 percent in households from a year ago. Of course, when the NHL commissioner is as stupid as the Blackhawks’ owner is, […]

Minnesota to The Simpsons: Get Lost

Leave it to Minnesota to spoil The Simpsons‘ fun: While sixteen other Springfields are vying for the free preview screening for the new Simpsons movie (including Illinois and Missouri), the Springfield in Minnesota turned the producers down. Maybe they should stick to doing what they do best: boo A.J. Pierzynski. And as for the “lady” quoted at the end of […]

CD trump downloads

But this is an online poll from the people who brought you Dewey defeats Truman, so I wouldn’t read too much into it. As for the comments section, note that the posters are likely over 50 – the only people who pretty much read this blog anyway.

Cable ratings down too in May

Cable, like broadcast, is in a slump too – but hey, isn’t everything nowadays? You know- sitcoms, ratings for the NBA playoffs, the economy, government, the Cubs, the White Sox, etc…

Basketball bouncing down

The Jazz-Spurs NBA Western Conference Final was a ratings flop, and the San Antonio Spurs advancing to the Finals won’t help the NBA or ESPN. But at least they won’t have the numbers the NHL and NBC will have for the Ducks-Senators Stanley Cup matchup. Sadly for the NBA, that’s the only positive thing out of all this. Meanwhile, the […]

An important reminder

The T Dog Media Blog usually doesn’t endorse programming from the cable news networks, but this is an important special: On CNN, Anderson Cooper: 360 will focus on youth violence in Chicago, including the murder of 16-year old Blair Holt, who was among five people shot on a CTA bus on May 10. The crime shocked Chicago and made national […]

Regis & Kelly relocates

It’s back to the future for Regis Philbin – Regis and his main TV squeeze Kelly Ripa, will be hosting their TV chatfest from the modified set of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on an indefinite basis while repairs are being done to the set due to the fire that struck WABC-TV’s news set in New York Sunday Night. […]

Do you trust your weatherman?

Living in Chicago? Hell, naw! (well, maybe Tom Skilling and Jerry Taft.) But this story from Broadcasting & Cable tells how inaccurate weather forecasts are putting the public in jeopardy and their credibility at stake. In some cases – it’s blowing the bottom line for businesses, vacationers, and state highway troopers. In one example, the Texas Rangers lost $250,000 in […]

Hidden Palms to be hidden in Chicago

Tonight’s premiere of CW’s Hidden Palms is being delayed in the Windy City until Saturday Night because of something like a Cubs-Marlins game, but it doesn’t really matter. Judging by this review, this show has about as much buzz as The Stanley Cup Finals.

LaSorte new boss at Emmis stations

Former WGN-AM programming head Tisa LaSorte has been promoted to the newly created position of brand manager of The Loop (WLUP) and Q101 (WKQX). She’ll oversee both stations’ programming, marketing, promotions, and new media. She’ll report directly to Marv Nyren, who is a regional vice president and marketing manager of Emmis’ radio cluster in Chicago. And believe it or not, […]

Reilly out

When NBC unveiled its fall schedule to upfront buyers, it seemed like the lineup was from 1977, not 2007. (The network was in last place then, too.) So, NBC fired Kevin Reilly and replaced him with producer Ben Silverman. He will move into the co-chairman role at NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Group with Marc Graboff. They had to […]

The price is wrong, so you must be fixed

To coincide with Bob Barker’s retirement from The Price Is Right next month, The Sun-Times reprinted an interview in today’s editions with Robert Feder conducting an interview with him in New York on August 6, 1985. In this article, Feder bought items from a grocery store and played a pricing game on ol’ Bob. He missed every one of them […]