“Cops”, “Live PD” canceled as viewers’ taste shift after police brutality protests gain stream

Fallout from George Floyd murder key decision in cancellation Cops ends run after 31 years; reruns pulled as well      Two reality shows have bit the dust as police brutality protests across the globe after the murder of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police have forced networks to re-examine their programming. On Monday, the little-known Paramount Network […]

“Survivor”, “Big Brother” score on Wednesday night

But poor casting decisions on both shows’ part hurts ratings Not much to talk about Wednesday’s ratings with CBS’ Survivor and Big Brother winning the night among broadcast networks in the adult 18-49 demo (though A&E’s Duck Dynasty won overall with a 4.3)  – but there was a lot to talk about with these two shows besides the ratings. Survivor […]

TCA: Cable shows off the goods

January is yours truly favorite time of year. Why? (No, its NOT the weather.) This month is home to TCA Winter Press Tour and the National Association of Television Program Executives gatherings take place, with the latter being held later this month. Let the fun begin! This edition – the Winter portion of the tour – is taking place over […]

“Arrow” gets solid sampling

New dramas Nashville, Chicago Fire battle it out head-to-head Put a hold on The CW’s funeral, poindexter. Arrow, the new highly-anticipated drama based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow, drew a 1.3 adult 18-49 demo rating, making it the highest-rated premiere on CW since The Vampire Diaries in 2009, and the highest adults 18-49 demo in two years. Arron’s […]

Roger Ebert’s “At The Movies” on the ropes

Could the balcony close again? Sure looks like it. Roger Ebert’s revival of At The Movies could bite the dust after only one season due to problems finding financing for the show, according to an item he posted on his Chicago Sun-Times blog. Movies has been primarily funded by Ebert and his wife Chaz themselves. With the Eberts no longer […]

TCA, Part 4: Cable wraps up

The cable portion of the TCA Winter Press Tour wrapped up over the weekend, with the rest of the cable networks making their presentations. Remember, even though the cable portion of the tour wrapped up Saturday, cable networks owned by the major broadcast networks are still scheduled to make presentations this week. Rainbow (We, AMC, IFC) -AMC – the home […]

T Dog’s Six Pack: Moo & Oink

Jim Laski and Kevin Metheny: Their immortalized testament to their time together at WGN Radio. Guess which one is Metheny…     The winners and losers for the past week in local and national media. On we go: The Winning Attitude WGN Radio listeners. With Moo & Oink (Kevin “Pig Virus” Metheny and evening host James “Don’t Drop the Soap” […]

TCA: Wasting away on the "Jersey Shore"

The Television Critics Association Press Tour came to an end on Saturday with the last three days devoted to cable networks. In the past, cable usually kicked off the press tour, but this year shoved toward the end of the twelve-day tour. Neverthless, critics stayed through the end, with the HBO presentation playing to full capacity on Saturday. The biggest […]

TCA: ABC tries to move up and move on without McPherson

ABC’s presentation at the Television Critics Association Press Tour was dominated by talk of the sudden departure of its longtime entertainment chief (Stephen McPherson) after six years. But while there was talk about it, there was none of it coming from ABC brass – they consider the matter closed. In comes Paul Lee who was named new entertainment chief, who […]

Bill Kurtis, Walter Jacobson reunite at WBBM-TV for 6 p.m. newscast

The boys are back in town. The duo who are synonymous with serious, professional journalism are back for another run. CBS-owned WBBM-TV announced today it was reuniting the anchor duo of Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson for its 6 p.m. newscast, effective Sept. 1. The reunification of Kurtis and Jacobson has been rumored for several months. Kurtis and Jacobson were […]

"Cold Case Files" heads to syndication

WBBM-TV picks up series, bringing Bill Kurtis back to station. CBS-owned WBBM-TV has picked up repeats of a reality series titled Cold Case Files, hosted by Bill Kurtis. The series will air on the CBS O&O in a 1:07 a.m. Tuesday thru Saturday time slot, beginning Sept. 22. But in a rather odd twist in the deal (but a positive […]

TCA Notes

More from The TCA tour in La-La Land: Viacom/MTV Networks: (CMT, MTV, VH-1, Comedy Central, TVLand) – Comedy Central introduced a slew of projects, including a new version of camp classic The Gong Show with new host and alleged comedian Dave Attell. He’s about as funny as Olivia Munn (hey, I used up my Jim Belushi jokes…) The last time […]

Cashmere Mafia vs. Lipstick Jungle

It’s more like a Bulls-Heat matchup: Nobody cares, not even its target female audience. Check out the reviews for Lipstick Jungle here. Need any more proof prime-time programming on the broadcast networks are on the skids? Want a real show to watch instead? Head to cable and check out The First 48 on A&E at 9 p.m. (CT) tonight, where […]