Disney’s “Live” blunder the latest in management woes To understand the brouhaha over Kelly Ripa, Michael Strahan, and ABC executives’ handling of this Live crisis, you have to go back 20 years. In 1995, the financial interest and syndication rules – or fin-syn as it was called – expired after 25 years, once again letting the major broadcast networks […]
The balcony is closed. Forever. (have I said this before?) And yes, it’s for good this time. After 24 years, Disney-ABC Television Distribution has pulled the plug on At The Movies, the half-hour weekly movie review show once fronted by Chicago movie reviewers Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. The most recent incarnation was hosted by Chicago Tribune film critic Michael […]
The final day of the press tour came Saturday, and it was ABC’s turn to face the press. ABC – During the ABC executive session, Stephen McPherson talked about ABC’s aggressive new series push this fall – eight in all – airing Tuesday through Friday (more on this a little later.) – But the big news is McPherson wants Paula […]
CBS Television’s new Doctors has tied NBC Universal’s Deal or No Deal in the first-run syndication race among new series, with both shows tying each other at 1.9. GAA rating. Doctors was up 12 percent from last week; Deal was flat. But Disney-ABC’s new weekly hour Legend of the Seeker beat them both, with a 2.1 rating, up 5 percent. […]
Another installment in the Groovy Grab Bag – let’s see what’s in the sack: – WGN-TV announced it was re-airing the Carlos Zambrano no-hitter on Friday night at 10 p.m. on WGN and WGN America. Zambrano no-hit the Houston Astros Sunday night in Milwaukee in a game moved from Houston because of Hurricane Ike. Zambrano became the first Cubs pitcher […]
Well, that was quick. Forty-eight hours after Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper announced their departure from At the Movies, Disney-ABC Domestic Television Distribution has named new co-hosts for the weekly syndicated movie review show – and announced a new format as well. Ben Lyons – the son of New York film reviewer Jeffrey Lyons (who coincidentally co-hosts a competing syndicated […]