Locast goes down for the count; Nexstar on a roll; Let’s Make A Profit? It’s game over for Locast as last week, the non-profit streamer of local TV channels pulled the plug on the service after a federal judge declared it not to be one. In the case brought by four major broadcast networks, they accused Locast of streaming their […]
Hard news show flops with viewers but will stick around – for now NewsNation isn’t the only new news venture seeking to struggle when it comes to attracting viewers looking for non-partisan newscasts. An unflattering profile in The Daily Beast last week showed CNBC’s The News With Shepard Smith struggling with declining ratings – not to mention behind the scenes […]
Also: A Shark becomes a judge; Pictionary returns; MyNetworkTV adds Chicago Fire and a new Detroit affiliate Once again, Chicago-based NewsNation is making changes to its lineup. Announced last week, the network formerly known as WGN America is adding another personality show in primetime, featuring a show hosted by former Fox News personality Leland Vittert, who’ll helm On Balance. Beginning […]
Co-host fired, show suspended after comment go viral On Wednesday, a Buffalo radio personality compared two Black female celebrities skin to “toast”. Now he’s “toast”. Classic Rock WGRF-FM (97 Rock) Morning Bull co-host Rob Lederman was fired Wednesday for those comments, for comparing how he likes toast to black women’s skin including tennis star Serena Williams and actress Halle […]
Also: Fox News wins election night; NBA season to start Dec. 22 IHeartMedia’s WLIT launched its Holly Jolly format (or Christmas music as everyone else calls it) starting at 4 p.m. Friday, and is likely to last through the end of the year. This is the 20th year WLIT has turned its playlist to a Christmas Jukebox, playing Mariah Carey’s […]
ABC and NBC schedule Presidential town halls opposite each other as ratings dictate decisions instead of common sense NBC’s decision to schedule a President Trump town hall opposite Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden is so ridiculous, it’s hard to explain. A second Presidential debate was supposed to take place tonight between Trump and Biden. But Trump tested positive for […]
Two new efforts launching on opposite ends of September hopes to appeal to news viewers tired of partisan news Starting today, a revolution is taking place and it’s happening right here in Chicago. And it is…presenting a neutral newscast. Yes, really. The arrival of the much-anticipated NewsNation today and of CNBC’s The News With Shepard Smith later this […]
Chicago crime grabs more airtime than Covid-19 pandemic as the city continues to grab global headlines for gun violence You’d think in a middle of a national health pandemic, cable news channels would focus on the issues at hand when more than 150,000 people have died from Covid-19, right? Of course not – especially when it comes to Fox News. […]
Also: Telemundo expands local and national news; Funny You Should Ask renewed through 2021; Fox interested in Sinclair stations You’d think an appearance on a national TV show would be a great thing for your local radio station, right? Well, in this case, it turned out to be a huge nightmare. Alpha Media’s WRXQ-FM in southwest suburban Coal City fired […]
Fox’s regional sports networks now could be part of sale A deal to sell the entertainment assets of 21st Century Fox to The Walt Disney Company is coming close to fruition, according to CNBC.com. But now there is a new twist: Fox’s regional sports networks may become part of the Disney family. Initially, Fox reportedly proposed to keep Fox News, […]
Comcast, Verizon throw their hats into the ring The possible sale of 21st Century Fox’s assets has now become an all-out battle royale. CNBC reported Thursday its parent company Comcast is now exploring joining in the race to buy the studio and the Wall Street Journal reported that Verizon has also joined in. They join Disney in seeking the rights […]
Interest in genre explodes as off-net debut puts up strong numbers When the news was announced Dateline NBC reruns were being sold into broadcast syndication, the idea was…laughable. After all, since Cops broke the mold in 1992 and became the first reality show to be sold into off-network syndication, others came along and weren’t exactly successful (Rescue 911, Top Cops, […]
NBCUniversal wrapped up the last day of the 2015 TCA Press Tour, with panels for NBC and NBCU’s cable networks. Here are some selected panels that took place: NBCUniversal cable nets (USA/SyFy/CNBC) -USA Networks’ new Colony sounds like a ripoff of AMC’s new Fear Of The Walking Dead and CBS’ Under The Dome – apocalypse takes over Los Angeles with […]
The Chicago Blackhawks are back on top in the hockey world – and in the ratings. This was quite a year for the Blackhawks, who saw some ups (the 23-game unbeaten streak) and some downs (the late start due to the lockout and Susannah Collins’ controversial firing.) But it was Dave Bolland’s game-winning goal against the Boston Bruins – one […]
After a few lean years, NBC is back in the ratings ballgame, thanks to the success of The Voice, Revolution, Sunday Night Football, and to a lesser extent Go On. With the former two programs out until spring, can NBC keep its momentum going? Can network chief Robert Greenblatt (who I already like more than his predecessors) steer the network […]