ABC, Scripps to launch LAFF

ABC, Scripps stations clear new diginet; ABC to keep LiveWell after all ABC and Scripps Broadcasting announced this weekend they are launching a brand new digital subchannel called LAFF, injunction with Katz Communications beginning on April 15, “tax day”. Details on what the planned comedy network would carry (hint: you can’t go wrong with Mystery Science Theater 3000 reruns) were […]

Journal, Scripps continue to fuel media merger frenzy

Two Midwest media companies combine as media merger frenzy continues to sweep the nation In the latest media hookup, Milwaukee-based Journal Communications announced a merger with Cincinnati-based E.W. Scripps. With the merger, the newspaper division would be spun-off into a separate company. Once everything is said and done, Scripps would would own and operate 34 television stations in 24 markets, […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Bruce Levine out at ESPN 1000

– Talking Baseball host Bruce Levine confirmed via Twitter Saturday he was out as host of WMVP-AM’s (ESPN 1000) Talking Baseball after station bosses declined to renew his contract, ending his 22-year run as host. The move to cancel the show comes as ESPN 1000 continues to slag far behind rival WSCR-AM (The Score) in the ratings. Not helping Levine’s […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Oh, Bethenny…

-As expected, ratings for syndication’s three new shows (The Arsenio Hall Show, Bethenny, and The Test) declined from Monday’s premiere, but Arsenio still was on top with a 1.5 overnight household rating, down from a 1.9 rating.  Bethenny slipped to a 0.9/3 household rating/share from a 1.2/4; and The Test slid to a 0.7. On Wednesday however, Arsenio was up […]

T Dog’s Six Pack is back

A return of a favorite… T Dog Media’s Six Pack is back! The week’s (or in this case, the summer’s) media winners and losers in a nutshell: Winners. Netflix. The investment in original programming seems to be paying off: House Of Cards, Hemlock Grove, and the newly revived Arrested Development each earned Emmy nominations, with Cards becoming the first web series to […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: Chicago Tribune on the sales block

The Tribune Co. Unofficially puts its papers on the block; Oscar viewership is up over a year ago; and more Mancow is headed to your TV: – It looks like the Chicago Tribune is up for sale. As first reported by CNBC on Monday, the 166-year old paper and others in the chain are on the block by creditors who […]

Wisconsin budget fracas draws viewers to Milwaukee’s newscasts

In just a matter of days, Cheesehead nation has transformed from a state celebrating a Green Bay Packers Super Bowl victory to looking like the new “Beirut On The Lake”. With the Wisconsin legislature producing a new 21st century version of Council Wars, the fracas over unions is drawing viewers to Milwaukee’s local newscasts, according to a article in the […]

WBBM-TV 10 p.m. news soars in the ratings

Leno hampering NBC affiliates’ late news; other November “sweeps” notes ABC-owned WLS-TV dominated the ratings in households and key demos in the just concluded November “sweeps” period (do we still have those in this LPM era?) but it was the two other network O&Os who made headlines. NBC-owned WMAQ-TV slipped to third place in households at 10 p.m., behind a […]

WKTI kicked to curb

A poignant part of Milwaukee’s call letters is history. WKTI-FM dropped its Hot AC format today and flipped to adult hits “The New 94.5 The Lake”, an obvious reference to Milwaukee’s proximity to Lake Michigan (as is our city.) Also gone is the WKTI call letters, which have been used at the frequency for 34 years. Pending approval by the […]

WISN dominates Milwaukee’s ratings

… except at 10 p.m., where NBC affiliate WTMJ (despite lousy network lead-ins) won. But WISN, Milwaukee’s ABC affiliate owned by Hearst-Argyle, dominated everything else. WISN won at 5 and 6 p.m. and in prime-time and total-day numbers, but finished behind WTMJ at 10 p.m. by a hair. WTMJ actually increased its rating at 10, while WISN dropped two share […]

The Fall Arbitron books

Here are your radio Fall Arbs (+12) for: Chicago Quick analysis: Tribune’s WGN is first, but stumbled. Clear Channel’s Urban Contemporary WGCI is back in second place, while sister Urban AC WVAZ fell from fifth place to eighth (they announced a huge schedule change today – more on that later, so watch the blog.) CC’s WLIT surged to fifth place*, […]

Strachota out at WTMJ

Some things I guess you can’t blame on NBC’s prime-time lineup: Journal Broadcasting’s WTMJ-TV replaced Mark Strachota with a returning Steve Wexler as general manager. This comes as once-dominant WTMJ is coming under siege in the ratings from ABC affiliate WISN-TV. Those two Milwaukee stations have been neck-and-neck in the ratings. And don’t expect a return to the glory days […]

WTMJ, WGBA get "Better"

Journal Broadcasting’s NBC affiliates in Wisconsin, WTMJ in Milwaukee and WGBA-TV in Green Bay, will begin airing a new show from Meredith Broadcasting called Better, a new daily lifestyle hour that was tested on Meredith’s two Fox affiliates in Las Vegas and Portland, Ore. In those two cities, the program perform strongly in the ratings. The program also cleared Journal’s […]

The Daily Show – Milwaukee style

The joke’s on WTMJ-TV, Milwaukee’s NBC affiliate for falling for a fake story that a blogger posted as an April Fool’s prank. What’s even funnier? – The blogger works for a website that’s co-owned by Journal Communications – the same owner of WTMJ.