Possible sale could reunite network with company’s WGN-TV According to a Wednesday night report from The Wall Street Journal, AT&T and ViacomCBS are exploring a sale of The CW and according to sources, Nexstar is the leading suitor to buy the network. As of an owner of 197 stations, Nexstar owns more CW affiliates than any other group, including the […]
Also: fewer new shows The 2019-20 season is going to be more dramatic and less comedic. That’s the analysis of the five major network’s fall schedules, containing perhaps the fewest number of new shows in memory. The major networks don’t really invest in pilots anymore, thus there are fewer programs to look at as replacements. Ratings aren’t really important as […]
(Editor’s Note: Updated to add ratings information from last night’s episode.) While Jussie Smollett’s tenure on Empire this season wound down Wednesday night, the battle on whether or not he returns to the show is just beginning. Earlier in the day Wednesday, the cast of the Fox show sent a letter to numerous executives at Disney and Fox as reported by […]
Deal calls for exclusive rights for all regular season, non-network games plus multi-platform streaming rights WGN likely loses rights After weeks of speculation, Comcast Corp.’s NBC Sports Chicago announced Wednesday it has struck a multi-year deal to continue carry Chicago Blackhawks, Chicago Bulls, and Chicago White Sox games well into the next decade beginning in October. The new pact reportedly […]
Also: Jerry Springer gets a new show; another new talk show to debut; 11 series get full-season pickups In yet another chapter of how absurd this business can be, a feud between the owners of Madison Square Garden and Entercom is having implications in Chicago and elsewhere. Madison Square Garden Entertainment has suspended any future relationships with Entercom’s radio stations […]
Meanwhile, Chicago stations pre-empt regular programming for Jason Van Dyke verdict Note: All numbers are preliminary adult 18-49 demos, unless otherwise noted. Friday night saw the return (again) of “TGIF” brand to ABC, the beloved staple from the 1990s with family-friendly comedies and a game show. But the third time apparently isn’t the charm. Using TGIF for the first time […]
Smackdown returns to broadcast TV AND Friday nights Further signaling a shift away from scripted fare, Fox is expected to land rights to WWE Smackdown, taking over the rights in October 2019. In addition, the series would return to Friday nights. Fox reportedly is paying one billion dollars in a five-year deal lasting through 2024. Fox pounced after NBCUniversal passed […]
Tim Allen? Vicki Lawrence? The once edgy Fox brand is history as the network retools to attract older audiences Fox announced its 2018-19 schedule and it is a radical departure from what it was in years past. In the 1990s, Fox was synonymous with “hip, edgy programming” with The Simpsons, Beverly Hills 90210, In Living Color, and Melrose Place dominating […]
Fox and NBC save shows; why do the networks cancel all these shows in a three-day window? The Bubble didn’t just burst on Friday for several on-the-fence shows…it exploded. According to TV Line, a total of nineteen shows were canceled in twenty-four hours’ time between Thursday and Friday – not unusual for this time of year as the major networks […]
But Rick and Morty gets a major pickup With the upfronts next week, the major networks are jockeying for position and clearing out the deadwood to make room for new shows. In the past, the Thursday and Friday before the upfronts see numerous show cancellations, and this year is no different. On Thursday, Fox shook up its comedy lineup by […]
The original is still the best: WBBM-AM (Newsradio 78) celebrated fifty years in the all-news format this week, with the anniversary of the switch taking place May 6. Believe it or not at one time, WBBM was known for something other than news: the station launched in 1924 , with the calls standing for World’s Best Battery Maker as the […]
Renewal of low-rated ABC action drama would not be possible if the network’s parent company didn’t own the show – and it may be a harbinger for things to come regarding network television On the surface, the weak ratings for ABC’s Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD should have earned the series its cancellation stripes – but didn’t. Why? A few weeks ago, […]
Believe it or not, many series STILL on the bubble With the upfronts less than 48 hours away, the networks are finalizing their decisions on “bubble” shows. In a bit of a surprise, NBC announced Saturday the reversal on a decision they made earlier in the week regarding sci-fi drama Timeless: NBC said it would bring the series back for a second […]
Pickups, renewals take place before upfront week. As has been the case the last few years, the major networks are clearing the deadwood and making last-minute renewals on many shows the week before upfront presentations take place in New York. From the looks of things, Fox is likely to overhaul its lineup: five shows so far have gotten the ax: Rosewood, […]
Few first-run series being offered this year as veteran shows – even low-rated ones – continue to roll along As the National Association Of Programming Executives gathering began Tuesday in Miami, stations are firming up their schedules for next fall as first-run and off-network series are being rolled out onto the marketplace. But what has been the norm in previous years, […]
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