Also: Elon Musk officially takes over Twitter; “The Real Love Boat” becomes the season’s first casualty; “Dr. Phil” drifting toward right-wing propaganda? The new Marquee Sports Network’s fortunes seems to ebb and flow with the Cubs’ performance, and with two consecutive losing seasons, ratings are down. But the picture may not be what it seems. According to a Chicago Tribune […]
For better or worse – mostly worse, Jerry Springer shaped television and society To say Jerry Springer didn’t have an impact on our culture is like saying cigarette smoking doesn’t cause cancer. But here we are in 2018 as what we saw as outrageous back then is the norm now. Before Jersey Shore, Flavor Of Love, Love And Hip-Hop, […]
Also: Tyra Banks plans returns to daytime TV – Good news for fans of WCIU’s You and Me in The Morning (and for local television overall): the two-hour morning strip hosted by former Chicago radio personalities Melissa Forman and Jeanne Sparrow is expanding to a third hour in September. Now airing from 6 to 8 a.m. weekdays, the show is extending […]
(Editor’s Note: This piece contains strong language. Reader discretion is advised.) If you want to make the case cable TV is one big ripoff, look no further to what aired this past week. And no, I’m not talking about CNN’s crappy Chicagoland show. I’m talking about the inane puke garbage that is The Real Housewives Of Atlanta, which had an […]
A week after the NATPE conference had taken place, Twentieth Television notified stations carrying The Ricki Lake Show it will not return for a second season. The series halts production on March 28, with reruns and originals continuing until September 6. Lake’s second stint as a talk show host was different this time around as she focused more on issues […]
Kirk Fox is trading in the peace, tranquility, and the small-town values of Pawnee, Ind. for baby mama drama in the big city. The Parks & Recreation star and stand-up comic has taken a rather unusual job – being a mediator in a new fall 2013 show called The Test, a conflict-resolution talk show where DNA evidence and lie-detector resolves […]
Happy New Year! The first Grab Bag of 2013 is here: – Countdown Chicago, ABC 7’s annual New Year’s Eve countdown special which aired from 11:08 p.m. to around 12:15 a.m., drew a huge 17.4 household rating and a 40 share – despite the annual bashing from viewers (after all, we still attend Cubs games, don’t we?) Hosted by WLS-TV’s […]
http://youtu.be/DL_1amsoK4M Welcome back, Arsenio! With 2012 behind us, its time to look ahead to 2013. Here are the top ten things to look for in the media business this year, in Chicago and beyond: 1. Arsenio’s back. After an absence of nearly twenty years, Arsenio Hall returns to late-night syndication. But can he make a comeback and compete with three […]
Get the cranberry sauce ready: it’s time for the 7th annual T Dog Media Turkey Awards where every Thanksgiving, yours truly honors the worst in the media business for the year and 2012 is filled with so many media turkeys! Without further ado, here are this year’s, um… “winners”: Animal Practice. Premiering after the Summer Olympics (or more aptly put, […]
In the 27 years yours truly has followed the media business, I’ve never encountered anyone who is arrogant, incompetent, and stupid – aside from Randy “Court Jester” Michaels and his minions – in running a radio or TV station as Fox-owned WFLD and WPWR General Manager Mike Renda. On Friday, Fox management – which is proven to be every bit […]
Ricki Lake changes EPs on her newly relaunched show WFLD and four other Fox-owned stations announced they were slotting Warner Bros.’ TMZ Live, a spin-off of the popular half-hour strip beginning Monday. TMZ Live features TMZ creator and executive producer Harvey Levin talking to his staff about the day’s entertainment stories in an expanded, hour-long format. Launched in 2007 as […]
Dish Nation bombs in debut Thanks to prized time slots on ABC-owned and ABC affiliates, Katie blew out her two freshmen rivals who premiered Monday. In info obtained from B&C, Katie Couric’s new show from Disney-ABC Domestic Television debuted with a 2.8 hosuehold rating and an 8 household share – the highest rated-debut for a show since Rachael Ray’s debut […]
The few, the proud: the fallen heroes of The Great Talk Show Rush Of 1995. The video above explains it all. On Monday, three new syndicated talk shows debut in syndication, with new hosts Katie Couric, Jeff Probst, and the return of Ricki Lake. Along with Steve Harvey (whose show debuted Sept. 4) and Trisha Goddard (debuting Sept. 17), […]
Local stations, syndicators shuffle the deck As we enter year two in the post-Oprah era, things are finally changing in the syndication marketplace, as five new syndicated talk shows – the most in 17 years – make their debut. As for off-network sitcoms, the pickings are rather slim – just two new entries this year, compared to five in 2011. […]
Bill Cunningham officially joins the vast wasteland that’s daytime television The home of such young female-skewing series such as Gossip Girl, 90210, The Vampire Diaries, and Hart of Dixie, is now home to… 64-year old Bill Cunningham? In perhaps the oddest pairing ever, the conservative Cincinnati-based radio host is joining a network whose median-age is the youngest of the five […]
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