Despite Blackhawks loss, Winter Classic draws viewers in Chicago, St. Louis – but Chicago numbers down significantly from 2015’s game Celebrity Apprentice return disappoints And other ratings news of note (Editor’s Note: Contains spoilers for Monday’s edition of “The Wall”. This post has been updated from earlier today – T.H..) Though the Chicago Blackhawks didn’t win, the ninth NHL Winter […]
Also: The Wall off to a decent start; WCIU to showcase local comedians; Drew Barrymore talker on hold; Fox duopoly picks up another show. WGN-TV held its fourteenth annual Drive-Thru Toy Drive on Thursday to benefit needy families in Chicago and the Tribune-owned independent collected nearly 14,000 unwrapped toys at the event held at the station. Award-winning actress and singer […]
Illinois broadcasters take the quick cash. But are they driving viewers away from live TV? If you thought 2015 would be free of political advertising – think again. Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner – you know, the one who headed GTCR – the investment firm who funded Randy Michaels’ Merlin Media, and Sam Zell – the one who destroyed the Chicago Tribune – […]
Is there now a Millionaire hosting curse? Disney-ABC Domestic Television on Monday named Dallas native Chris Harrison as the new host of its syndicated Who Wants To Be A Millionaire game show. Harrison replaces Brooklyn Nine-Nine star Terry Crews, who just replaced Cedric The Entertainer this season. Cerdic was named host of the show in 2013 to replace Meredith Vieira, […]
Move over ESPN, you’ve got some competition. Fox Sports announced Tuesday at a upfront presentation the launch of a brand-new national all-sports network known as Fox Sports 1. The “worst kept secret” was unveiled at an upfront presentation to the media and advertisers in New York City. The net plans to debut in 90 million homes on August 17, replacing […]
The competition for syndicated daytime clearances for next fall has gotten hotter with the addition of Steve Harvey to the mix as NBC Universal Television Distribution cleared his new, one-hour talk show strip on NBC’s ten owned-and-operated stations, including WMAQ-TV here in Chicago. Harvey is competing with Disney-ABC’s Katie Couric and Twentieth Television’s Ricki Lake for talk show clearances for […]
Twentieth’s game shows canceled, and other news of note For the first time in a long time, it’s time for The Grab Bag – items not good enough for individual posts – but good enough to be written here: – Ricki returns. In a report confirmed by B&C and TVNewscheck, Ricki Lake signed a deal with Twentieth Television to launch […]
The first four-post day in a long time! Here’s some more news… – From Chicagoland Radio and Media: WGN-TV news anchor Allison Payne is expected to return to the desk Monday evening. She has been sitting out off and on for the last year or so recovering from a set of mini-strokes. – The contestants for the new season of […]
It’s official. The Simpsons is poised to surpass Gunsmoke as the longest-running prime-time scripted TV show in history after Fox revealed to a Newsday reporter (albeit reluctantly) that the network has started production on the 21st year, slated to air in the 2009-10 season. Gunsmoke ran on CBS from 1955 to 1975, running twenty seasons. Law & Order, which debuted […]
After Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! became major successes in the mid-1980’s, games shows became a hot property in syndication. By 1988, more than ten of them were on the air, including Win Lose or Draw, and Wipeout!, and successful revivals of Hollywood Squares, The Dating Game, and Family Feud. But the game show boom went bust by 1991 after […]
The Price Is Right did it again Friday night, giving away another one million dollars on its Million Dollar Spectacular prime-time special, when a contestant came within $500 of the retail price in the Showcase Showdown. Meanwhile, the hapless louts over at Deal or No Deal have yet to give anyway a million on their program, despite having thirteen million […]
Scrubs could be soon in the same company with the likes of Peter Gunn, Let’s Make A Deal, Get Smart, Scooby-Doo, Family Matters, JAG, The Hogan Family, Step by Step, The Critic, Diff’rent Strokes, Taxi, and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer: series that has aired on more than one network. ABC is reportedly picking up Scrubs for next season, which has […]
L.O. to the freakin’ L… While Deal or No Deal couldn’t give away one million dollars on their show (even after filling thirteen suitcases with the prize), the prime-time version of The Price Is Right and host Drew Carey actually went out and did it – when contestant Adam Rose came within $880 of the actual retail price in the […]
For the first time in a little over 20 years, CBS is putting it’s most successful daytime game show in a regular prime-time slot. Long-time staple The Price Is Right will take up residence on CBS’ Friday night schedule for six non-consecutive weeks beginning Feb. 22. The move is a bid (without going over) to cut down on repeats caused […]
News and notes, all wrapped up into one: – Leno appears to be unhappy about being forced out of the famed 10:35 p.m. (CT) time slot for Conan O’Brien in 2009. Late shift, part II? – Christiana Applegate returns to the network that launched her career (1986’s Heart of the City) and is the lead in Samantha Who? In it, […]