148 days makes work stoppage the second longest on record Late night shows to return next week After 148 days, the 2023 WGA Strike officially came to an end at 2:01 a.m. Wednesday after 148 days – the second longest on record, just five days short of tying the mark set by the 1988 walkout taking place from March 7 […]
…and may extend until fall – or even later as the Unions-Hollywood and DirecTV-Nexstar show no sign of ending soon Despite the WGA being on strike since May 1 and Nexstar stations vanishing off DirecTV since July 2nd, the disputes are only getting uglier and may require government intervention if there is any hope of these being resolved. And now […]
Both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA are om strike outside of Paramount Studios in Hollywood. With no settlement in sight, the entire 2023-24 TV season for scripted shows could be wiped out When SAG-AFTRA joined the WGA on the picket lines on July 12, the entire industry shut down and the thinking was, this would spur some kind of progress in […]
Actors likely to join writers on picket line as studios continue to hold the line If the last 24 hours are any indication, it might be a long time before your favorite TV shows come back. Despite a twelve day extension – and barring any last-minute deal, SAG-AFTRA is expected to hit the picket lines Thursday morning for the first […]
Also: MLB takes over San Diego Padres local broadcasts; Fox 32’s Mike Flannery calls it a career; Director’s Guild reaches tentative agreement with studios Chicago native Jason Matheson’s talk show is getting another chance in his hometown. Starting today, the Minneapolis-based daytime talk show host returns to the airwaves in Chicago with a two-month run of The Jason Show on […]
Both WGA West and WGA East walk off the job over numerous issues; strike likely to last months In a move that was expected, the Writer’s Guild went on strike Monday for the first time in fifteen years, shutting down Hollywood and suspending production on most late-night talk shows and a few daytime shows. The strike involves both WGA West […]
Roe v. Wade dissolution will have impact from New York to Hollywood, and from Washington D.C. to Chicago. If you think Friday’s decision by the Supreme Court to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion won’t have an impact on media…you’d better think again. The landmark decision to appeal the woman’s right to choose will have a ripple […]
House Dems, Writer’s Guild voice opposition to deal Media consolidation is a hot topic once again as criticism of recent mergers has Capitol Hill up in arms. Thirty Democrats in the U.S. House sent a letter to the Justice Department Monday to investigate the proposed $43 billion merger between Warner Media and Discovery Communications – one of many occurring in […]
Also: NBC pulls two shows – but one is moving to digital. Fox 32 downgrades local show; Bless The Harts renewed for season two To say Chicago stations had a busy week is quite an understatement: in addition to reminding viewers (constantly) about re-scanning their sets, news stations were covering the second Chicago Public School Teachers strike in the last […]
Steve Harvey’s daytime talk show canceled after seven years amid controversy With numerous shows’ fates being decided this weekend before the upfronts (I’ll have a post up on this soon), there was one in particular that doesn’t air in prime-time but in daytime syndication – and it was one featuring Steve Harvey, whose show Steve won’t be back this fall, […]
The fallout from the closure of the Smollett case is posing a problem for Empire and Fox If the fallout from the Jussie Smollett case is any indication, he might not want to celebrate just yet. In fact, his case may have far-reaching implications than anyone thinks. Smollett’s charges stemming from an alleged hoax of his hate crime were dropped […]
FCC reverses 2015 vote; leaves uncertain future for Net Never in the years I’ll followed the media business I’ve seen so much hatred for the FCC – even during the Nipplegate controversy and when former chairman Kevin Martin was running the agency. But what we saw Thursday may have Trumped everything. In yet another bitterly partisan divided vote in an […]
Also: Ryan & Kelly an early hit; Steve Harvey names new EP; WGN-TV launches new lifestyle show Whew… that was close! The Writers Guild Of America and The American Motion Pictures and Television Producers (AMPTP) reached a tentative last-minute deal Tuesday morning averting a strike that would have sent writers to the picket line. The agreement comes after a week […]
Look for more consolidation as FCC gifts media conglomerates by relaxing media ownership rules In all my years of following the television industry, I’ve never seen an outright scam perpetrated onto the public by a government agency. But that’s what we have as the Federal Communications Commission announced Thursday the restoration of the UHF discount abolished a few months ago in […]
Also: ‘Showtime At The Apollo’ returns; The end of the road for “MyTV” branding? Blackhawks’ ratings for 2016-17 drop An update on the WGA labor situation: With the May 1 deadline approaching, the chances of a walkout by the Writer’s Guild seems to be increasing. According to the New York Times, progress has been made on issues such as pay […]