…or not, as reruns, court shows dominate local schedules As linear TV viewership continues to tumble, fall schedules for local television stations across the country certainly reflect the trend. Unlike last year when Sherri Shepard and Jennifer Hudson debuted with new syndicated talk shows, there is no such new programming being offered – especially with an ongoing work stoppage in […]
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 […]
Starts November 30 on Nick at Nite; rights are non-exclusive Signaling the sign of the times in the television business, ViacomCBS’ cable networks acquired the linear syndication rights to Young Sheldon from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution for an unknown sum, announced in August. But to show you how far recent off-network sitcoms have fallen in the marketplace, the news […]
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 […]
Only two new shows in syndication this fall (Editor’s Note: This post has been updated. See below.) If you love the true crime genre, you are going to be happy with what’s going to air on local stations this fall. In fact, their are just two new shows: CBS Television’s Face The Truth and Debmar-Mercury’s Caught In Providence, featuring an […]
Decision stuns industry – but it had to be done In a stunning and unprecedented move , ABC pulled the plug on the revival of the 1988-97 sitcom Roseanne – because of tweets sent by the namesake’s star, making racist and anti-Semitic statements. The series was to return this fall for its eleventh season. The tweet Roseanne Barr wrote Tuesday […]
Sinclair’s plans for world domination accelerates while the rest of broadcasting industry stays silent By now, everyone knows Sinclair Broadcasting has a right-wing bent in its newscasts, and panders to the Trump administration. But what they’re doing may put the nail in the coffin of local television- and linear television in general. Sinclair recently ordered its news stations to read […]
With NATPE arriving this week, it’s nothing but slim pickings as veteran shows continue to have shows locked up Looking for something new in syndication for 2018? You might want to stop. With buyers and sellers descending to Miami this week for the 56th National Association of Television Programming Executives gathering, the syndicated marketplace for new shows is lackluster in […]
Fourteen new series on tap; many scheduling moves ABC announced its 2017-18 schedule in front of ad buyers during its annual upfront presentation on Tuesday – fourteen new series on tap, including many midseason entries. But the big news (other than the acquisition of American Idol) is the return of Roseanne to the schedule for the first time in nearly […]
Also: Bill O’Reilly out at Fox; Sinclair buys a TV station group (but it’s not who you think); WCIU lays groundwork for new morning show; black-ish heads to syndication via multiple outlets In more bad ratings news for CSN Chicago, the Bulls recorded the lowest regular-season ratings in nearly ten years, according to Nielsen and reported by Crain’s. The Bulls […]
Kiefer Sutherland gets to do something he was never able to do on 24 – become President of The United States. And he didn’t even battle Dennis Haysbert for the job. The biggest debut of the night was the premiere of Designated Survivor, the Kiefer Sutherland vehicle where he plays the President Of The United States – getting the position […]
Off-network deals include WGN-TV, WQAD In good news for off-network sitcom-starved stations, Sony Pictures Television announced it has sold ABC Wednesday night sitcom The Goldbergs in syndication starting in the fall of 2017, starting with eighteen Tribune markets. Cash-plus-barter deals include WGN-TV in Chicago and ABC affiliate WQAD-TV in the Quad Cities area, consisting of Davenport, Ia., Rock Island, and Moline, […]
They’re no fools, ABC retools; ten new shows highlight 2016-17 schedule As expected, ABC has overhauled its schedule for 2016-17, the first under new ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey. Unlike NBC and Fox, who are introducing just three new shows onto their fall schedules and saving the rest for midseason, ABC is going full throttle, adding five new shows to their […]
Channing Dungey becomes ABC Entertainment president; First African-American woman to run a major network When it comes to CBS, you always hear the tagline “We’re America’s Most Watched Network”. When it comes to ABC, it’s always “We’re always in third or fourth place”. And it’s the sinking fortunes that led to ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee’s departure. The alphabet network and the phrase […]
South Park beats Fox’s entire Wednesday night lineup One of the season’s most anticipated – and most controversial sitcoms premiered last night to strong numbers. ABC’s new Black-ish scored a 3.3 rating among adults 18-49, down from its Modern Family lead-in (3.9), but matched it in total viewers, earning 11.1 million viewers. The sitcom is about an African-American father of […]