Bears flounder on the field and in the ratings

Bears sink in ratings locally despite gains for football – pro and collegiate elsewhere Last year, Chicago football fans had hope the Bears would drastically improve as they finished 3-14 and earning the first draft pick, whom they traded to the Charlotte Panthers to get even more draft picks and acquiring a few standout veterans such as DJ Moore and […]

Bob Barker, former “Price Is Right” host dies at 99

Game show icon also hosted Truth or Consequences Bob Barker, the iconic game show host of The Price Is Right for 35 years died at his Los Angeles-area home due to natural causes at the age of 99 – just four months shy of his 100th Birthday, on December 12. Barker was best known for his long-running stint at host […]

The dual Hollywood strikes: Where things stand 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 […]

PGA Tour, LIV Golf announce merger

The CW will continue to air LIV Golf matches this year. After that, nobody knows. With the surprise merger of the PGA Golf Tour and LIV Golf, the situation regarding TV rights is up the air.  Announced Tuesday morning on CNBC, the PGA Tour, Europe’s DP World Tour, and LIV Golf merged – catching golfers on each professional tour off […]

What’s on TV for fall 2023: The best we can do

Schedules affected by writer’s strike with possibly more labor unrest to come This post has been updated.  The 2023 Writer’s Strike has put a monkey wrench into the fall schedules of the five broadcast networks as a few are holding off on making announcements and erecting temporary schedules as it’s likely scripted programs will be delayed. The wild card in […]

CBS to pull CW affiliations in eight markets

Largest network defection since 1994 when it happened to…CBS With Nexstar acquiring three-fourths of The CW, the network who was once partner in the venture is now dropping the low-rated network from its eight big-market stations by September 1 and is being re-christened as independents. The eight are located in Philadelphia, Atlanta, San Francisco, Seattle, Tampa, Detroit, Sacramento, and Pittsburgh. […]

WGN-TV to join YouTube TV lineup

Nexstar strikes deal to bring local channels to vMVPD In a move that fills a gap, Nexstar struck a deal with the Google-owned YouTube TV, bringing powerhouse independent WGN-TV to Chicago subscribers. It’s part of a larger deal made by the Texas-based broadcaster, the biggest in the nation. The agreement either brings or expands existing station contracts with 59 outlets […]

NBC decides to keep last prime-time hour – for now

  Good news for Hollywood and other producers; not so much for affiliates With NBC looking to add more multi-cam sitcoms and procedural dramas, the network has decided to shelve the idea of giving affiliates back the last hour of prime-time – for now. As first reported by Deadline, the decision was made after a careful canvass was made of […]

The Media Notepad: Marquee sees ratings slide two years after launch

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 […]

The Media Notepad: Bears don’t deliver for Amazon Prime

Also: prime-time’s future debated; Pluto takes streaming lead  You wonder if Amazon has a return policy for defective football games: Much like the teams on the field, the October 13 edition of Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football was completely forgettable. The newly renamed Washington Commanders played the Chicago Bears on a 40-degree night and viewers figured the game between two […]

It’s official: Big Ten signs new deals with Fox, CBS, NBC; freezes ESPN out

  Peacock to get big boost as number of games increases. Also: HBCU games go to CBS’ twelve non-primary affiliates  The reports were circulating but now it’s official: The Big Ten has re-upped with Fox Sports, while striking new deals with Paramount Global  and Comcast’s NBCUniversal for CBS and NBC/Peacock, respectively as first reported by Sports Business Journal. The Fox […]

Report: Big Ten to make deals with Fox, CBS, NBC, snubs ESPN

The Worldwide Leader frozen out of the Big Ten after carrying games from the conference for 40 years After 40 years, ESPN is apparently out of the Big Ten business. The network on Tuesday withdrew from negotiations on trying to keep a Big Ten package in some form after the conference is expected to strike mega-deals with Fox, CBS, and […]

Nexstar and The CW: Where things stand now

  CW cancellations fuel speculation of deal forthcoming Five months ago, The CW – the joint venture between Warner Media (now Discovery Warner Bros.) and ViacomCBS (now Paramount Global), created by the merger of UPN and The  WB in 2006 was up for sale, with Irving, Tex.-based Nexstar the leading suitor.  So where does things stand now?  A glimpse of […]