Chicago Blackhawks set another season high – and record

The Chicago Blackhawks continue to be a success story on – and off the ice. Comcast SportsNet set hit yet another season high – and broke another ratings record – for a Blackhawks game Thursday night. The Blue Jackets – Blackhawks matchup averaged a 4.2 household rating, breaking a record set only last week by a Blackhawks-Boston Bruins game (an […]

People of Earth: Conan says no to late-night move

His future at NBC now in very serious jeopardy Oh, it’s on. Conan’ O Brien rejected NBC’s for him to move The Tonight Show he hosts  to 11:05 p.m. (12:05 a.m.) Central to make room for a half-hour version of The Jay Leno Show, which is being bumped out of prime-time after the Winter Olympics. Mr. O’Brien said moving Tonight […]

Chicago ratings box

Here are some notable ratings items: – Lewis Lazare’s Sun-Times column noted ABC-owned WLS-TV’s continued ratings dominance in the month of December. According to the ratings “book”, WLS finished first at 10 p.m. in households, followed by CBS-owned WBBM-TV and NBC-owned WMAQ-TV, which continues to suffer from having Jay Leno as a news lead-in (though that may not be the […]

T Dog’s Fridge Pack: The twelve items that made the decade

In his 2008 speeches, President Barack Obama talked about change. Well, in the media world, change arrived in the 2000s. And boy, did it ever! When the decade started, who knew we would be watching clips on YouTube, or friending people on Facebook, or watching network TV shows online? Or how broadcast television and terrestrial radio would both have trouble […]

T Dog’s Four Pack – Put ’em up

It’s a mid-week edition of T Dog’s Four Pack – the winners and losers of the past week: And to describe the contestants, they are split into two groups: Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.  If you follow boxing, you already know which one is the winner.(if you don’t, click the link.) Floating like Pacquiao – WBBM-TV brings back Bill Kurtis […]

Chicago Wolves hockey return to broadcast TV

For the first time in twelve years, Chicago Wolves hockey has landed on a local broadcast outlet. Fox-owned WPWR-TV acquired the rights to air fifteen Wolves games starting this fall, with ten of those games on Saturday nights, starting with a game with the Milwaukee Admirals on October 3. Five other games are scheduled for Sunday afternoons later in the […]

Playoff season: That’s a wrap!

Finally tallies of the NBA Finals and the Stanley Cup Finals: – The five game series between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic drew 14.3 million viewers for ABC, down 4 percent from last year’s Lakers-Celtics series. Game 5 drew fewer viewers than Game 4 did, with only 14.2 million viewers tuning in. – Among ratings, it is […]

Versus shoots and scores with NHL playoffs

– The Chicago Blackhawks may have lost its Western Conference Finals series with the arch rival Detroit Red Wings, but they were big winners locally in the ratings. Despite the fact Versus isn’t carried on a few systems (WOW to name a few), Game 5 still earned a 7.1 household rating Wednesday night where the Wings beat the Hawks to […]

T Dog’s Groovy Grab Bag- The Sports Edition

A lot of sports-related news today: – CBS and Fox have extended their deals with the NFL until 2014 with CBS getting rights to carry Super Bowl XLVII (47) in 2013 while Fox has Super Bowl XLVIII (48) in 2014. – The NFL has also agreed to bury the hatchet with Comcast over the NFL Network. The two struck an […]

T Dog’s Think Tank – Follow Up: Hawks got with the program

The very first Think Tank yours truly wrote back on November 28, 2006 dealt with the follies of the National Hockey League and its Chicago franchise, and those of broadcasters (over-the-air TV stations and networks), sharing the same tale of missteps and woe. After the Chicago Blackhawks fired head coach Trent Yawney, yours truly wrote this on a comment board […]

Hawks rock the house

It’s official: the Chicago Blackhawks have surged to the top of Chicago’s sports chain (I didn’t think it was possible either, but wow!) Last night’s thrilling Game 6 between the Blackhawks and the Vancouver Canucks scored a 7.8 household rating on Comcast SportsNet, which is believed to be the highest-rating ever for a hockey game on the regional sports channel. […]

T Dog’s Four Pack

I’ll tumble for the 4 pack – the week’s winners and losers: Winners of the week: The Chicago Blackhawks. Great job by the Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday Night taking a 3-2 lead over the Vancouver Canucks. The Cinderella run continues. Go Hawks! (UPDATE: The Hawks defeated the Canucks tonight 7-5 to go to the Western Conference Finals for the first […]

T Dog’s Four Pack: Cheers! (and Jeers)

The past week’s winners and losers: Four cheers of the week – Bulls-Celtics Playoff Series. Even though the Bulls did not win, admit it: It was the most entertaining playoff series in years. Thanks for the ride. – … but the Blackhawks are still in! They advanced past Calgary in the first round and now facing Vancouver in the second, […]

T Dog’s Four Pack : The Final Four Edition

What’s worked the last two weeks – and what didn’t – in the world of media with a basketball theme: Four slam dunks – March Madness. Ratings for the annual NCAA tourney have been pretty good, outperforming the rest of the competition on the boards with year-to-year increases. And tonight’s title game should do well with Michigan St. and North […]

Winter Classic shoots and scores in ratings

The third annual NHL Winter Classic which featured an outdoor game played at Wrigley Field between the Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Red Wings drew an 2.9 Nielsen overnight household rating for NBC on New Year’s Day, up 12 percent from the 2007 Classic between Buffalo and Pittsburgh. Here in Chicago, WMAQ-TV notched an 11.8 household rating and 21 share – […]