Writers Held Hostage: Day 5 – NBC is planning to lay off its Tonight Show and Late Night staff next week, but may rely on guests hosts on those shows beginning Nov. 19. Meanwhile, The Late Show with David Letterman will be in repeats next week. – Ellen DeGeneres is under fire for crossing the picket line to work on […]
The Chicago Bears-Seattle Seahawks game scheduled for NBC on Nov. 18, may be switched out to accomedate a more competitive football game under the league’s “flexible scheduling arrangement” with the Peacock network. Both teams, who met in the playoffs last year, are struggling this season – the Bears are 3-5 and the Seahawks are 4-3. NBC has an agreement with […]
A big race is shaping up for off-network sitcom supremacy. Yours truly has been following the syndication business since 1984, and I haven’t seen a race like this since The Cosby Show, The Golden Girls, Roseanne, and Married… With Children were all battling for the crown in the early ’90’s. Three sitcoms – Warner’s Two and a Half Men, Twentieth’s […]
News and notes from the world of syndication today: -Media Life reports that TMZ, the top freshman strip in syndication, is drawing more men than the other fluff-entertainment programs. 41.8 percent of its audience was men, and among the men 18-34 demo, the program pulled a 0.9 rating. Perhaps the reason this show is doing well among men because TMZ […]
It looks like Family Guy has succeeded where The Simpsons succeeded. According to numbers supplied by Twentieth Television (from a banner ad that appeared on TV Week’s website), Family Guy’s airing at 10 p.m. on WGN-TV finished number one in the time period between Sept. 17 and Sept. 21 among men 18-34 (2.2) and women 18-34 (2.6). It beat not […]
Victory is mine! Family Guy has surged ahead of Everybody Loves Raymond to become the top-rated off-network sitcom in syndication for the week ending Sept. 23. Twentieth’s Family Guy surged 20 percent in the ratings to nab a 4.2, while CBS’ Raymond fell 3 percent to a 3.7. Warner Bros.’ Two and a Half Men finished with a 3.3, ahead […]
with a huge, huge, gigantic 0.9 rating. Meanwhile, Family Guy finished ahead of Friends and Seinfeld among off-network sitcoms and finished only behind Everybody Loves Raymond, whose rating fell thanks in part to downgrades by several stations (including WGN-TV here) into the wee hours because of an expiring contract that comes next spring. In other words, Raymond is in “lame […]
NBC’s Bionic Woman scored an upset over ABC’s Private Practice in the 18-49 demo, 5.5 to 5.1 (though Private drew more viewers, 14.24 to Bionic’s 13.59.) CBS’ Criminal Minds also was strong in the 8 p.m. (CT) time period, so that may be bad news for CW’s Gossip Girl and Fox’s Kitchen Nightmares, both turning in less than spectacular ratings […]
In what may be encouraging signs for Warner Bros. Two and a Half Men and Twentieth Television’s Family Guy, ratings for both off-network programs in syndication are up from the previous week in metered markets, ever so slightly. Both look like they’re keepers. Law & Order: Criminal Intent scored a 1.0/3 as a strip in off-network syndication in its first […]
As noted before, WPCH, or Peachtree TV will premiere on Oct. 1. in Atlanta, replacing WTBS. To see the new schedule, click here (note that the schedule may change.) WPCH will take over WTBS’ dial position over-the-air channel 17 and cable channel 7, while the national feed of TBS will become available for the first time in the Atlanta area […]
The first week results for the new programs (and freshman off-network shows) in syndication are in the book: Program RTG/SHR 9/06 TP Lead-in First- Run: TMZ 1.5/3 2.0/4 1.8/6 Morning Show- Mk-Jul 1.1/4 1.5/6 1.9/7 Steve Wilkos 1.1/4 1.2/3 1.0/3 David Young 0.9/3 0.9/3 0.9/3 Crosswords 0.8/2 1.3/4 1.0/3 Temptation 0.5/2 1.1/3 0.6/2 Off-Network Two and a Half Men 2.0/4 […]
Family Guy and American Dad creator Seth McFarlane, who is doing Family Guy Live at the Chicago Theater tomorrow night, is interviewed by both the Tribune and Sun-Times and talks about Family Guy (of course), the FCC, and South Park’s recent zing (in “Cartoon Wars”) at his show, and comparisons to The Simpsons. Family Guy Live! is playing at the […]
For the three day-averages of the new first-run and off-network series in syndication, click here. TMZ continues to lead the rookies in day three, but continues to be down from lead-in and year-ago time period. Another new off-network show to tell you about, Reno 911!, averaged a 0.6/2, down 25 percent from year-ago time slots and lead-in (time periods are […]
For results on the new first-run and off-network strips, click here. To sum it all up, it may be curtains for Merv Griffin’s Crosswords and Temptation sooner than we think, while I have one word about the ratings for the three new off-network sitcoms that debuted this week: disappointing.
To no one’s surprise, the five first-run strips that debuted yesterday got off to a mixed start, with only one (Steve Wilkos) up from its lead-in and all down from year-ago time period averages. Here’s a metered-market ratings rundown of the five new syndicated first-run strips from Monday: Program Rtg/Shr Lead-in 9/06 TP Best performer TMZ 2.0/4 1.9/4 1.9/4 St. […]
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