WFLD/WPWR picks up show as part of ten-market Fox deal Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution has sold The Big Bang Theory to Fox-owned stations and Turner Broadcasting for a fall 2011 start. The cable deal has TBS paying a record-breaking $1.5 million per episode (for a cable network) for the rights to air the show in primetime four or […]
The bid for Law and Order to surpass Gunsmoke as the longest-running television drama in history in the United States has fallen short. The network has pulled the plug on Dick Wolf’s crime drama after twenty seasons. Law and Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and won numerous Emmy Awards, and spun-off three series, with a fourth one coming up […]
Ugly Betty may be gone from the airwaves (did anyone notice?) but Beautiful Betty is blossoming! Betty White’s much ballyhooed hosting gig on Saturday Night Live – inspired by a Facebook campaign, won its time period with a 8.8 overnight metered-market household rating, according to Nielsen. Among adults 18-49 in the 25 Local People Meter markets, the program averaged a […]
Here’s who is scoring goals – and who isn’t – it’s a hockey-themed T Dog’s Four Pack: Lighting the lamp: Family Guy. No, you don’t see this show in the winner’s circle too often, but Sunday’s night episode – despite some rather uncomfortable dialogue in the first act – was the best of the season and perhaps ever, on a […]
Stan wasn’t the only one up in arms about Comedy Central taking a hatchet job to a recent episode of “South Park.” For the last few weeks, cable was on a hot streak: SyFy acquired Friday Night Smackdown, stealing it away from My Network TV, while Turner Broadcasting snared both Conan O’Brien and part of the NCAA Tournament. But on […]
Are these guys worth $4 million per episode? You bet your behind it is. Is the high-priced off-network sitcom on its way back? With the upcoming sale of The Big Bang Theory, we may soon find out. Not since the days of Friends, Seinfeld, The Simpsons, and The Cosby Show have we seen a sitcom come close to the $4 […]
While the Tribune Co. is struggling with the antics of CEO Randy Michaels and Chapter 11 bankruptcy, its TV division is actually taking care of its own business – despite the struggles of The CW – the network which thirteen of its stations (including WPIX in New York, KTLA in Los Angeles and WGN-TV in Chicago) are aligned with, in […]
Last week, A memo Tribune CEO Randy Michaels sent through WGN-AM News Director Charlie Meyerson, had a list of 119 words and phrases his employees at WGN should not say on the air in order to “improve the product”. And if they say any of these “forbidden” words, other employees can “rat them out” by noting the precise date and […]
A midweek edition of T Dog’s Four Pack: What’s not – and what’s not: Worthy of Gold Olympic hockey. Nothing hokey about it – most watched program ever in Canada, third most-watched hockey game in history in the United States – and we had four Blackhawks in the game! Undercover Boss. Whaaa? This is the surprise Sunday Night 8 p.m. […]
In honor of the Super Bowl this weekend, this is who scored the touchdowns this week – and who fumbled it at the end zone. Touchdown! – WGCI and WVAZ gives back. Clear Channel’s WGCI-FM and WVAZ-FM (V103) are launching the Raise A Hand Campaign to encourage young people to perform good deeds for their schools and their community via […]
Here’s the recent list of winners and losers of the last week-in-a-half – plus an extra-long rant at the end… What worked for yours truly… Winners Conan O’Brien. His final “Tonight Show” drew 10.3 million viewers, with one of the classiest send-offs I’ve ever seen from a host. The result: new found respect from the public, including yours truly. Chicago […]
The deals made by Tribune, Fox, and Weigel’s WCIU for Family Guy last week showed a return of cash into the syndication marketplace, something that has lacking for the past year or so. But hold the bubbly; in fact, you might have to take the bottle of champagne back to the store. It turns out Tribune paid less to renew […]
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 […]
The Church of Tisch has done it again. CBS announced it will slot Undercover Boss in the coveted post-Super Bowl time slot on February 7. Undercover Boss is a new reality show which features a supervisor who goes undercover to see if can do a real job at his company. This marks the first time in over a decade a […]
Is it retransmission consent? Or is it content? (no, I’m not confusing the two.) Yours truly doesn’t usually report on the happenings in the Macon, Ga. media world (because, hell there isn’t anything to report, given the market’s CBS affiliate has dominated the ratings since Adam took a bite of that apple.) But this one caught this one’s eye… ABC […]
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