Sale reunites WITI with Fox ownership In a deal that finally gives Fox ownership of local stations in the Emerald City, Nexstar agreed to sell their Seattle duopoly in exchange for the network’s duopoly in Charlotte. The stations in the deal include Seattle Fox affiliate KCPQ-TV and My Network TV affiliate KJZO-TV; Fox-owned WJZY and My Network TV station WMYT; […]
Bears bomb on field but not in the Nielsens While Chicago’s public school teachers went on strike last week, it looked like the Chicago Bears joined them on the picket line as they simply decided not to show up for work at Soldier Field Sunday. Despite a horrible performance from the Bears’ offense and from quarterback Mitch Trubisky in particular, […]
Also: NBC pulls two shows – but one is moving to digital. Fox 32 downgrades local show; Bless The Harts renewed for season two To say Chicago stations had a busy week is quite an understatement: in addition to reminding viewers (constantly) about re-scanning their sets, news stations were covering the second Chicago Public School Teachers strike in the last […]
Viewers receive Fox 32 and My 50 via Dish again in time for Sunday’s Bears game After a little over a week of being knocked off the air, Dish and Fox Corporation announced Sunday morning the two companies came to a long-term carriage agreement, restoring Fox, FS1, FS2, Big Ten Network, and Fox Deportes to the satellite service. The impasse […]
Here comes another retrans dispute as impasse knocks Fox 32, My 50, FS1 off Dish In a move that surprised and stunned a lot of observers – not to mention Dish subscribers, Fox Corp. announced Thursday it has pulled their signals off Dish. This means Fox-owned local channels WFLD-TV and My Network TV affiliate WPWR-TV are off Dish and their […]
Bears, Truibsky cream Redskins, Dancing, and that Bob show The 2019-20 television season is officially underway, but Chicagoans weren’t ready for the new shows….they were ready for Mitch Trubisky. The Chicago Bears thrashed the Washington Redskins on Monday night Football 31-15, with the Bears offense – struggling as of late – put up 28 points in the first half and […]
25 years ago this week, Fox’s Rupert Murdoch changed the TV world by inking a deal to trigger the biggest affiliation switch in history. It goes back to what happened on December 17, 1993. The networks were complaining about paying too much for sports – the NFL in particular – as the packages were losing money and looking to pay […]
Also: fewer new shows The 2019-20 season is going to be more dramatic and less comedic. That’s the analysis of the five major network’s fall schedules, containing perhaps the fewest number of new shows in memory. The major networks don’t really invest in pilots anymore, thus there are fewer programs to look at as replacements. Ratings aren’t really important as […]
No Jussie Smollett either Perhaps the biggest takeaway of Fox’s 2019-20 fall lineup – the first full season under the new Fox Entertainment banner after being separated from its longtime studio – is the departure of Empire after next season. The drama had drama of its own – courtesy of cast member Jussie Smollett, who was accused of staging a […]
Even though Disney picked up an option on Smollett’s contract, his exit from Chicago likely means he’s done with the show Even though its renewal was really never in doubt, the future of Empire is secured – but is down one cast member – and probably for good. Fox announced Tuesday the sixth-season renewal of Empire, likely for a full […]
Limited-series debuts amid back drop of real-life problems, including Jussie Smollett The latest drama to be based in Chicago debuts (or debuted) Sunday night titled The Red Line. But you wonder if Chicago TV viewers would board for the ride. Named after the “L” line running from Howard Street in the North Side’s Rogers Park community to 95th Street on […]
(Editor’s Note: Updated to add ratings information from last night’s episode.) While Jussie Smollett’s tenure on Empire this season wound down Wednesday night, the battle on whether or not he returns to the show is just beginning. Earlier in the day Wednesday, the cast of the Fox show sent a letter to numerous executives at Disney and Fox as reported by […]
WPWR-CW breakup illustrates how some affiliate partnerships don’t work The major networks have enjoyed long, prosperous relationships with their affiliates. For example, Milwaukee’s WTMJ, St. Louis’ KSDK, and Cincinnati’s WLWT each has enjoyed a long relationship with NBC dating back to the late 1940s. CBS and New Orleans’ WWL have been partners since 1957. And ABC and Dallas’ WFAA go […]
The fallout from the closure of the Smollett case is posing a problem for Empire and Fox If the fallout from the Jussie Smollett case is any indication, he might not want to celebrate just yet. In fact, his case may have far-reaching implications than anyone thinks. Smollett’s charges stemming from an alleged hoax of his hate crime were dropped […]
Prosecutors abandon case, many questions remain In a strange twist of fate, charges against Empire cast member Jussie Smollett were dropped Tuesday morning in a move stunning everybody. Smollett claimed he was attacked by two people wearing “Make America Great Again” hats on the morning of January 29, and said the men put a noose around his neck. Many felt […]
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