20th Century Fox: The End.

End of an era arrives as studio is taken over by Disney. On Wednesday, a new day is dawning in Hollywood – for better or worse. Parts of 21st Century Fox – including its film, television studio, thirty percent of Hulu, and other operations are to become the property of The Walt Disney Co. in a $71.3 billion deal first […]

Jussie Smollett saga doesn’t boost “Empire” numbers

Show now on fence for renewal; Smollett pleads not guilty in alleged staged attack As predicted on this site recently, the tabloid saga involving Empire’s Jussie Smollett did not provide a significant boost for the show. In fact, it may have hurt it. According to Nielsen overnight ratings in the adult 18-49 demo, Empire started the second half of its […]

What’s next for WGN-TV sports?

Sun-Times article talks about a future without sports on WGN as station, teams head into transition In 2016, WGN-TV decided to cut their ties to The CW and become an independent station once again, going all in on sports featuring the Cubs, White Sox, Bulls and Blackhawks. Come October 2019, WGN might not have any sports on its schedule at […]

Luke Perry dies

One-time 90210 heartthrob had career resurgence recently in CW’s Riverdale Fans are mourning the loss of Luke Perry, who rose to stardom as teen heartthrob Dylan Mckay on Beverly Hills, 90210 and more recently, had a career resurgence playing Fred Andrews on CW’s drama Riverdale. Perry died Monday at the age of 52 from complications of the stroke he suffered […]

“90210” to return on Fox (updated)

In a surprising move, the much-talked about reboot of Beverly Hills, 90210 has been picked up by Fox for a six-episode run this summer. But in a bizarre twist, in what could be described as It’s Garry Shandling’s Show meets Curb Your Enthusiasm, the six actors who starred on the show are playing fictionalized versions of themselves. You heard that […]

T Dog’s Think Tank: The ballad of Jussie Smollett

After a surprising twist, Smollett’s case blends the issue of race, homophobia, politics, and media all into one – and we’re just getting started There’s a lot at stake after Jussie Smollett’s arrest on Thursday. As you know by now, the 36-year old Empire actor who is African-American and gay, surrendered to Chicago Police after he allegedly staged an attack […]

Broadcast networks to carry President Trump speech Tuesday night

Despite criticism of their news organizations. For the first time since he’s taken office, President Donald Trump is giving a speech to the nation Tuesday night at 8 p.m local time on the issue of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. All the broadcast networks – especially CBS, NBC, and ABC announced Monday they would carry the speech, despite much […]

The Media Notepad: Bears draw big ratings for SNF

Plus… HBO Boxing swan song a bust; Judge Joe Brown returns to TV The Monsters Of The Midway are back! Sunday Night Football scored a significant ratings victory with the matchup between two first-place teams: the Los Angeles Rams and Chicago Bears. Being played at a frigid Soldier Field in Chicago, the Bears beat the Rams 15-6, thanks to the […]

Media Notepad: Blackhawks coach Joel Quenneville fired in a “Survivor”-like blindside

Also: Bears scores ratings success; Jeopardy and Wheel renewed for three more years; Alec Baldwin Show pulled I guess the hockey tribe has spoken. In a Survivor-style blindslide, the Chicago Blackhawks Tuesday voted longtime coach Joel Quenneville off the ice after ten years. The decision to part ways with the three-time Stanley Cup Champion coach seemed to be explicitly timed: […]

Friday ratings roundup: “TGIF” smushed by Fox

Meanwhile, Chicago stations pre-empt regular programming for Jason Van Dyke verdict Note: All numbers are preliminary adult 18-49 demos, unless otherwise noted. Friday night saw the return (again) of “TGIF” brand to ABC, the beloved staple from the 1990s with family-friendly comedies and a game show. But the third time apparently isn’t the charm. Using TGIF for the first time […]

Monday ratings roundup: Viewers flood “Neighborhood”

ESPN scores with MNF, tiebreaker baseball Note: All numbers are adult 18-49, unless noted CBS premiered two new multi-cam sitcoms Monday night with the heavily promoted The Neighborhood and Happy Together as part of their effort to retool their Monday night lineup. The results were positive for Neighborhood with the Cedric The Entertainer vehicle earning a 1.3 rating/6 share, while […]

Sunday ratings roundup: Viewers friend “God Friended Me”

Cubs, Bears score strong in Chicago Note: All numbers are 18-49 unless otherwise noted. These are finals. In a very contentious time in America, viewers needed a friend. And they found one Sunday night. CBS received strong sampling with new drama God Friended Me Sunday night, with a 1.3 rating/5 share and 10.2 million viewers. The series is about an […]

HBO to end boxing telecasts after 45 years

Move marks latest shift for premium service (Editor’s Note: This post has been updated.) After a few years on the ropes, HBO’s boxing franchise is down for the count. HBO announced Thursday it was ending boxing telecasts on the network after 45 years, with the cancellations of World Championship Boxing, Boxing After Dark, and The Fight Game.  The move isn’t […]