The T Dog Media TV Hall of Shame

No one expected CNN’s Chicagoland to be a love letter to the city – but no one expected it to be a Rahm infomercial either. A critical and ratings flop, Chicagoland is the one of TV’s lowlights in 2014. Recently, the prime-time portion of The Simpsons marathon on FXX attracted more viewers than Chicagoland did. (As of May 2018, the […]

“Roseanne” revival hits a home run

Premiere is highest-rated of the season A few weeks ago, a writer from Mediapost said the return of American Idol on ABC “saved” the television industry. He might want to revise his article. In stunning news, the revival of Roseanne won big time in the ratings for ABC – averaging a 5.2 rating in the adults 18-49 demo for ABC […]

The state of syndication in 2018

With NATPE arriving this week, it’s nothing but slim pickings as veteran shows continue to have shows locked up Looking for something new in syndication for 2018? You might want to stop. With buyers and sellers descending to Miami this week for the 56th National Association of Television Programming Executives gathering, the syndicated marketplace for new shows is lackluster in […]

Ex-Chicagoan Jason Matheson goes national with talk show

Or… close to it. Matheson part of four-week test in select markets, including Chicago Chicago native and Minneapolis radio personality Jason Matheson is getting a second shot at national stardom – with another four-week test – this time, including his hometown. The Jason Show, produced by Fox-owned KMSP in Minneapolis is getting tested in several markets for the next four […]

“Simpsons” renewed for two more seasons

Historic deal takes animated series to 2019, making it the all-time episodes champ in primetime for a scripted series On Wednesday, the Chicago Cubs made history as the team won their first World Series title in 108 years. On Friday, The Simpsons made history of their own. The long-running animated series was renewed for its 29th and 30th seasons Friday, […]

The future for WGN-TV, The CW, and My Network TV

After Monday’s announcement of The CW shifting to WPWR, where does these channels stand? Back in 2008, WGN-TV aired a retrospective of its 60th year in broadcasting. Hosted by Jim Belushi, the special looked back on the station’s local programming such as Garfield Goose, Ray Rayner, and Bozo. Airing on a Sunday night, the special did better in the ratings […]

Alan Krashesky succeeds Ron Magers at 10 p.m.

34-year station vet steps in for Magers, who officially calls it a career ABC-owned WLS-TV (ABC 7) announced Thursday the successor to Ron Magers’ seat at 10 p.m.: Alan Krashesky. The longtime anchor will sit beside Kathy Brock at 10 p.m. Krashesky currently anchors the 4 p.m. newscast with Linda Yu, (who is cutting back on her anchor duties) and […]

Here we go again: “Family Guy”, PTC trade punches

While the FCC has moved on to Net Neutrality and the upcoming spectrum auction and Fox is busy celebrating the success of new hit drama Empire, the Parents Television Council wants to remind you there is some unfinished business that needs to be attended to – old rival Family Guy. As first reported by The Hollywood Reporter, the conservative group is […]

New show update: Freshman programs get the ax

After weeks of wavering, the broadcast networks finally canceled some freshman primetime shows. Last week, NBC canceled Thursday night comedies Bad Judge and A to Z, two shows who never had a chance to succeed, given they were just time-filler material for the network until The Blacklist takes over their slot in February. On Sunday, Fox finally got rid of […]