Yours truly is testing a brand new feature titled Quick Hits and Bits, a quick roundup of the latest and not-so-latest television, radio, and Internet news – along with a few editorial quips. This is not meant to replace “The Grab Bag” column I’ve been writing about for the last few years, but wanted to get more media items on […]
– Tech difficulties or something else behind the scenes? Mike McConnell’s new online venture at WGN Radio doesn’t seem to be going well. McConnell’s online show and subsequent podcast has been offline for a week due to “tech issues”. But it looks like McConnell may be headed back to Cincinnati: it appears a tentative agreement has been reached on the […]
Windy City Live moves to 11 a.m.; midday newscast moves online (This story was originally posted on T Dog Media’s Google Plus and Facebook pages Thursday. Updated with new info.) To make room for the incoming Live With Kelly & Michael at 9 a.m., ABC-owned WLS-TV (ABC 7) announced it was moving Windy City Live to 11 a.m. weekday mornings […]
When rebranding goes wrong; Cubs, White Sox drop in ratings and Dan Harmon returns to Community. While the Blackhawks are grabbing the Windy City’s attention, the same cannot be said for the sorry Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox. Ratings for both Major League Baseball teams are in the toilet, as is their records. According to an article from Danny […]
Could Katie get knocked out of the daytime talk show ring before the end of her second season? Another report has surfaced over the increasingly iffy future of Katie Couric’s daytime talk show, which airs in predominantly early fringe time slots on most ABC affiliates. Fox News is reporting that ABC Syndication is looking for a replacement when Couric’s talk […]
– In a stunning move, the Chicago Sun-Times fired almost all of its photography staff on Thursday, which left 28 people out of work. The Wrapports -owned paper instead plans to train reports to take pictures with smartphones. Yes, smartphones. Among those who were laid off include 35-year veteran Pulitzer-prize winning photographer John H. White, one of the first African-American […]
– Good news for fans of Ellen DeGeneres’ daytime talk show: Warner Bros. has renewed the strip through 2017 on more than twenty station groups, including all ten of the NBC-owned stations. Airing on WMAQ in Chicago at 3 p.m., Ellen is the top-rated program among women 25-54 in the time period, besting rival talkers Katie, Dr. Phil, and Maury. […]
A week after the NATPE conference had taken place, Twentieth Television notified stations carrying The Ricki Lake Show it will not return for a second season. The series halts production on March 28, with reruns and originals continuing until September 6. Lake’s second stint as a talk show host was different this time around as she focused more on issues […]
As per the course for this time of year – and right before the NATPE gathering in Miami – syndicators are announcing renewals left and right. Here’s the latest: – CBS Television Distribution decided to reward Dr. Phil’s recent ratings increase by renewing the show through the 2016-17 season, with thirteen of CBS owned-and-operated stations on board, including CBS 2 […]
As reported here and on other trade sites last week, Queen Latifah’s return to daytime TV snared its first major deal with Sony Pictures Television: CBS’ owned and operated TV stations signed on for the show in sixteen markets. According to an article in Broadcasting & Cable last Monday, Latifah’s show will in fact, be shown on WBBM-TV next fall, […]
Also: Wheel and Jeopardy! renewed by WLS-TV, other ABC O&Os until 2016 It’s not even the end of October, and already seeing some major shakeups in daytime syndication for next fall: – In news first reported by Deadline, CBS’ owned-and-operated station group has picked up Queen Latifah’s new talk show from Sony Pictures Television for September 2013, clearing sixteen markets, […]
Hey Katie, the old school’s got a message for you: we can draw an audience, too. That was the vibe sent Monday while Katie Couric posted strong numbers of her debut Monday – but returning talkers also posted good numbers for their season premieres, despite pre-emptions from tennis on some CBS stations. Warner Bros.’ Ellen tenth season premiere drew a […]
Dish Nation bombs in debut Thanks to prized time slots on ABC-owned and ABC affiliates, Katie blew out her two freshmen rivals who premiered Monday. In info obtained from B&C, Katie Couric’s new show from Disney-ABC Domestic Television debuted with a 2.8 hosuehold rating and an 8 household share – the highest rated-debut for a show since Rachael Ray’s debut […]
The few, the proud: the fallen heroes of The Great Talk Show Rush Of 1995. The video above explains it all. On Monday, three new syndicated talk shows debut in syndication, with new hosts Katie Couric, Jeff Probst, and the return of Ricki Lake. Along with Steve Harvey (whose show debuted Sept. 4) and Trisha Goddard (debuting Sept. 17), […]
Local stations, syndicators shuffle the deck As we enter year two in the post-Oprah era, things are finally changing in the syndication marketplace, as five new syndicated talk shows – the most in 17 years – make their debut. As for off-network sitcoms, the pickings are rather slim – just two new entries this year, compared to five in 2011. […]
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