The CW will continue to air LIV Golf matches this year. After that, nobody knows. With the surprise merger of the PGA Golf Tour and LIV Golf, the situation regarding TV rights is up the air. Announced Tuesday morning on CNBC, the PGA Tour, Europe’s DP World Tour, and LIV Golf merged – catching golfers on each professional tour off […]
Schedules affected by writer’s strike with possibly more labor unrest to come This post has been updated. The 2023 Writer’s Strike has put a monkey wrench into the fall schedules of the five broadcast networks as a few are holding off on making announcements and erecting temporary schedules as it’s likely scripted programs will be delayed. The wild card in […]
Good news for Hollywood and other producers; not so much for affiliates With NBC looking to add more multi-cam sitcoms and procedural dramas, the network has decided to shelve the idea of giving affiliates back the last hour of prime-time – for now. As first reported by Deadline, the decision was made after a careful canvass was made of […]
Also: NASCAR Chicago race lines up radio, TV outlets; Chicago’s Thanksgiving Parade returns to TV It was not a great election night if you were a former television personality. Republican challenger Dr. Memhet Oz, who quit his daytime talk show to run for the U.S. Senate last year, lost to Pennsylvania Democratic challenger John Fetterman in a race where four […]
Twitter’s path under Elon Musk follows those of other media companies In the 37 years I’ve followed media, I have never seen a media company – social or not – that’s been run into the ground quicker than what I’m seeing with Elon Musk and Twitter. In the sixteen years I’ve written this blog, I’ve written about how egotism and […]
Also: prime-time’s future debated; Pluto takes streaming lead You wonder if Amazon has a return policy for defective football games: Much like the teams on the field, the October 13 edition of Prime Video’s Thursday Night Football was completely forgettable. The newly renamed Washington Commanders played the Chicago Bears on a 40-degree night and viewers figured the game between two […]
Move as a result of waning interest in linear TV In what could be potentially the biggest shake-up in prime-time since the implantation of the PrimeTime Access Rule in 1971, NBC is mulling a plan to give the 10 p.m. ET/ 9 p.m. CT slot to affiliates – likely for them to program local news. “While NBC is the […]
Peacock to get big boost as number of games increases. Also: HBCU games go to CBS’ twelve non-primary affiliates The reports were circulating but now it’s official: The Big Ten has re-upped with Fox Sports, while striking new deals with Paramount Global and Comcast’s NBCUniversal for CBS and NBC/Peacock, respectively as first reported by Sports Business Journal. The Fox […]
Corporate synergy could save show but complex rights issue stand in the way Magnum P.I., the recently-canceled reboot with Jay Hernandez in the starring role, could return with new episodes. As first reported by Deadline, series producer Universal Television is looking for a way to bring back the action drama for a fifth season – possibly airing on NBC or […]
Also: All CHGO launches; two network TV shows canceled; restaurant with a sitcom connection burns down Much has been made about the lackluster Winter Olympics ratings, but one angle wasn’t talked about much – their effect on NBC affiliates – or lack thereof. And no one experienced a bigger disappointment than Chicago’s NBC 5 (WMAQ.) As reported by Robert Feder […]
Close game helps ratings After a year of decline, total viewership numbers for the Super Bowl were back on the upswing, achieving the highest total numbers in years. The game pitted the Cincinnati Bengals – their first Super Bowl appearance in 33 years – against the Los Angeles Rams, who moved back to California in 2016 after 21 […]
Failure to disclose romantic relationship with staff member leads to his demise In the sixteen years of writing this blog, there have been a number of media executives I’ve written about who came off as total assholes – Sam Zell, Randy Michaels, Jimmy deCastro, Michael Ferro, Jan Jeffries, Les Moonves, Marv Nyren, Larry Tisch, and probably more, enough to […]
Longtime cultural icon passes just two and a half weeks before she turned 100 In a week filled with devasting deaths, here’s another one: Betty White – a beloved television icon and wonderful all-around person, died Friday, December 31 at the age of 99 – just two and a half weeks before she was to turn 100 on January 17. […]
Hall of Famer and video game innovator leaves marks on sports and media John Madden didn’t invent the game of football, but he sure helped contribute to it. The pigskin icon, who was a coach and broadcaster died Tuesday in his Bay Area home at the age of 85. Madden was an innovator in sports broadcasting, injecting enthusiasm and his […]
The Bears aren’t having fun but the NFL, Packers, and NBC sure are as ratings up from last year’s rivalry game. Meet your new television industry overlord Every year around Thanksgiving, this site publishes a feature honoring the worst in media called The T Dog Media Turkey Awards. But now there is a new yearly tradition on T Dog Media […]
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