The party’s over for Doogie and Partyman. Post number 2000. Yes, yours truly is finally written his 2000th post after four years. And what better way to celebrate by writing a Think Tank regarding the departures of biggest boobs to ever grace – or disgrace a media corporation’s executive suite outside of Laurence Tisch. I’m talking about Jeff Zucker and […]
Don’t hit your… out the door… In news that will make TV junkies across the land jubilant, NBC Universal Chairman Jeff Zucker exited the network today after 24 years. But just how he left is a matter of what publication you read: Broadcasting & Cable’s headline was Zucker leaves NBC; but on the Deadline Hollywood site, the headline splashed on […]
– It appears CoCo has caused a casualty on TBS’ schedule, and its Comcastic! E! and the Style network have acquired all 94 (yes, count ’em – 94) episodes of Sex And the City, beginning in the fall of 2011. Both E! and Style are both owned by Comcast. The former HBO series currently runs on TBS at midnight, but […]
In a move which illustrates once again the declining clout of broadcasters – and the growingpower of cable, Vince McMahon and the WWE have announced the departure of Friday Night Smackdown from Fox’s My Network TV and is moving it to NBC Universal-owned cable channel SyFy effective October 1. SyFy smacked down Fox with a $30 million offer to WWE, […]
You’d think with recently disposed former NBC talk show host Conan O’ Brien possibly headed to Fox, you think the news would thrill affiliates, right? Well, think again. With news yesterday of Fox and O’Brien negotiating a deal to host a late-night talk show – something the network hasn’t had on a nightly basis since the debacle of Chevy Chase’s […]
It all began on January 7, when a website reported that NBC had canceled The Jay Leno Show. It ended on January 22, with Conan O’Brien leaving The Tonight Show. Welcome to The Late Shift 2: The Screwjob Continues. Based on New York Times writer Bill Carter’s book (and later HBO movie), this is a sequel to the mid 1990s […]
A lot of wacky stuff has been going on Late Night Land – too wacky, in fact. In the last few days, we saw Leno caught in a lie, Kimmel slam Leno – on his show no less, an NBC exec rips into Conan O’Brien, and even a protest taking place outside of WMAQ-TV’s studios in support of “CoCo”: – […]
In news predicted by me (and just about anyone else) since Thursday, NBC announced it is moving Jay Leno’s prime-time show back to late night (at 10:35 p.m. Central) and cutting it to a half-hour. The move also means Conan O’Brien goes to 11:05 p.m. and Jimmy Fallon heads to 12:05 a.m. The moves begin after the Winter Olympics. The […]
Big Media only gets bigger With Comcast’s $13.75 billion dollar deal for NBC Universal practically complete, it looks like big media is only going to get bigger – whether we like it or not. The deal climaxes weeks of speculation, as NBC owner General Electric recently bought out Vivendi’s 20 percent share in NBC Universal, paving the way for Comcast […]
How does it feel to become the second Silverman in history to screw up a network – in fact, the SAME network ? Goodbye, Mr. “Party All The Time”. Don’t hit your head when you get in that limo… Yours truly doesn’t know if the departure of Ben Silverman will immediately improve NBC’s fortunes. But it is a start. Yes, […]
NBC Universal had its presentation at the Television Critics Association press tour on Tuesday and Wednesday: NBC – Two NBC executives (Angela Bromstad and Paul Telady) came out to reporters and pretty much gave the same, usual canned responses you hear at the press tour every year. They downplayed Ben Silverman’s departure from the network; vaguely described the ratings expectations […]
The long national nightmare is over – the Bulls Ballboy is moving on. NBC Entertainment Co-Chairman Ben Silverman resigned today after two years to start a new company with Barry Diller’s IAC. He’s essentially returning to his entrepreneurial roots: he founded production company Reville, producers of The Office and Ugly Betty. His replacement is Jeff Gaspin, who will now add […]
It looks like Hulu has nabbed another partner to join its fold. In a move which gives a boost to the fledgling video site, The Walt Disney Co. announced it will join partners News Corp. (Fox) and NBC Universal in Hulu. The investment means shows owned by Disney – which appear on ABC, ABC Family, and in syndication via Disney-ABC […]
When you think for losing disasters, you think of the Detroit Lions, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Clippers, New York Islanders, etc. And then there’s NBC, who has been taking losing to a whole new level as of late. Consider this: Recently, the network announced it was airing a “new” reality show this summer, titled I’m A Celebrity, Get Me Out […]
Syndication switcheroo; Universal Sports add more clearances; Young files Chapter 11. – With another ratings period ahead, two Chicago stations have made some major changes to their syndicated lineups: * Beginning today, WCIU-TV is swapping time periods with Warner Bros.’ The People’s Court and Sony’s now-canceled Judge Karen. With Karen now out of production, WCIU has moved the show to […]
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