With the annual NATPE gathering taking place this week in Miami Beach, its time to see where several shows and proposed projects for syndication stand in 2014: – As first reported by Broadcasting & Cable a few weeks ago, Twentieth Television canceled Judge Alex after nine seasons. The writing appeared to be on the wall when Twentieth renewed Divorce Court […]
And other syndication news of note With NATPE looming around the corner, activity in the first-run syndication business for 2013 has certainly picked up. Here’s the latest: -As reported by Broadcasting & Cable Tuesday, Debmar-Mercury pulled the plug on first-run syndicated talker “conflict” talker The Jeremy Kyle Show after two low-rated seasons. Kyle, a British personality who does a similar […]
News on The Insider, Howie Mandel, The World Series, and more: – OMG! OMG! OMG! Can you stand the excitement?!!! In a bid to lure younger viewers, CBS Television Distribution’s The Insider is adding an OMG to its name and beginning in January, will be known as OMG! Insider! Exclamation points!!!! (all right, calm down bucko.) Originally, the series was […]
Today’s Grab Bag features Merlin Media, Friday prime-time ratings, Tyler Perry and Oprah Winfrey hooking up, and a possible new name for The Insider which you have to see to believe: It looks like the end is near for Merlin Media: the company announced the sale of New York City alternative rock outlet WRXP-FM to CBS Corp., who plans to […]
Gary Coleman, who is best known for one of America’s most famous catch phrases, died today at the age of 42 from complications of a fall earlier in the week. Coleman was known to utter the phrase “What’cha Talking About” on Diff’rent Strokes, a sitcom he starred in and ran on NBC from 1978-85 and ABC from 1985-86. The Zion, […]
NBC-owned WMAQ-TV won the Gold when it came to Olympic ratings, but it was WLS-TV that grabbed the medal where it really counts: late news. And WCIU-TV came home with some Gold itself. The February “sweeps” period ended on Wednesday, but this ratings period won’t be as important because of the heavy skew of the Winter Olympics. Some stations (notably […]
Weigel’s WCIU-DT and its sister station ME-TV (WCIU-DT, 26.2) are getting into the morning news business – sort of. Scheduled to kick off in August, titled “U and Me In the Morning”, the news segments run for as little as 30 seconds and as long as 10 minutes. Former WGCI-FM personality and WMAQ-TV reporter Jeanne Sparrow will be live-in-the studio […]
This is retroactive to last week (I’ll post this week’s edition on Friday), so here it goes: T Dog’s Fabulous Four – The Insider cans Pat O’Brien. He was fired after sending e-mails to staffers at the show and Entertainment Tonight, criticizing the programs. O’ Brien, who was demoted to special correspondent for this season after a stint in rehab […]
There’s going to be a new name for this, I swear… T Dog’s Fab Four – America Ferrera slams The Hills, 90210, and Gossip Girl. The Ugly Betty star says the shows are mean: ” Like, if you’re watching The Hills or 90210, all the backstabbing shapes the way we act – you go to school, and you think you’re […]
Putting the wraps on another year of Comic-Con:Geek Nation thanks you for your support Never underestimate the marketing power of Comic-Con. Producers, writers, and the studios know this all too well, and to reach their loyal fans, they came to San Diego in droves to show off their wares. Lost and Heroes panels played to crowds larger than you find […]
CBS Television Distribution’s two syndicated prime access magazine strips – The Insider and Entertainment Tonight are moving to a new home – and getting a HD makeover as well. Beginning this fall, both shows are being shot in high-definition from CBS Studio Center in Studio City (yes, the same place where they shot Gilligan’s Island and My Three Sons.) The […]
– As reported here last week, CBS Television Distribution’s new hour-long medical talk show The Doctors (working title) has cleared 50 percent of the country, and has been declared a firm go for next fall. It has been confirmed that Weigel’s WCIU-TV has picked up the show, but in a surprise move, the program will air in Chicago at 5 […]
This move must have bombed in the ratings: WCIU is moving The Insider back to 5 p.m. from 6 and to 11 p.m. from 10:35 p.m. next Monday (Aug. 27) instead of waiting for Sept. 10 when newly syndicated repeats of The George Lopez Show takes over at 6 p.m. Girlfriends, which is being withdrawn from broadcast syndication nationwide on […]
CBS Television’s nightly syndicated magazine show The Insider will have Los Angeles-based host Pat O’Brien move to New York to join Laura Spencer at the program’s Times Square studios. The program will also get an updated look comes Sept. 10, when the show begins its fourth season. The program has seen some good luck lately, with The Insider in New […]
WCIU-TV has upgraded CBS’ entertainment magazine (and ET/Hard Copy clone) The Insider and Sony’s off-network King of Queens into access. The moves are being made so WCIU can become more competitive with other stations in town, as WGN-TV is ready to roll out Family Guy and Two And A Half Men this fall, and Everybody Loves Raymond shifts to WFLD-TV […]
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