Fox’s highest-rated show is fading fast You wonder at this point if the Empire Carpet Man can draw better ratings than Empire itself these days. Wednesday episode of the serialized hip-hop drama drew its lowest ratings to date: a 1.9 rating in the key 18-49 demo, down 47 percent from the May 4, 2016 airing as Empire was barely ahead of […]
The latest news and um…notes: Todd Cavanah, sticking to….stuff not related to politics, a lackluster MTM tribute, and correction to make and more Todd Cavanah takes over programming duties at US99 WBBM-FM and WJMK-FM program director Todd Cavanah is adding another new position in his arsenal – program director of sister station WUSN-FM, according to Robert Feder. He succeeds Jeff […]
Few first-run series being offered this year as veteran shows – even low-rated ones – continue to roll along As the National Association Of Programming Executives gathering began Tuesday in Miami, stations are firming up their schedules for next fall as first-run and off-network series are being rolled out onto the marketplace. But what has been the norm in previous years, […]
“Jessica Jones” tops odd year in media – and life When you look back at 2016, there isn’t much to rave about – way too many celebrity and industry deaths (Prince, Garry Shandling, Carrie Fisher, Grant Tinker, Doug Banks, Herb Kent, etc.), the election of Donald Trump, the rise (again) of Rahm Emanuel, continuing media consolidation, and other awful things. But […]
Plus… Mundo Max is done; CW makes schedule schedules for mid-season; Marvel to debut new Inhumans; The end is near for FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler. It what could be the fastest launch ever for a diginet (digital subchannel), Fox Television Stations and MGM are launching Light TV, a new channel devoted to faith-based and family-oriented programming headed by MGM President […]
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, […]
New dramas get strong sampling; The Voice continues to dominate; S.H.I.E.L.D. skids off radar The first Tuesday of the new season bought more ratings riches for both CBS and ABC while ABC and Fox struggled to remain competitive. Obviously, the story of the night is the successful debuts of CBS’ Bull and NBC’s This is Us. The latter show benefited […]
The new name for the second coming of Comiskey is a guaranteed flop with fans Nine alternative names for the ballpark With news like this, you’d wish Jay Leno and David Letterman weren’t retired. The Chicago White Sox announced Wednesday it has entered into a new naming rights agreement with a mortgage lending company, renaming their Guaranteed Rate Field, replacing teleco […]
Movie studios skip the gathering, leaving TV wide open The world’s largest pop culture convention is back for another go-around. San Diego Comic-Con (or Hollywood South as many dub it) launched Thursday at the San Diego Convention Center. The gathering is expected to attract close to a million people over the next few days as geeks and fans from around the world […]
Pittsburgh-San Jose matchup draws few viewers, fans It hasn’t been a great overall season for the NHL, as its sporting peers (NFL, MLB,and NBA) are taking advantage of the live viewing phenomenon, as more and more marketers sink money into DVR-proof programming, or as they call it, “live TV”. For one, the recent Stanley Cup Playoffs were a ratings bust, […]
Local news returns to ABC 7 at 11 a.m.; Dr. Oz returns for three more years; WGN-TV needs a new GM; and more. In a victory for local programming (and yet another defeat for syndicators), ABC-owned WLS-TV (ABC 7) announced Tuesday it was bringing back its 11 a.m. newscast after three years and moving current time slot occupant Windy City […]
They’re no fools, ABC retools; ten new shows highlight 2016-17 schedule As expected, ABC has overhauled its schedule for 2016-17, the first under new ABC Entertainment President Channing Dungey. Unlike NBC and Fox, who are introducing just three new shows onto their fall schedules and saving the rest for midseason, ABC is going full throttle, adding five new shows to their […]
Networks pull plug on underperforming shows. Ten shows axed; Supergirl changes networks For the last several years, the major networks have made decisions on “bubble shows” on the Thursday and Friday before the upfronts – thus, “Bubble Bustin’ Thursday” and “Bubble Bustin’ Friday”. These two days are brutal for the prime-time TV business; decisions are made on what pilots are picked up […]
Channing Dungey becomes ABC Entertainment president; First African-American woman to run a major network When it comes to CBS, you always hear the tagline “We’re America’s Most Watched Network”. When it comes to ABC, it’s always “We’re always in third or fourth place”. And it’s the sinking fortunes that led to ABC Entertainment President Paul Lee’s departure. The alphabet network and the phrase […]
2015 in television was clearly unforgettable: a debut of a new series generating numbers not seen in years; a debate over whether we had “Too Much TV”; we said goodbye to David Letterman and Jon Stewart in late-night; and Donald Trump hijacked the news media (and will continue to do so in 2016.) As for scripted television, we went into […]
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