TCA Summer Tour 2014: NBC

The broadcast network portion of the TCA 2014 began Sunday, and the tone of the press tour changed quite a bit – there was a little more bite in these sessions, as one journalist squared off with a star of a new show and the network entertainment chief whined why his network gets no love. – Executive session: NBC Entertainment […]

T Dog’s Grab Bag: It’s another episode of “Everybody Loves Mancow”

[Editor’s Note: The first item contains profanity. Reader discretion is advised.] In the latest episode of the sitcom that never ends – Everybody Loves Mancow – the IQ-deficient shit jock in a Chicago Tribune interview Monday announced he sold his Lincoln Park condo and is moving to the suburb of Wilmette. He called the city “unlivable” and ripped the city’s […]

Emmy Awards score big for CBS

But still beat by Da Bears. Despite going up against a Sunday Night Football game whose teams have one of the most rabid fan bases in the NFL, the Primetime Emmy Awards still managed to snare a 4.9 adult demo rating (18-49) and 17.36 million viewers, the largest total audience in eight years; and the highest-rated adult demo in six […]

NBC unveils 2013-14 schedule

After a season which went through extremes (first place in November 2012 in adults 18-49 to fifth in February 2013), NBC is completely overhauling its primetime slate in 2013-14, with eight new dramas, five new comedies, and three “alternative” reality series. The new schedule was announced Sunday afternoon, a day before NBC’s upfront presentation. Only eight series from this past season […]

T Dog’s Six Pack: “Hey, these things just snap right off.”

Okay, yours truly hasn’t done a winners and losers listing lately. Because finding winners in this industry is too hard to find? T Dog’s Six Pack is back with a hot Blackhawks team, while unless you’re CBS, network television has gone ice cold. Winners. The Chicago Blackhawks. This team is so hot, they’re practically melting the ice they play on! […]

TCA: NBC hopes to keep its momentum

After a few lean years, NBC is back in the ratings ballgame, thanks to the success of The Voice, Revolution, Sunday Night Football, and to a lesser extent Go On. With the former two programs out until spring, can NBC keep its momentum going? Can network chief Robert Greenblatt (who I already like more than his predecessors) steer the network […]

Sunday ratings: NBC dominates, but cable’s presence is felt

The broadcast networks saw erosion from the previous week Sunday night as cable entries – notably the MLB playoffs on TBS and the premiere of Steel Magnolias on Lifetime – made an impact on the ratings. Meanwhile, Family Guy tied Once Upon A Time as the highest rated scripted show of the evening. Here’s a snapshot of the results (all […]

Sunday ratings: NFL, Ryder Cup rules

Now that’s more like it. The first Sunday night is in the books as footabll ruled prime-time once again as the New York Giants took on the Philadelphia Eagles in the city of Brotherly Love (or hate.) Meanwhile, NBC also got ratings mileage Sunday afternoon thanks in part to the historic collapse of the U.S. team in the Ryder Cup […]

Bears-Lions tackles competitors onto turf

ESPN’s Monday Night Football tilt between the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions was a success for ESPN and the city of Detroit – but not for the Bears. The game on WCIU earned a 13.4 household rating and a 20 share while ESPN pulled a 18.8/27, combining for an overall 32.2/47, easily outdrawing other series in the Chicago market, including […]

NBC cancels “The Playboy Club”

          NBC picks up Whitney and Up All Night for full season If you had NBC’s The Playboy Club in the-first-show-to-be-canceled-of-the-season pool, you win! The low-rated shot-in-Chicago drama became the first cancellation of the 2011-12 television season after three episodes, joining other embarrassments that lasted just as long, including 1978’s The Waverly Wonders with Joe Namath […]

John Madden retires

Boom! The big guy is riding his bus into the sunset with his telestrator. Football color commentator John Madden retired today from the booth after 30 years of service. He was the only broadcaster to work for all four networks – CBS, Fox, ABC, and NBC. Madden was the longtime coach of the Oakland Raiders and led them to victory […]

Fox rocks on Sunday

Its’ hot Sunday night lineup trumped the American Music Awards on ABC and the New England Patriots-whatever team lost to them on NBC (however, the AMAs scored its highest ratings in three years, no doubt owing its success to female viewers, who are the biggest mainstream music fans.) Fox’s Sunday night lineup in up 23 percent in adults 18-49 from […]

Hawks win on ice, but lose in the TV ratings

Last night’s first Chicago Blackhawks home game against the Detroit Red Wings averaged a household rating of 0.8, according to Nielsen Media Research. While that number seems disappointing (after all, it’s hockey), it was an improvement over the 0.4 rating it has averaged so far this season, it tied an October 31 game against Dallas for the season high (0.8), […]

Bears may not be good enough for prime-time

The Chicago Bears-Seattle Seahawks game scheduled for NBC on Nov. 18, may be switched out to accomedate a more competitive football game under the league’s “flexible scheduling arrangement” with the Peacock network. Both teams, who met in the playoffs last year, are struggling this season – the Bears are 3-5 and the Seahawks are 4-3. NBC has an agreement with […]