So now that Conan O’Brien has wrapped up his tenure at NBC in late night after sixteen years, what’s next for the once low-key talk show host? Mr. O’Brien could have offers from other competing networks from several cable networks and at least one broadcast network. And he may have helped his cause on Friday night: Ratings for his final […]
The deals made by Tribune, Fox, and Weigel’s WCIU for Family Guy last week showed a return of cash into the syndication marketplace, something that has lacking for the past year or so. But hold the bubbly; in fact, you might have to take the bottle of champagne back to the store. It turns out Tribune paid less to renew […]
It’s shelving day, as several projects are being either delayed or scrapped altogether: – Fox has indefinitely delayed the premiere of Our Little Genius, the new game show featuring child prodigies answering questions in a new twist on the old Quiz Kids show. The move came after producer Mark Burnett requested Fox pull the first few episodes because he was […]
Soon, “Family Guy” will have TWO places to call home in Chicago. In a rather odd twist to a renewal deal, Tribune-owned WGN-TV has renewed syndicated repeats of Family Guy for a second cycle in a new four-year deal through 2015, which kicks in on September 12, 2011. But as a part of the deal, Weigel-owned independent station WCIU-TV […]
In a move that comes as quite surprising, Tyra Banks announced today she is ending her talk show after five seasons on the air, despite doing respectable numbers in key demos. The Tyra Show was traded to The CW last September from first-run syndication, where it spent the last four years – for Judge Jeanne Pirro, which aired on the […]
Is it retransmission consent? Or is it content? (no, I’m not confusing the two.) Yours truly doesn’t usually report on the happenings in the Macon, Ga. media world (because, hell there isn’t anything to report, given the market’s CBS affiliate has dominated the ratings since Adam took a bite of that apple.) But this one caught this one’s eye… ABC […]
After 54 years on CBS’ daytime schedule, the globe will stop spinning on As The World Turns come September 17 of next year. The cancellation was made official today by CBS, and as a result, Procter & Gamble Productions is likely no more. As The World Turns began on April 2, 1956 as a thirty-minute serial – the same day […]
Chicago-born comedian Bonnie Hunt has lost her talk show. Ms. Hunt announced to her staffers today that The Bonnie Hunt Show would not return for a third season. The program had two-year contracts with the NBC owned-and-operated stations (including WMAQ-TV here in Chicago), but it appears NBC has passed on renewing the show on its owned stations for a third […]
No decision on the future of Oprah’s show A report surfaced on Deadline Hollywood Thursday regarding the future of The Oprah Winfrey Show, which may or may not leave broadcast syndication for Oprah Winfrey’s new cable network, which is being launched by Discovery Networks. Oprah distributor CBS Television Distribution said the news caught them off guard. But a spokesperson from […]
Another GM shake-up at Fox-owned WFLD-TV and WPWR-TV has led Pat Mullen out the door after three rather unproductive years at the duopoly, and was replaced by Michael Renda of sister station WTXF-TV in Philadelphia, which is also a Fox O&O. In turn, Patrick Paolini takes over the WTXF job after his stint as vice president and director of sales […]
The NBC-owned stations have made a deal with co-owned NBC Universal Television Distribution to begin airing off-cable repeats of The Real Housewives Of… as a weekday strip beginning in the fall of 2010. Locally, the program will air in a unspecified time period on WMAQ-TV. The program has also been sold to Hearst Broadcasting, which means the series will also […]
In a blockbuster deal, the NBC Thursday night comedy 30 Rock was sold in syndication to cable networks Comedy Central and WGN America and to Fox and Tribune stations on the broadcast side, each for Fall 2011 debuts. NBC Universal decided to sell the sitcom to Fox and Tribune station groups, splitting the difference. Locally, 30 Rock will air on […]
Well, how about this. Six years after Fox canceled the series, Twentieth Television and Comedy Central have agreed to revive the animated sci-fi comedy Futurama. New episodes of the series are expected to air in mid-2010. A broadcast network window (most likely Fox) could open up as well. 26 half-hours are planned. The move gives the series enough episodes to […]
Sinclair also picks up sitcom; double run could air in prime, displacing My Network TV shows WCIU-TV here in Chicago has picked up the off-network syndication rights to The Old Adventures of New Christine from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution for airing beginning in the fall of 2010. The Weigel-owned station is expected to air the show twice a day […]
A lot of items in The Grab Bag today: – Warner Bros. and HBO has sold the sitcoms Entourage and Curb Your Enthauism to the Tribune station group for late-fringe time periods begining in 2010 on all-barter basis (meaning stations don’t have to pay a dime – just surrender half of their ad inventory to the syndicator.) Locally, you can […]
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