Posted on 01/27/2009 5:00:57 AM PST by abb
The annual convention of the National Association of Television Programming Executives, or NATPE, kicks off today and runs through Thursday. The Wall Street Journal's Sam Schechner files updates from Las Vegas.
Monday, January 26
Las Vegas is cold. Pools are drained, hotels are sparsely filled, and rain is on the forecast. Inside, as the National Association of Television Programming Executives' yearly TV marketplace kicks off, the mood is scarcely any warmer: The TV world is girding for what's likely to be one of its most challenging years in decades. [Flavor Flav] Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Hip-hop artist and reality-show star Flavor Flav will host the horror series "Nite Tales," one of the first announcements at this year's NATPE convention.
NATPE is North America's largest TV market, where buyers from around the world graze at a buffet of TV programming options. This year, producers are hawking everything from daytime talk shows to comedic video-clip collections with names like "Mad Boys Hidden Camera," and a horror-anthology series hosted by rapper Flavor Flav.
But local TV stations -- traditionally the biggest buyers of daytime fare -- are seeing accelerating declines in ad revenue. The Las Vegas TV-ad market, for instance, is trailing as much as 25% behind last January's already depressed figures, according to one executive. Nationwide, 2009's projected to be down in more than 15%, by some analysts' accounts.
National broadcasters and cable networks are faring better than their local peers, but their revenue is slowing, and they're looking uneasily at the beginning of February -- the deadline for advertisers to cancel or delay advertising commitments for the second quarter.
Already, the number of new first-run syndicated talk-shows on offer at NATPE is smaller than it has been in years.
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(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
"Network evening newscasts will go dark after the '08 elections and their news divisions disbanded."
Walter Abbott, (b. 1950), Media observer and commentator
ping
Can we bring back Winki Dink and You?
Causes of network death, in no particular order:
1. Cable
2. Internet
3. Video/Computer games
4. Suicide
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/162781-Home_Entertainment_Rules_As_Netflix_Records_Stellar_Quarter.php
Home Entertainment Rules As Netflix Records Stellar Quarter
Eye popping 700,000 new customers sign up in fourth quarter alone
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/162777-Hulu_To_Launch_Ad_Campaign_During_Super_Bowl.php
Hulu To Launch Ad Campaign During Super Bowl
First advertising campaign for the NBC universal-News Corp. joint video site
You left out liberalism and CRAP programming. I’ve had quite my fill of reality tv. Bring back dramas and sitcoms, thank you.
http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=134056
Web Series Still Struggle to Hold on to Audiences
http://www.mediapost.com/publications/index.cfm?fa=Articles.showArticle&art_aid=99085
News Corp. May Face 22% Earnings Slide In ‘09
“You left out liberalism and CRAP programming. I’ve had quite my fill of reality tv. Bring back dramas and sitcoms, thank you.”
I consider them included under the suicide category.
I prefer J. Fred Muggs
Nitwork news has been on a downhill run ever since the little fella was replaced first by BaBa WaWa and later by Perkie Katie. Neither had his charm, wit or intelligence.
http://seattleposttimes.typepad.com/blog/2009/01/in-seattle-no-news-is-news.html
In Seattle, no news is news
I used to love that show, which I first saw in 1953 or 1953 when I was 3 or 4 years old. My older brother and I watched it all the time.
Then we got in trouble, because we didn't have that "magic screen" that you would put over the TV screen so you could trace the clues with crayons to solve the mystery. So we just drew with crayon right on the TV screen. My parents LOVED that (not).
Actually, they went out and bought us the Winki Dink kit so we wouldn't do that any more.
TV has become unwatchable because of the number of commercials CONSTANTLY interrupting the flow of the programs, yet they continue to whine and moan about a reduced revenue stream.
I’m well into a bio of William Paley (CBS honcho for ages). Interesting. Have in my bookshelf to read a bio of Sarnoff, the NBC builder. Allen DuMont looks interesting.
Seriously, marketers know that consumers will readily buy a product at a certain price point. Too high and few buy. Too low and people view it as cheap and not worth it. Television exceeded it’s advertising commercial “price point” years ago.
I grew up watching TV. It was the only game in town. I have long ago given up on TV. I simply cannot endure the seemingly endless commercials.
And while you are at it, you might also enjoy checking out the old press barons and movie moguls.
Never been a bigger collection of amoral manipulators -- albeit interesting ones.
The vulgarity of American television is breathtaking. Cable and dish programming is a sewer of ideas. Sports announcing is moronic (try the Super Bowl without sound, you will enjoy it more). Network news is a cacophany of screams and devoid of intelligent content. Perhaps the American public is coming to realize that if it can live without the daily paper, it can live without TV.
Yes. All to do in my continuing research into the history of the MSM. I want to know how we got to where we are today. And what to do to fix it.
Individual suggestions for books/articles greatly appreciated.
walt
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