Free Republic

Much of the talk in the sports media world last fall centered on whether an effective competitor would step up to compete with ESPN. ESPN had just outbid Fox by $100 million to secure the rights to college football’s Bowl Championship Series through 2014, thanks mainly to its dual revenue stream that has cable and satellite operators making a monthly payment of more than $4 per subscriber for the channel. At the time, some sports league executives were fearful that ESPN would become a de facto monopoly that eventually would wind up driving the cost of sports rights down. If...

With the news that Oprah Winfrey may take her daily talk show away from broadcast affiliates and to her own OWN cable network, that got us wondering: should Glenn Beck, now the #2 show on cable despite airing in he afternoons, be Oprah's syndicated replacement? Beck is well-rounded. Between his #1 best-selling books and comedy shows he's a three-dimensional talent that could easily adapt to daytimes. He could also use his radio audience to promote to local affiliates. Just yesterday, the New York Times reported novelists are considering Beck to be the "New Oprah," when it comes to endorsing political...

THE END OF 'OPRAH' AS WE KNOW HER: Daytime Diva Giving Up Syndicated Talk Show & Moving To Her Cable Network In 2011 EXCLUSIVE: One of the biggest questions in the TV biz has been when, and even if, Oprah Winfrey would give up her daytime syndicated talk show to focus on OWN, her long delayed Oprah Winfrey Network in 70 million homes that was supposed to launch in place of the Discovery Health Channel as a joint venture between Winfrey and Discovery Communications. The industry has been betting that the daytime diva would extend The Oprah Winfrey Show for...

Barbara Walters will sit down with former Vice Presidential candidate and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin for a five-part series of ABC News interviews to begin airing on "Good Morning America" Nov. 17, the morning her highly anticipated book "Going Rogue: An American Life" is released. The wide-ranging interview will cover her public life as Governor of Alaska and her Vice Presidential run in 2008, as well as her private life. This is Walters' first interview with the political figure.(continued)

Imagine this. At a time of political turmoil, a charismatic, telegenic new leader arrives virtually out of nowhere. He offers a message of hope and reconciliation based on compromise and promises to marshal technology for a better future that will include universal health care. The news media swoons in admiration. The public is likewise smitten, except for a few patriots who circulate disturbing rumors on the Internet about the leader's origins and intentions. The leader, undismayed, offers assurances that are soothing, if also just a tiny bit condescending: "Embracing change is never easy." So, does that sound like anyone...

I made this as soon as I heard the remake of the old "V" mini-series goofs somewhat on Obama's galactic personality cult. Feel free to spread this virally and contribute your own versions. I could definitely see Michelle swallowing a few hampsters.

With the noise level rising over consumers possibly paying a fee for TV shows online, now comes a report that iTunes is considering an all-you-can eat $30-a-month TV service. A new subscription service would turn iTunes into a pseudo cable and satellite TV operator -- a company that charges monthly fees for traditional TV/cable networks. The difference is that iTunes service would be sans advertising. Shows would not be distributed via linear networks -- but, as iTunes does now, by program. The story was first reported in AllThingsD.com. Apple's iTunes Stores is the original digital video Internet service, launching with...

Violence against women has increased on TV programs, according to a new study by the Parents Television Council. “Women in Peril: A Look at TV’s Disturbing New Storyline Trend” found that incidents of violence against women and teenage girls increased 120 percent on television in the in the past five years, while overall violence on primetime broadcast entertainment programs increased only 2 percent in the same time period. Violent incidents against teen girls on television programs increased 400 percent since 2004. Television programs depicted violence or the “graphic consequences of violence” toward women 92 percent of the time, compared to...

Local TV teeters as staff, anchors are axed As a top anchor in Los Angeles, John Beard worked during the heyday of local TV news -- covering earthquakes, riots and the occasional celebrity on the loose. Beard was a familiar presence on L.A. TV screens for 30 years, via lead anchor roles on KNBC and then KTTV. But three decades after arriving on the West Coast from Buffalo, Beard is back where he started, anchoring a morning newscast in that small western New York community. Beard had a great run in the nation's No. 2 market -- but his exit...

Soupy Sales died at age 83 yesterday. He hosted an afternoon kiddie show that reached its height of popularity in the mid-1960s. He was totally unlike other kids-show hosts of that, or any other, era. He wasn’t soft-spoken, like Mr. Rogers; he wasn’t grandfatherly, like Captain Kangaroo; he didn’t want to teach you anything, like Mr. Wizard. What Soupy was was a unique combination of silly and hip. He mixed slapstick with self-conscious irony. He was forever getting a pie thrown in his face. He talked to puppets, especially two — White Fang and Black Tooth — that were really...

You'll be able to watch popular cable television series such as HBO's "Entourage" and AMC's "Mad Men" on your computer by the end of the year without paying extra — as long as you're a Comcast Corp. subscriber watching at home. Comcast will be the first cable TV operator to unlock online access to a slate of valuable cable shows and movies, aiming to replicate what's available on television through video on demand. Time Warner Cable Inc. and others plan to follow as the pay-TV companies look to satisfy growing consumer appetite for online video while preserving subscription revenue. Access...

Fox talking head Glenn Beck has White House communications director Anita Dunn in his crosshairs, but the administration isn't exactly sweating. "I caught some of that from the Glenn Beck show yesterday, but I don't think anybody takes it—takes his attacks very seriously," the deputy White House press secretary said today of Beck's vitriolic reaction to a video in which Dunn says Mao Zedong is one of her "favorite political philosophers." "We go day to day in this White House trying to ensure that people know the truth about the policies and programs and positions that the president holds, and...

George Stephanopoulos will be the primary substitute for Diane Sawyer when she becomes anchor of “World News” next year, expanding his already formidable command of the airways as ABC’s chief Washington correspondent and anchor of “This Week.” “As Diane Sawyer prepares to assume her new role at ‘World News,’ George Stephanopoulos is also expanding his duties,” a network official said. “It’s just been established that George will be Diane’s primary substitute on 'World News.' In addition, he will also be at her side on set for all major ABC News special events coverage.” Stephanopoulos has made his George’s Bottom Line...

Miss America officials have decided to kill off their beauty pageant. That's not what they're saying, but you tell me what it means when a beauty pageant that professes to champion America's young women issues a news release with "Rush" and "thrilled" in the same sentence: "We are thrilled to have Rush join us for our pageant this year," said the Miss America Organization's president and CEO, Art McMaster. "We know that the 2010 Miss America Pageant will be filled with new twists and exciting opportunities with him as one of our national judges." No, he's not talking about the...

WASHINGTON - Fox News Channel types were ready to rumble Tuesday and are eagerly awaiting the next White House salvo. Fox cable biggies Glenn Beck and Bill O’Reilly could hardly contain their delight at being labeled GOP shills Sunday by Obama administration Communications Director Anita Dunn, a charge that will likely prove a big ratings booster for the Rupert Murdoch-owned outlet. "They’re more worried about the war on Fox than the actual war in Afghanistan," Beck crowed on his show. "Anita, do enjoy the show."

For media, this is the best of times and the worst. The best because the cost to publish news, make a video or distribute a song has never been lower. But also the worst because it's hard to find a company, new or old media, that has emerged with a sustainable business model. Consumers are left wondering how much longer their favorite sources of news and entertainment will be around. The most recent stark contrast was between the $1 billion valuation for pre-revenue startup Twitter and the shutdown of the iconic Gourmet magazine. A new book provocatively entitled "The Curse...

It's the end of the road for drama "Southland," which has been canceled before the launch of its sophomore season. Production on the John Wells-produced cop series is being shut down after six episodes. "Southland," from Warner Bros. TV, was originally slated to debut in its new Friday 9 p.m. time slot during premiere week, but in August, NBC opted to push the start to Oct. 23 and air "Dateline NBC" in the meantime. "Dateline NBC" will now continue to run in the Friday 9 p.m. hour. It is not clear when the six produced new episodes of "Southland" will...

"D'oh!" doesn't even start to cover it. Marge Simpson -- the blue beehived matriarch of America's most loved dysfunctional family - is Playboy magazine's November cover, the magazine said on Friday. Simpson, tastefully concealing her assets behind a signature Playboy Bunny chair, is the first cartoon character ever to front the glossy adult magazine, joining the ranks of sex symbols like Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford. Playboy said the cover celebrates the 20th anniversary of the "The Simpsons." Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie have already been honored this year with a set of U.S. postal stamps. The magazine promises...

Popularity has dipped 8 percent since MayDavid Letterman may have ticked off more than just his wife by revealing his indecent liaisons with "Late Show" staffers. A new poll says that 29 percent of Americans are less likely to tune in to Letterman's shtick following his admission that he had affairs with woman who work for him. The Rasmussen Reports telephone survey, however, found that five percent of those polled thought that the naughty misdeeds made them even more likely to watch the show, and 63 percent say their viewing decisions have been unaffected. Dave's popularity ratings in general...

But, alas, it's not viewers returning to broadcast Typically, the cable networks see their ratings rise in the summer as they roll out new and returning original series, at a time when the broadcast networks are running either repeats or reality series, with their ratings well down from the regular season. But how does cable fare when the broadcast networks break out their new shows in the fall? It's an interesting question, and at first glance it would appear they’re suffering as viewers swing back over to broadcast, where there are a number of new shows that could become breakout...

Cannot post due to copyright issues: http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/10/column-in-defense-of-glenn-beck-.html

The chairman of Universal Pictures Marc Shmuger and David Linde, have been ousted from the studio, in the latest sign that parent General Electric Co. has tired of disappointing results at much of its NBC Universal entertainment arm. After three and a half years, Shmuger and Linde have been replaced by Adam Fogelson, who had been Universal's head of marketing, according to Universal. Production president Donna Langley will serve as co-chairwoman, reporting to Fogelson. The move comes at a time when GE is in talks with Comcast Corp. about selling a 51% stake in NBC Universal to the cable operator....

A recent shift in merchandising strategy by the world's largest retailer spells more trouble for DVD sales and the entertainment industry that depends on them for profits. As part of a larger effort to clean up its aisles and appeal to higher-end shoppers, Wal-Mart is doing away with display cases to promote the latest hot movie titles. The move comes as major film studios are reeling from declines in revenue from DVD sales as cash-strapped consumers turn to low-cost rental services and digital downloads for home movies. "We think the new strategy implies Wal-Mart no longer sees DVDs and Blu-ray...

On Fox News Sunday, with substitute host Bret Baier, GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham was asked whether Glenn Beck represents the Republican party. "No," was Graham's answer, adding, "It's not the kind of political analysis I buy into." Then later on CNN's State of the Union with John King, which, about the broadcast network Sunday shows likes to use that dismissive line: "we watch so you don't have to," the husband-wife, left-right team of James Carville and Mary Matalin weighed in on what Beck means. Matalin's analysis was measured and thoughtful; Carville's was, not surprisingly, a bit more blunt: "I think...

A deal to merge General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal into a new joint venture with Comcast Corp.'s cable networks might solve pressing needs for both companies. But a number of financial and legal issues still hang over the talks, which are still at an early stage. While both sides hope to complete a deal, people familiar with the matter give the transaction "50-50" odds of coming together. In the deal under discussion, Comcast would contribute cash and its cable networks to NBC Universal for a 51% stake in the expanded company. NBC Universal would borrow money that would be turned...

Looking for a fitting historical analogy to describe the current "cable wars?" Try the firebombing of Dresden. Fox News has been dominating its competitors now for some time, but the latest round of Abritron ratings shows FNC absolutely scorching rivals CNN and MSNBC: (Chart at link) As you can see, every show in the top ten is from Fox News, as are 13 out of the top 15. In fact, only one of Fox News' fourteen programs is ranked below #15 in the ratings. That show is Red Eye, which airs from 3-4am - and it still pulls in more...

Brian Roberts built Comcast Corp. into the world's largest cable company by being a visionary who has kept the company on the vanguard of phone, broadband and television technology. But his strategies indicate he's still worried that the Internet could one day become one of the leading forms of television distribution. That is one reason why he is determined to buy more cable channels and other content -- a strategy that has moved him from his failed effort to take over Walt Disney Co. in 2004 to his current interest in buying a piece of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal....

Cable giant Comcast Corp. is weighing a potential deal involving General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal, according to people familiar with the matter, adding intrigue to the fate of the movie-and-television company. Comcast has held talks with GE, which owns 80% of NBC Universal, according to the people. It isn't clear if the discussions will lead anywhere. The future of NBC Universal has been the subject of speculation for weeks, as French conglomerate Vivendi SA mulls possibilities for its 20% stake. Each year, Vivendi has an option to force a sale of its stake to GE or to public investors. As...

IAB figures show that of the total £1.75bn spent on internet advertising, £1.05bn, or 60%, was spent on search advertising on websites including Google. The UK has become the first major economy where advertisers spend more on internet advertising than on television advertising, with a record £1.75bn online spend in the first six months of the year. The milestone marks a watershed for the embattled TV industry, the leading ad medium in the UK for almost half a century. It has taken the internet little more than a decade to become the biggest advertising sector in the UK. UK advertisers...

YOU’RE A prudent parent, and you protect your children from behavior that is needlessly risky or harmful. You don’t let them ride a bicycle without putting on a helmet. You wait with them for the school bus, or drive them to school yourself. You wouldn’t dream of letting them drink alcohol, and if you caught them with cigarettes, you’d go through the roof. So why do you let them watch so much TV? For turning brains into mush, you can’t do better than television. The “vast wasteland’’ Newton Minow deplored in 1961 is infinitely vaster now - a largely unrelieved...

Notorious "Wife Swap" star selling San Francisco homeThe most hated husband in America is packing his bags and leaving his San Francisco home. Noe Valley resident Stephen Fowler became a YouTube sensation and the object of ridicule at the same time after he was featured in an episode of "Wife Swap." Fowler became famous after he called a rural Missouri woman spending two weeks in his San Francisco home stupid and simple on the ABC reality show last January. He was condemned but his own wife and the rest of the reality watching country. And now the pressure of arguably...

The surprise hit "Inglourious Basterds" appears to have breathed some life into Weinstein Co., but the independent movie studio is still facing a serious cash squeeze. Several people familiar with the finances of the company, founded by independent film producers Harvey and Bob Weinstein, said it needs a fresh capital infusion or successive box-office blockbusters to ease the growing pressure. snip The four-year-old film company has burned through most of the roughly $1.2 billion in debt and equity financing raised for its launch in 2005, these people said. Now, these people said, the company likely has to do one of...

They looked marvelous and gave us one elegant thrill after another! The 61st annual Primetime Emmy Awards were dominated by Mad Men, 30 Rock and a whole host of classically coiffured stars, creatively couturing themselves in glamorous gowns and edgy ensembles. Blake Lively floated down the red carpet in her sexy red Versace gown. Olivia Wilde looked fabulous in a mint green Marchesa chiffon gown.

Obama missed chance to set ‘Full Ginsburg’ record The "Full Ginsburg" refers to an appearance by one person on five major television Sunday morning interview shows on the same day. While Monica Lewinsky’s lawyer, William Ginsburg, was the first person to accomplish the task others have completed the 'Full Ginsburg'. By not including the Fox network, Obama missed the chance to set a new record. If the talker-in-chief had included Fox, the 'Full Ginsburg Plus One' would present a formidable challenge to any future president.

For much of 2008, the TV cognoscenti assumed that Katie Couric would be anywhere but in the “CBS Evening News” anchor chair by now But despite some of the lowest ratings in the newscast’s history, she says she will remain there until her contract expires in 2011. Borrowing from Mark Twain, she said cheerfully in a recent interview, “I think reports of my death were greatly exaggerated.”

If there was a theme running through the 61st Annual Primetime Emmy Awards, broadcast Sept. 20 on CBS, it was one of wry desperation. From host Neil Patrick Harris' opening number--with its chorus imploring "Don't touch that remote!"--to Tina Fey's, tongue-in-cheek "thank you" to NBC Universal executives for keeping 30 Rock "on the air even though we are so much more expensive than a talk show," this year's Emmys played like an elegy to a dying business model. Mathew Wiener, the creator and executive producer of AMC's Mad Men, which took home its second consecutive Emmy for outstanding drama series,...

A provocative full-page newspaper ad from Fox News drew heated reactions from its rivals today and one demand that The Washington Post apologize for running it. Over photos of protesters gathering for an "anti-tax" rally in Washington last Saturday, the ad asked: "How Did ABC, CBS, NBC, MSNBC and CNN Miss This Story?" The problem with the ad is that the other networks indeed covered the protest, which -- like similar demonstrations across the country -- were heavily promoted by Fox, especially talk show host Glenn Beck. The ad appeared Friday in the Wall Street Journal and New York Post,...

"Rankings for the top 15 programs on cable television networks as compiled by Nielsen Media Research for the week of Sept. 7-13. Days and start times (EDT) are in parentheses:

If Jay Leno Wants Better Reviews He Can Start By Removing the Lapel Flag by John Nolte Critics love David Letterman. They love him because he’s mean and liberal and does everything they demand: further the leftist agenda through the brutal use of humiliation to target any public figure (or their child) who might derail Leftist causes. And contrary to conventional wisdom, Letterman’s not edgy. In fact, he’s just the opposite. Doing exactly what those who can criticize you want you to do is not edgy. Kissing the big Manhattan/Los Angeles bi-coastal ass of the elite is not edgy. He’s...

They said "The Jay Leno Show" wouldn't feel like going to bed really early, that it would feel new. But it's like going to bed really early. It feels old. For a lot of people, "The Jay Leno Show," which premiered Monday in its game-changing 10 o'clock weeknight format, it might feel perfectly comfy. There was an uncomfy moment with a chastened Kanye West, who 24 hours earlier acted like a jerk by interrupting Taylor Swift's acceptance speech at the MTV Video Music Awards. "What would your mom have said about this?" Leno asked the rapper, who sat frozen at...

IN one of the best scenes in “The Hucksters,” one of the best movies about advertising, Sydney Greenstreet, as the demanding client who makes Beautee soap, tells Clark Gable, as a Don Draper-ish adman named Victor Norman, how to peddle his product — or anything else. “Beautee soap, Beautee soap, Beautee soap,” Greenstreet intones. “Repeat it until it comes out of their ears. Repeat it until they say it in their sleep. Irritate them, Mr. Norman. Irritate, irritate, irritate them.” Jay Leno is no soap. And he is certainly no Beautee. But by Monday night, when “The Jay Leno Show”...

Some habits die hard in TV -- even the antiquated ones, like fall premiere week. With so many distractions competing for viewers' time (including an explosion of original cable fare), the thought of trying to cram a crowded plate of new shows down their throat at the same time seems ludicrous. In just one week -- Sept. 21 through 27 -- the broadcasters are stuffing more than 43 new and returning shows. And then there's the several early launches (mostly on the CW and Fox) airing their second or third segs that week, or a handful of shows that make...

I just saw the ad (at link above) on TBS a few minutes ago, while I was watching "King Of Queens". It describes the new George Lopez show on TBS, starting November 2009. President Obama appears on said TV commercial.

Fans of Jay Leno may have high expectations for the comedian's new show beginning Monday night. But in negotiating ad rates, NBC and advertisers have set the bar low. In the weeks leading up to NBC's launch of "The Jay Leno Show," advertisers are buying spots for about half what they'd spend per commercial in new episodes of dramas on competing networks at the same time of night, executives say. snip The number of people watching shows on weeknights between 10 and 11 p.m. on NBC, CBS Corp.'s CBS and Walt Disney Co.'s ABC has declined 23% from three TV...

http://www.abc.com and http://www.cbs.com all show the networks are bowing their knees to their Messiah Hussein. Only at http://www.fox.com shows an entertainment show.

If you're watching more TV on your computer these days -- and less on an actual TV -- you're not alone. A survey by the nonprofit Conference Board released Tuesday showed that nearly a quarter of households in the U.S. now view television programs online. That's up from 20% last year. The quarterly Consumer Internet Barometer survey found that news shows were watched by 43% of online viewers, followed by sitcoms, comedies and dramas, watched by 35%. Slightly less than 20% viewed reality shows online, and 18% took in sports. Viewership of the Hulu online service -- which offers shows...

There is no doubt about it: Network television desperately needs a comeback this fall. A 2008-09 season that produced only one clear new hit and saw several solid veterans slump was followed by a summer in which tumbleweeds could be seen blowing across ratings charts. And all of this happened amidst a whirlwind of well-known challenges, from the floundering economy to audience fragmentation to an increasingly empowered viewer dictating the when and how of consumption. And while every year the white knight known as the upfront marketplace comes galloping majestically along to save the day, in 2009 the broadcast nets...

If the year's first four months defied all expectations for what Hollywood could do in a recession, this summer delivered some sobering reality. Through the end of April, domestic box-office receipts leaped 17% while admissions surged nearly 16% from the previous year, according to Hollywood.com. But as the weather turned hot, business cooled: From May 1 through Aug. 31, attendance was down 2.4% from 2008 and 6% from 2007. Summer box-office revenues rose 1.3%, not even enough to account for ticket price inflation, let alone the premiums charged in a growing number of 3-D theaters. In the midst of the...

President Obama's televised primetime addresses are becoming a tougher sell to the broadcast networks than his sweeping health care reform has been to Middle America. A day after news broke of the president's plan to address a joint session of Congress on health care issues in primetime Wednesday, none of the Big Four networks have said it would carry the address live. Among other things, the nets have been waiting to hear when the address will start, with sources indicating Thursday night that the White House was leaning toward 8 p.m. After a brief honeymoon after Obama's January inauguration, the...

To pen a living as a Hollywood screenwriter has always required fortitude and patience. Given the ratio between number of writers and available work, the odds of success are long. Now it looks like the odds have become a whole lot longer. Thanks to a recession-driven downturn forcing studios to make fewer movies and TV shows, coupled with a screenwriters strike last year that ground production to a halt, the wordsmiths of Hollywood have seen jobs and income evaporate. That's the bleak take-away from the annual financial report of the Writers Guild of America, West, the union that represents about...