TelevisionWeek back issues from January 2009:
Meh-h-h-h-m-m-m-rie-e-e-e-e-s.(television )(Essay)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Michele Greppi The Insider's love affair with television developed relatively late in life. For four Air Force brats who spent three formative years in Germany, English-language TV was often unavailable. And it would be years before a sense of irony would ...
TV Needs Roosevelt, Not Carter's Malaise.
Jan 05, 2009 ... The words of the president who led the United States out of the Great Depression should be an inspiration not only to the incoming Barack Obama administration, but to television executives as well. It's easy to lose sight of our strengths when the news media do their job as well ...
Online Success Does Not Equal On-Air Success.(Brief article)
Jan 05, 2009 ... `The Office,' `Grey's Anatomy,' `Family Guy' The top three television shows on the Web for the fall 2008 TV season, as measured by user growth and audience engagement. `Grey's Anatomy' The one top-three TV show online that also was among Nielsen's top 20 ...
DTV Coupon Boss Faces Last Mile; With Switch Looming, Questions Persist.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Ira Teinowitz As crunch time approaches in the country's switch to all-digital television signals, Meredith Atwell Baker is in the middle of the maelstrom. As the person heading up the coupon program subsidizing converter boxes for analog TV owners at risk of ...
NBC Polishes Globes to Sell Last Ad Spots; Network Trying to Revive Awards in Wake of "08 Strike.
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Jon Lafayette A year after the Golden Globe Awards were disrupted by the Writers Guild of America strike against the Alliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers, NBC expects the awards show to be a hit again with sponsors as well as viewers. Last year, ...
Election Keeps Cable Soaring; News Nets See Year-to-Year Growth in '08.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Michele Greppi The long and hard-fought presidential election proved to be the gift that kept on giving for cable news channels in 2008, with all enjoying year-to-year ratings growth. After Barack Obama's historic presidential victory, ratings began to return ...
High Stakes in Cable Standoff; Viacom, TWC Settle After Ugly Dispute.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette Time Warner Cable's decision to pay Viacom more to carry networks including MTV and Nickelodeon demonstrates that when programmers and cable operators fight over money, it's the pipeline that feels the pinch first and faces more downside risk. ...
NBC, TAKE HEED; Network's Four Fall Premieres Join Fox's `Do Not Disturb' Among Top 5 Worst Shows.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Josef Adalian "Do Not Disturb'' may have had a short life, but it made a big impression on critics. The three airings Fox gave its hotel-set comedy were enough to convince participants in TelevisionWeek's semiannual Critics Poll to declare it the worst show ...
Going to Extremes; AMC's `Mad Men' Leads Way Amid Killers, Vampires, Out-There Comedies.(American Movie Classics Company L.L.C.)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Josef Adalian TV critics and Emmy voters don't always see eye to eye, but when it comes to the delights of Don Draper, the two camps are completely copacetic. Avoiding any signs of a sophomore slump, AMC's "Mad Men''which in September snagged the drama series ...
Globes Ready to Shine Again; Awards Dodge Threat of SAG Strike.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Sergio Ibarra The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's annual Golden Globe Awards is one of the earliest major prizes to measure the artistic merit of the new fall TV series. Last year, the HFPA gave its top TV laurel to AMC's "Mad Men,'' which later went on ...
NEWS BRIEFS.(Deborah Taylor Tate, NFL Ratings, commemorative stamps, Kyle XY premiere)
Jan 05, 2009; ... FCC Bids Farewell to Commissioner Tate Departing FCC Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate was saluted last week by fellow commissioners at her final Federal Communications Commission meeting before she departs the agency. Ms. Tate, who got a recess appointment to the commission by ...
Participating critics.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Marc Allan, Nuvo Newsweekly; Michael Ausiello, Entertainment Weekly; Victor Balta, Comcast.net; Anne Louise Bannon, YourFamilyViewer.com; Walt Belcher, Tampa (Fla.) Tribune; David Bianculli, TVWorthWatching.com/NPR's "Fresh Air''; Hal Boedeker, Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel; Jeremy D. Bonfiglio, ...
POLISHING UP THE CRYSTAL BALL.(predictions for show business in 2009)
Jan 05, 2009; ... Byline: Josef Adalian I should know better. A year ago at this time, while working for Daily Variety, I joined my colleague Michael Schneider in coming up with a list of eight predictions for 2008. Among our in-print forecasts: The Olympics would be a pop-culture ...
Blink.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Pepsi, Beckham Part Ways After a Decade After 10 years, Pepsi won't be bending it with David Beckham anymore. The soft drink behemoth and the celebrity soccer star agreed to part ways last week, a decision both sides described in statements as mutual. But Pepsi's decision to ...
Cable-Station Sparring Spikes; Broadcasters Looking to Retrans-Consent Fees for New Revenue.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Michele Greppi After a 2008 full of brinksmanship and bullying between television stations and the cable operators that carry their signals, 2009 may shape up as the jittery calm before a bigger political storm over retransmission consent. More than 50% of ...
A Ferocious Few Fight for Fall Flight.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski New first-run syndication offerings are few for fall 2009 as syndicators remain cautious about what stations are able to afford in tough economic times. Despite this, major distributors are preparing several important titles for the ...
2008-09 Autopsy: how freshmen fared; `Deal,' `Doctors' Emerge Ahead of the Rest.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski Nearing the halfway point of the season, NBC Universal Domestic Television's "Deal or No Deal'' and CBS Television Distribution's "The Doctors'' are quickly pulling ahead of the freshman first-run daily syndication pack for 2008. "Deal'' and ...
`Wendy' Passes the Syndie Test of Time; After a Solid Summer Trial Run, "The Wendy Williams Show'' Team Is Psyched for Success.
Jan 05, 2009 ... After a successful six-week test run during the summer, Debmar-Mercury's "The Wendy Williams Show'' is being sold to stations nationally for 2009-10, which is shaping up as a light season for new original syndicated programming. "Wendy Williams'' executive producer Rob Dauber said that ...
Investment Tip for '09: Branded Video; Web Shows Created by Brands Keep Consumers Coming Back.
Jan 05, 2009 ... Byline: Daisy Whitney It may not be as catchy as Year of the Rat or Year of the Dragon, but I'm declaring 2009 the year of branded Web video. I'm not just talking about brand integrationi.e., product placementin a Web series, though I think that category will continue ...
`Ellen,' `Wilkos' see year-to-year gains; "Oprah,' "Dr. Phil' Not So Lucky to Date.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski While talk shows aren't immune to the ratings declines being seen in syndication, some standouts, including Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution's "The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' and NBC Universal Television Distribution's "The Steve Wilkos Show,'' ...
Syndie Ad Sales Stay Strong in Soft Market; Packaged Goods, Pharmaceutical Clients Help Soften Impact of Economic Downturn.
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Jon Lafayette Syndication is holding up well in the advertising market, partly because many of its key sponsors are in categories that haven't been creamed by the economy. "I can't speak for everybody, but we're less dependent on the industries that are ...
Can iPhone Save Local TV News?
Jan 12, 2009 ... Last week ABC News started offering text and video reports from the network and its owned stations for free on iPhones, joining CBS News, which lets citizen journalists upload videos of news on the street using their iPhones with the Eyemobile application. One of the reasons ...
Corrections.(Correction notice)
Jan 12, 2009 ... In "Globes Ready to Shine Again,'' (TelevisionWeek, Jan. 5), Mary Hart of "Entertainment Tonight'' was misidentified in the caption for a photo from last year's Golden Globes presentation. In "A Ferocious ...
Critics Have Harsh Words for Networks; TVWeek Poll Solicited Advice for Executives, and Got Plenty.
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Josef Adalian The people who get paid to watch TV probably would prefer to pretend the last four months never happened. Always a surly lot, the nation's TV criticswhose semiannual press tour kicks into high gear this week in Los Angelesare disappointed, if ...
DTV Switch Delay Needs to Happen.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Barack Obama may not be president yet, but he showed the kind of leadership the media industry needs last week by asking for a delay of the planned Feb. 17 switch to all-digital television broadcast signals. The current administration should heed his call and put the brakes on the DTV ...
SELECT NEW AND RETURNING SERIES.(Brief article)
Jan 12, 2009 ... January (*Denotes new series) Friday, Jan. 2 Miss America: Countdown to the Crown (TLC) Saturday, Jan. 3 *Game Show in My Head (CBS) *Treasure Hunter (Travel) Sunday, Jan. 4 *Confessions of a Teen ...
"Idol' Sharpening Its Appeal to Young Women?
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: SERGIO Ibarra "American Idol's'' addition of fourth judge Kara DioGuardi marks one of the biggest changes to date for the competition reality series, debuting its eighth season Tuesday and Wednesday at 8 p.m. on Fox. Although touted as a move to invigorate the series ...
Playing a DTV Waiting Game; TV Stations Brace for Costs, Hassles.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Ira Teinowitz With the Feb. 17 switch to all-digital television signals heading for a delaymost likely until JuneTV stations are contending with a whole new world of uncertainties and potential costs. When President-elect Barack Obama last week called for a ...
Q2 Ad Options Deadline Near; Networks Holding the Line on Pricing.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Brian SteinbergAdvertising Age Despite troubled times and ratings erosion, many of the broadcast networks are holding firm to the terms of their upfront advertising deals and are unwilling to offer price concessions, according to ad buyers and network ...
`JUDY' STILL RULES COURT SHOW RATINGS; Viewership Flat in Crowded Genre.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski Little growth has occurred year-to-year in the court genre, ratings-wise, as CBS Television Distribution's "Judge Judy'' continues to run roughshod over the rest of the courtroom programs in syndication. "Judy'' has posted a 4.4 Nielsen Media ...
NEWS BRIEFS.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Credit Suisse Pessimistic About 2009 Ad Spending Credit Suisse on Friday released a more pessimistic forecast for advertising spending in 2009 and lowered its earnings estimates for several major media companies. Analyst Spencer Wang put the firm's new forecast at an 8% decline, ...
Hawaii Primes for DTV Test.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: IRA TEINOWITZ The likelihood that the digital TV switch will be delayed comes as the state of Hawaii plans the biggest test yet of the transition on Jan. 15. While broadcasters in the state say a very small percentage of the population doesn't get TV via ...
"MILLIONAIRE' REVIVAL A GOOD ANSWER FOR ABC.(Who Wants to Be a Millionaire)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Josef Adalian ABC is seriously considering bringing back one of the biggest franchises in modern TV historyand it's about time. If current discussions pan out, the network this summer will mount a primetime revival of "Who Wants to Be a Millionaire,'' the ...
Women's Intuition; Zalaznick Brings Together Experts to Advise NBCU, Clients.(Lauren Zalaznick, NBC Universal)
Jan 12, 2009; ... Byline: Brian Steinberg The principals of the latest marketing agency: Maria Bartiromo, Meredith Vieira, Tori Spelling and Susan Lyne. They, along with 22 other estimable names, including Ogilvy & Mather Chairman-CEO Shelly Lazarus, aren't forming an agency in the ...
WGA Strike Makes Comparisons Tricky; Benchmarks Vary for Midseason Flood of Shows.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette There's a flood of new television programming poised to hit prime-time broadcast television this month compared to last year's paltry, strike-reduced menu. But advertising buyers say they won't be fooled by broadcast ratings that look comparatively goodor ...
Blink.
Jan 12, 2009 ... A New Life for "Wonderland' DirecTV soon may have to change the name of The 101 to PeterBergTV. Last fall, the satellite service generated decent buzzand endless amounts of goodwill among TV fanswhen it aired the third season of Mr. Berg's "Friday Night Lights.'' Now The 101 is ...
Winter Is the New Fall as Debuts Crowd TV; Avoiding Launch Competition Becomes Tough.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Josef Adalian January may turn out to be the cruelest month for TV types this year, with a crush of broadcast and cable premieres threatening to forever change the rules of midseason launches. Networks, particularly on the broadcast side, have long considered ...
Cable Invests in Originals; Economic Woes Lead Networks to Focus on Long Term.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette Despite the failing economy, cable network executives presenting new shows at the Television Critics Association's Winter Press Tour said maintaining spending on original programming is a priority. While tightened belts appeared to have kept some ...
Checking Out `Ellen's' New Look.
Jan 12, 2009 ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution's "The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' is quickly becoming the feel-good story in the syndication talk-show genre. The program is posting year-to-year ratings increases in an environment where staying flat is ...
Brown Holds Court in a Packed Field.(Judge Joe Brown)(Interview)
Jan 12, 2009 ... CBS Television Distribution's "Judge Joe Brown'' entered its 11th season in 2008, holding on to second place in the ratings in the syndicated court show genre for a majority of its run. TVWeek's Andrew Krukowski sat down with "Brown'' executive producer John Terenzio, who joined the show ...
Inauguration Poses a Nightmare for News; Coverage Logistics Riddled With Challenges.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Ira Teinowitz The historic installation of the nation's first African American president is creating unprecedented interest in programming related to Tuesday's inaugurationas well as logistical nightmares for TV news crews. Network and cable news executives ...
MOST BANKABLE SYNDICATED STARS.(List)
Jan 19, 2009 ... With a crumbling economy worrying stations and syndicators, the panel of experts consulted for TelevisionWeek's 2009 Most Bankable Stars of Syndication are putting their money on off-network personalities. This year's list is dominated by off-net stars such as Charlie Sheen, ...
ROLLING DICE ON SYNDIE GAMES; Primetime Hits Look to Expand Domain.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski Quick pace and low budget are the rules producers must play by as more and more game shows make the abbreviated journey from primetime to syndication. Shortened time periods and slimmer syndie budgets are forcing game show executive producers ...
THE PANELISTS.(List)
Jan 19, 2009 ... TelevisionWeek asked five industry insiders to help select the most bankable syndication stars for 2009. Here's a brief look at : Linda Bell Blue "Entertainment Tonight'' executive producer Linda Bell Blue has been with "ET'' for 14 years, also serving as executive ...
Web presence adds competitive boost; Speed Is King in Cutthroat News Race.
Jan 19, 2009; ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski As entertainment newsmagazine shows jockey harder for juicy celebrity scoops, the importance of each competitor's 24/7 Web presence continues to ramp up. It's become practically impossible to embargo news for an over-the-air broadcast, which ...
Katz Backs "Oz' for Syndicated Success; Research Firm Also Touts Off-Net "Mother,' Talk Show "Williams'.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski Among the thin lineup of fresh programming heading into syndication next year, Sony Pictures Television's "Dr. Oz,'' with its Oprah-backed pedigree, is getting a hearty recommendation from TV consulting firm Katz Television Group. According ...
Putting a Fresh Spin on Veterans.
Jan 19, 2009 ... CBS Television Distribution's "Wheel of Fortune'' and "Jeopardy!'' have stood the test of time for nearly a quarter of a century, enduring as kings of the syndicated game show genre. With "Fortune'' hitting its 26th season, and "Jeopardy!'' in its 25th, TelevisionWeek reporter Andrew ...
`TMZ' Turns a TV Genre on Its Head.
Jan 19, 2009 ... In its second season, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution's "TMZ'' has been able to make its presence felt in the competitive genre of entertainment newsmagazine shows. Currently, "TMZ'' is third in the genre in household ratings behind newsmagazine juggernaut "Entertainment ...
TCA Notes.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Josef Adalian The winter press tour of the Television Critics Association brought a handful of programming announcements from broadcast networks. While the event did inspire a few swipes between rival network chiefs, executives for the most part avoided ...
Return of "Idol' a Win for Darnell; Fox Exec, Pleased With Ratings, Has Surprises in Store.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Fox's Mike Darnell is breathing again. After months of nervous anticipation, the network's president of alternative entertainment finally was able to relaxa bitafter successfully launching the eighth season of "American Idol'' last week. Ratings were down a tad, but in an era of ...
SAG Awards Stay on Track; Union Strife Won't Affect Ceremony.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Sergio Ibarra The Screen Actors Guild may be divided against itself over whether to call a strike vote, but the group is forging ahead toward its annual awards show amid reports that some members are politicizing the event. When last year's Writers Guild of ...
NEWS BRIEFS.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Trifecta Programming Takes a Wild Turn Syndicator Trifecta Entertainment is offering Longneedle Entertainment's "Animal Atlas,'' "Animal Atlas Classics'' and "Safari Tracks'' to stations for fall 2009. Trifecta is packaging the three shows, along with "Jack Hanna's Into the ...
Stations Don't Want to Wait; Managers Believe Digital Delay Would Protract the Pain.
Jan 19, 2009; ... Byline: Andrew Krukowski While a delay in the nationwide transition from analog to digital television signals might help viewers who are still trying to sort out their receivers, the switch to a June date could force even further belt-tightening on the local station side, ...
Blink.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Bright Future Seen for USA; NBC, Not So Much Cable U, the cable programming research company, predicts 2009 will be a big year for USA Network and that sitcoms could trump reality as the ruling genre during the year. Gazing into its cable crystal ball, Cable U said USA's current ...
Busy Towers Proves Power of Nonfiction; Leading Genre Producer Looks to Ride Out Recession.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette Chicago-based Towers Productions, producer of such cable series as "American Justice,'' "Inside 911'' and "Storm Stories,'' is kicking off its 20th year in business with a number of new assignments from Discovery Communications. With the economy ...
NEW CHIEF MUST BRING FCC UP-TO-DATE.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Joseph Adalian Barack Obama has so many crises on his plate, the concerns and troubles of the TV industry seem about as relevant as the Wednesday night lineup on the Reelz Channel. Nonetheless, those of us who care about the state of the small screen can ...
Genachowski May Enhance FCC Clout; Prospective Agency Boss Close to Obama.(Barack Obama on Julius Genachowski as chairman of Federal Communications Commission)
Jan 19, 2009; ... Byline: Ira Teinowitz President-elect Barack Obama's expected appointment of longtime friend Julius Genachowski as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission will put the agency's leader closer to power than any FCC boss in recent administrations. Mr ....
Producer Fine-Tunes Talk Shows.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Carla Pennington, executive producer of "The Doctors'' and "Dr. Phil,'' has both a ratings triumph and concern on her plate. On the one hand, CBS Television Distribution's "The Doctors'' has steadily risen in the ratings since its premiere in September. While NBC Universal's "Deal or No ...
Comcast, Discovery Reach Carriage Deal; Quietly, With Little Drama, Long-Term Agreement Signed.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette Comcast Corp. and Discovery Communications have quietly agreed to a new long-term carriage agreementproving that not all negotiations between cable operators and programmers have to result in the kind of fireworks that Time Warner Cable and Viacom produced ...
ADVERTISERS EAGER TO TAKE PART IN EVENT; EXXON, SPRINT, CISCO SPONSOR CNN'S INAUGURAL COVERAGE.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette After raking in revenues and ratings during the election season, the cable news networks appear set for a last hurrah as Barack Obama is inaugurated as the 44th president of the United States. CNN said Exxon, Sprint and Cisco had signed up for ...
A&E taps research guru; Marans Joins Cable Group as Senior VP.
Jan 19, 2009 ... Byline: Jon Lafayette As A&E Television Networks gears up for the upfront advertising market, it has hired noted research executive David Marans. Mr. Marans, previously with ad agency J. Walter Thompson, media agency Mindshare and IAG Research, has been named senior ...
Local TV News on Web: Attack, Attack, Attack!
Jan 19, 2009 ... Difficult times spur the greatest innovations, and television stations are proving the point. The recession is choking off revenue for stations, their newscasts face ever more ratings challenges as young viewers drift to the Web, and local newspapers are challenging their in-market video ...
Regis Stops the Show.(Regis Philbin )(Brief article)
Jan 19, 2009; ... Byline: Tom Gilbert Blink has always heard what a nice guy Regis Philbin is, and director Steve Petersen tells us it's really truehe saw it first-hand. Mr. Petersen's production company, Big Machine Design, was taping a new opening sequence for "Live With Regis and Kelly'' on ...
THE DETAILS.
Jan 19, 2009 ... What: The 2009 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards for broadcast journalism ...
'Idol' Scores, but Challenges Loom.(American Idol)(Brief article)
Jan 19, 2009; ... Byline: SERGIO IBARRA Fox's tweaks to the format of "American Idol" seem to be working for viewers, but the second week of its new season will determine whether the changes create lasting ratings momentum. Its Jan. 13 debut drew an 11.7 rating/28 share in viewers ...