Filed under: Other Reality Shows, Industry, Programming, Pickups and Renewals

TLC will begin airing yet another new reality show. This one will capitalize on the fame of NASCAR by following the lives of several wives of famous NASCAR drivers. Between this and the animated Jeff Foxworthy show, NASCAR would certainly be a household name if it weren’t already.

It’s interesting how they’re trying to combine the male-skewing genre of NASCAR with the female-skewing genre of the “wives” reality-TV subculture. It could be seen as an attempt to get a certain type of wife to understand her husband a tiny better. Perhaps now they could go to NASCAR shows together and each recognize their own brand of celebrity.

While I don’t follow it, I have the ability to understand the appeal of NASCAR. Not everybody can play hoops or football at a professional level. However, to drive in NASCAR you only need to be able to drive fast and make lots of turns (mostly left). I’ve seen a myriad of drivers on New Jersey highways that could qualify.

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Industry, Programming, Animation, Children, Ratings, Reality-Free

I’m just full of Disney news (or full of something) this week, aren’t I? On Monday I asked the question of what happened to the Playhouse Disney schedule. This time around I’m going to talk about the entire Disney Channel. Not just the cable network, but the website as well. For both are tops in their respective outlets.

Well, tops when it comes to kids programming — an area of entertainment that continues to grow on a daily basis. For 2008, Disney Channel was top of the heap in a number of areas. Not only was primetime programming number one for viewers ages 6-14, but the premiere of the network’s newest musical, Camp Rock (which introduced us to Demi Lovato), became cable’s top entertainment broadcast of the year. Cable’s top animated debut also went to Disney Channel with the premiere of Phineas and Ferb.

Continue reading Disney Channel gets top marks across multiple media

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Industry, Hardware, Reality-Free

If I were a cable company, I’d have mixed feelings about this. LG is working with Netflix to sell televisions that directly stream movies to the set via an Internet connection.

This is yet another step in guaranteeing that nobody will use the cable companies to watch movies anymore. No wonder HBO, etc. have long since gotten into the business of original content.

I’m not sure how successful this formula will be, considering there’s still a monthly service fee involved with the use of Netflix. Perhaps they could change their pricing model for the purchase of one of these LG TVs. I’d have issue with paying for cable, Internet and monthly motion picture rentals particularly when so many TVs can now be directly hooked up to a computer.

I’d like to think that this is the beginning of the all-in-one TV, which along with being flat and pretty light will have built-in wi-fi, a PVR including Blu-Ray (or whatever the future generation recording technology is) and an ice cream maker.

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Other Drama Shows, Other Comedy Shows, News, Industry, Programming, OpEd, American Idol, The Daily Show, Festivus, Celebrities, Eli Stone, Reality-Free, The Massive Bang Theory

Welcome back from your humongous hangover. I just wanted to let you know that you are now in 2009 — a fresh new year that we should look forward to. However, since you are a common citizen of Earth, you don’t look ahead to a future. Instead, you look to the bleak and bloated year that has now passed.

That’s why they invented “Best and Worst” lists for the previous year. It gives you a opportunity to remember last year’s crap, get angry, proceed to get drunk, pass out, wake up, and forget it’s a new year again. At that point, you get angry again. It’s a vicious cycle and we love it! With that, here’s my “Best and Worst” list for 2008.

Continue reading Ideal and Worst of 2008: Rich’s List

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Industry, Programming, Ratings, Reality-Free

This should comes as no surprise to anybody: Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve With Ryan Seacrest was the most-watched TV special on New Year’s Eve. The ABC special beat out Carson Daly on NBC.

Dick Clark has been doing these specials since I was a kid (they started in 1972) and I like so many others thought he’d be doing it forever due to his immortal nature. I’m beginning to suspect that the theories that he’s, in fact, a robot might be untrue. Obviously the torch will eventually be passed to Mr. Seacrest (whose name now adorns the title of the show),

ABC should run a promotion stating that each year “could be Dick Clark’s last year”. That could boost ratings. On the other hand, it looks like they don’t need the boost. The question is: when Dick is finally put out to pasture, will viewers abandon the sole host Ryan and start watching Carson?

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Industry, Programming, OpEd, Cable/Satellite, Ratings, Reality-Free

Everybody’s been boo-hooing the ongoing decline in the ratings of the broadcast networks for years now. Each year their numbers erode and the news outlets go crazy trying to figure out what’s going on. But there’s been a quieter story building during that same timespan, and it really came to the forefront this year. While the major broadcast networks have seen a drop in viewers, the cable networks have been busting ratings records all year, culminating with USA not only having the ideal year of any cable channel in 2008, but having the ideal year in the history of cable television.

But what does that mean for television, in general? Is it just the continuing evolution of a drastically changing medium? Considering the say of the economy and its impact on the networks, it’s definitely worth noting that someone on the airwaves is apparently doing something right, and it’s these cable channels. Ironically, many of those same success stories in cable are sister stations to the broadcast networks, even going so far as to lend them shows during that pesky writer’s strike. But how can it be that while the Massive Four are going down, the cable networks are on the rise?

Continue reading Top Television Stories of 2008: The rise of the cable networks

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Industry, Programming, Reality-Free

After a much publicized battle, Time Warner Cable and Viacom have settled their dispute. For the new year, Time Warner Cable subscribers can enjoy such channels as Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, VH1 or (God help them) MTV.

I didn’t see this going any other way. If Viacom withheld its (very popular) line-up of channels from TWC, both of them would lose a valuable revenue stream. This isn’t a good idea in such an economy where people lose their jobs; I’ve learned that when the income stops coming in for most households, the first thing to go is cable TV. This is not the case for me because the first thing to go in my home in such a situation would be the groceries (no way am I giving up Stephen Colbert).

At least subscribers can now enjoy such greats as Spongebob Squarepants, South Park, The Daily Show and The Colbert Report. Sadly it means they’ll also have to put up with The Hills.

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Industry, OpEd, Reality-Free

If you were hoping the Screen Actors Guild would be able to rise above the fray and destroy the networks’ heads with a mighty swipe of their superbly manicured hands, then keep hoping. Christmas is over and Santa has come and gone. Ask him next year.

The SAG’s latest tactical move against the money grubbing networks is to oust their own negotiators.

If this were a military theater, we would be calling this a case of “friendly fire.”

Continue reading Is SAG about to kick themselves in the head?

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Late Night, Industry, Programming, OpEd, Music and Variety, Talk Show

It comes in just under the wire, but one 2008’s late breaking stories might prove to be one of the most influential. About a month ago, NBC gave Jay Leno the 10 PM slot every weeknight starting next fall. That’s a pretty bold move. If the NBC gamble works, it could mean significant changes for the television industry as we know it. It’s also a sign that NBC is in deep trouble.

NBC has been in fourth place for a while now among broadcast networks. While they have their share of returning hits (30 Rock and The Office), their new shows for 2008 have been a disaster. Even second season dramas like Heroes and Chuck have been hemorrhaging viewers. And with ER finally giving up the ghost this May, it’s a brilliantly easy move to just shift Leno to 10 PM.

Continue reading Top Television Stories of 2008: Leno moves to 10 PM

Share This

Share This

Filed under: Industry, Programming, OpEd, Cable/Satellite, News and Gossip

Have been itching for a fix of South Park, Spongebob or Bonanza?

Well, bite down on some leather, drink plenty of fluids, and get ready for some long nights of withdrawal, because Viacom is pulling 18 channels off the air from all of Time Warner Cable’s outlets in protest over their recent carriage fee raises.

That means if you’re a TWC customer and a fan of anything on Comedy Central, VH1, Spike, Nickelodeon, Logo, CMT or (if you’re totally blind and deaf) MTV, you’re boned.

Continue reading Viacom going black on Time Warner Cable

Share This

Share This