Thursday, November 30, 2006

Avalanche of boobs

Robert Feder's column in the Sun-Times this morning featured letters about yesterday's column. But none of them was on Montel Willams DVD project, Upscale Chicago, or even Felicia Middlebrooks' contract extension. It was the last item that trigged the outrage -- a one sentence mention about WFLD-TV morning show anchor Tamron Hall breast implants.

Here comes the Avalanche of hate mail so fast and furious, that retired goaltender Patrick Roy couldn't stop it. (Yes, an NHL reference. And he did play for the Colorado Avalanche.)

But, what you expect from a populace that freaks out when Janet Jackson's exposed breast is on TV for all of one second?

So, what's the big deal? Of course, Tamron Hall is not well-liked in Chicago media circles, as some feel that she was the one who forced Bob Sirott out of the stations' morning show several years ago. (Station management has turned over twice since then.)

Then again, a lot of women -- African-American women in journalism get scrutinized -- more so than anybody else.

Felicia Middlebrooks' and Diann Burns made contract demands in the past, and more recently, WGN-TV's Allison Payne and WMAQ-TV Marion Brooks' bizarre behavior were scrutinized by the print media in this town. All are African-American women.

I read reactions to these issues on local message boards in the past, and most posts were not flattering.

Which makes me wonder -- if the women were white, would this elicit the same response? As an African-American myself, it's natural that I should have these questions, especially in the light of the racist Michael Richards' tirade caught on tape in a L.A. comedy club.

Then again, Ms. Middlebrooks shouldn't have sought out the help of the Rev. Jesse Jackson for her previous contract negotiations (what was she thinking?) or Ms. Payne shouldn't have wrote a check for public television -- on the air -- on Chicago Tonight (for real, what was she thinking?)

I've seen Tamron Hall's work, and IMHO, she's one of the worst-talented news personalities in the market. (Then again, so is most of CLTV's on-air staff. )

Crazy antics by news anchors aren't limited to race, creed, gender, or color. But in an era where a lot of viewers across the nation are fed up with local news, neither is criticism of the personalities.

Wednesday, November 29, 2006

WDJT dumps Victoria, Upscale gets upped

Weigel Broadcasting's WDJT-TV in Milwaukee (also owner of sister station WCIU-TV here in Chicago) announced it was moving next Tuesday's The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show to 12:40am (last item in article), pre-empted for all things, A Billy Graham Special. GM Jim Hall says that the station has received some complaints about Victoria's Secret in the past.

Some people are upset the way the station is run. (We have are own questions about WCIU's sister station, WMME-TV, or ME-TV here. America's Funniest Home Videos and Roseanne as classic TV? Come on!)

In other area TV news, The Sun-Times' Robert Feder reports today that locally produced magazine show Upscale Chicago, is being upgraded to a late Saturday Night time slot on WFLD-TV at midnight, beginning Dec.9. The program is airing out of the popular late-night Fox show Talk Show With Spike Feresten and the syndicated Whacked Out Sports. Upscale had aired on late Thursday nights (Thursday?) on sister station WPWR-TV.

Of course, that is not as interesting as what Feder put at the end of his column. (Talk about Victoria's Secret.)

Tribune Watch: Stay of execution

We won't know the fate of the Tribune Co. this year: Tribune extends its deadline to accept bids for the company through the first quarter of next year.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

T Dog Blog Think Tank: NHL, Hawks, Broadcasters need to get with the program

This is what I posted yesterday in the Comments section of a story about the Chicago Blackhawks firing their head coach:

"Everything about this team SUCKS, including the management. Now I can see why the NHL is behind NASCAR, Golf, and "Deal or No Deal" in popularity in this country. I would rather watch a Britney Spears video than this poor excuse of a "hockey" team."

Ouch!

You'’re probably wondering why I'’m mentioning that the Chicago Blackhawks fired head coach Trent Yawney on this blog. Hawks management actually has something in common with many radio and television executives: they're boobheads.

Consider this:… The Hawks are cheap; media companies like Clear Channel and NBC are cheap. (NBC 2.0, anyone?) The Hawks are owned by a out-of-touch dinosaur who still blackout games on TV; network executives put on programs that we wished were blacked out on TV. Attendance has declined at Hawks games and NHL games in general; audiences are bailing out of broadcast TV and terrestrial radio. NHL games now air on an obscure network; NBC, The CW and MyNetworkTV have become obscure networks. (The latter two rather quickly.) The Hawks made bad decisions regarding players; the networks have made bad programming decisions such as airing too many sound-alike, look-alike, one-name serialized dramas, and Fox with that great idea of an O.J. special, If He Did It. (You know the outcomes of all three scenarios.)

Want more? The Hawks got rid of stars like Chelios, Amonte, Belfour, Roenick, and play-by-play man Pat Foley over the years; the networks got rid of well- written shows like Arrested Development, Futurama, The Bernie Mac Show, and Everwood. Mediocre dreck like Wirtz, Pulford, and Tallon gets to stay; so does Kevin Reilly (NBC), Peter Ligouri (FOX), and Dawn Ostroff (The CW). Hawks management doesn't care about the public; neither does the management at radio and television companies. And so on. And so on. And so on.

And the boobery isn't just limited to the Hawks. I watched all of only two Hawks games this season (and that's all I'm going to watch), and haven'’t kept up with the NHL much lately. That's because of decisions like one made tonight in which Vs. (formerly OLN -- or did you know that already?) slated a doubleheader of hockey games with exclusive coverage -- up against ESPN'’s Monday Night Football, which has dominated the cable ratings all season long. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman should be hit with a Vonage Box for thinking that his sport can outdraw football -- let alone wrestling -- head-to head on Monday Nights. He should be hit with another Vonage Box for moving hockey to OLN from ESPN to begin with.

Of course, there was the lockout in which the owners and Bettman "won"”, one that deprived fans of a Stanley Cup in the 2004-05 season, and an atrocious playoff system that gave us an ultra-lame Stanley Cup Finals in 2006 between the Edmonton Oilers and Carolina Hurricanes, even though it went seven games. Television ratings for this sport have declined to a point where even the now-defunct WB and UPN networks have drawn more viewers.

Maybe the NHL should move from NBC to MyNetworkTV. As the home of mediocre programming, the NHL and the Hawks would fit right in. Yep, a sports league nobody cares about airing on a network nobody watches. (Or is it the other way around?) Maybe with some luck, both will go away. And maybe in the process, take the Blackhawks, its inept management, Bettman, and idiot radio and television executives with you.

Monday, November 27, 2006

Television Blunders

I said I was going to return Tuesday, but I just had to post this... From Sunday's Trib:

O.J. blunder hardly a first for television

And here are some more.. From Mediaweek's Marc Berman (subscription may be required):

TV Turkeys, Part 3

I can go on forever adding to the list of blunders.... USA Today on TV, The Chevy Chase Show, The Geraldo brawl in '88, Mancow TV (remember that? Yes, Mancow had a TV show).... Just goes to show you that everything in life isn't perfect... and the television and radio business is far from perfect.

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

The 2006 T Dog Blog Turkey Awards

Welcome to the first annual T Dog Blog Turkey Awards. We’re here to reward stupidity and simpletonism in the fields of broadcasting and in media in 2006 (so far.) Judging by the long list of winners (or shall we say “losers”? ), 2006 was a busy year for being stupid, ignorant, lame, boring, moronic, etc… You get the point.

So, fire up the grill. Grab a beer. Pull up a chair. Invite that relative over that your significant other can’t stand. Because it’s time to hand out some turkeys.

And this year’s awards go to:

-Michael Richards. What the hell was he thinking? He should have been hit with a Vonage box for what he said onstage at The Laugh Factory in L.A. last Friday Night.

-Jack-FM (WJMK-FM) for letting Jim Belushi take over the station for the day to whore the syndicated rerun premiere of his useless comedy According To Jim on September 18. Useless “comedian” hawking his useless “show” on a useless “radio station“. Sounds good to me!

-Fox, for coming up with that great idea for an O.J. Special, If He Did It.

-Bill O’Reilly. It seems every time he opens his big fat mouth, someone should put a fist in it.

-The Cubs. Just because.

-The creation of the CW and MyNetworkTV, providing us with hours of quality TV, especially The Game, Desire, and Fashion House. Better off if all those stations went back being independent.

-Whomever wrote the first and the last episodes of the fall cycle of this season’s South Park. (Trey Parker, I’m looking at you.)

-Shaggy & Scooby-Doo Get A Clue. Yikes. Whoever thought of this series should get a clue. At least they didn’t bring back Scrappy.

Dennis Byrne’s column. Dewey from Malcolm in the Middle could write better crap than this.

-Survivor’s racial split. Lasting all of two weeks. Like the interest in this show for this season.

-The Blackhawks. Just because.


-Radio-Info.com, for the overall crapiness of their site and for the headline that appeared on the front page of their website, posted by some moron: “Opie and Anthony Out!!! CKG Done!” Yeah. And Dewey defeated Truman too.

-NBC, for their plan to cut jobs and save $750 million and to eliminate scripted shows at 7pm (CT) in a initiative called “NBC 2.0”. Is the 2.0 NBC’s executives IQ?

-Those sleazy political ads that ran in October. Thanks for making TV even more unwatchable.

-The FCC. A one-time respectable non-partisan agency is now nothing more than a right-wing government junket, trying to give mega-corporations the right to buy as many TV and radio stations they want, and claming to protect children from swear words from television. Too bad they are not as interested in protecting children from, oh I don’t know… random gunfire in places like Englewood? The type that took the lives of two innocent girls earlier this year? This is one of the reasons the Democrats swept the elections and took over Congress.

-Whoever thought it was a good idea to add Erica to the Eddie & Jobo show on B 96 (WBBM-FM.) The move lowered the show’s IQ by 60 points. (as if it wasn’t low enough already.)

-MSNBC, for reporting Tom Cruise’s weeding as “Breaking News”.

-Vanished, Kidnapped, Smith, DayBreak, Standoff, and all the similarly named one-word new serialized dramas (except Heroes) that sound alike, talk alike. Another thing they have in common -- nobody’s watching.

-Eddie & Jobo (again) for feeling sorry for Kevin Federline after Britney dumped him and promoting his “concert” at the House Of Blues. Those moves lowered the show’s IQ 20 more points.

-WLIT. Are they an AC station? A disco station? A CHR? Next thing you know, they’ll be playing Snoop Dogg. (By the way, is AC still alive as a format?)

-Delilah‘s nightly radio show. Enough said.

-Lost. After stringing viewers along for too long, “Lost” should get lost.

-Show Me the Money, a new game show hosted by talent repellent William Shanter featuring dancing girls and idiot contestants who talk too much instead of answering the obviously too-easy questions. Please, someone show this crap the door.

-The War At Home. Just because.

-Flashback Weekends on ANY radio station. Nine FM and WLIT need to get fresh ideas.

-And finally, to Wall Street. Thanks for making the companies who own radio and television stations across the country so bland and cookie-cutter, driving the audience to the Internet, satellite radio, DVDs, and other alternative forms of entertainment. And what is the reward? Layoffs, cost-cutting, and the possibility of Chicago losing its only major media company. Thanks a lot.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Monday, November 20, 2006

Murdoch drops O.J. special, book

The chairman of News Corp. pulls the plug on the Fox special and the book after the O.J. Simpson stuff proved too hot to handle.

Here is the official press release directly from News Corporation.

Say It Isn't So, Kramer!

WOW. I'll never look at him the same way again.

Fox affiliates can O.J. special

Fox stations owned by LIN, Pappas, and Prime Cities broadcasting decided not to show the controversial two-part interview featuring O.J. Simpson next Monday and Wednesday nights. The announcement of the special last week caught practically everyone off-guard, as it is being headed up by Mike Darnell, head of "alternative programming" at Fox. This, of course is a major November sweeps stunt. (And you thought sweeps were dead. Think again.)

Meanwhile, it is not likely that the airings will be pulled -- that's because Fox owns stations in ten of the top eleven markets (with San Francisco being the exception), and station managers can't pull network programs off the air because of content (That's generally a rule for all network O&Os, though it's very rare this happens - in 1973, then-CBS O&O in St. Louis, KMOX-TV refused to air Sticks & Stones, a controversial movie about the Vietnam War - a very hot topic at the time.) Network O&O's however, can pre-empt for sports, news programming, or special events. For example, WMAQ-TV here in Chicago usually pre-empts NBC fare in August for Bears pre-season games.

In 1969, ABC turned off raunchy show (at least for that era, anyway) Turn-On after one airing after about 75 ABC stations dropped the show. But back then, there only five ABC O&O's. Fox has 35 owned-and operated stations, which include MyNetworkTV affiliates.

The airing of the O.J. special may also have unattended consequences-- from Democrats on Capitol Hill, who recently took control of Congress. Here's Why.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Former college football coach dies at TV station

The legendary University of Michigan football coach Bo Schembechler collapsed this morning while preparing to tape a program at WXYZ-TV in Detroit. He died later at a Southfield, Mich. hospital. Mr. Schembechler was 77.

This comes a day before one of the biggest football games in the school's history: #1 Ohio State vs. #2 Michigan in Columbus, Ohio.

I saw some video of Mr. Schembechler today speaking at a press conference about the big game earlier this week. He talked about the game and his hatred for Ohio State, as if he was still the coach! (He retired in 1989.) He was fiery and passionate, even toward the end. That is what college football is all about.

Links:

Detroit News: Schembechler,77, collapses while taping TV Show

Detroit Free Press: Bo Schembechler, a U-M coaching legend, dies at 77

WXYZ-TV: Breaking News: Bo Schembechler Dead at 77

Michigan Buzzboard: Bo Schembechler Passes Away

Thursday, November 16, 2006

George Michael Sports Machine to shut down

When you think of the name George Michael, you usually think of the former pop star who ****** himself in a public restroom some years ago.

Well, even before the Wham! star became famous, there was another George Michael -- one who's a respected sports anchor on Washington D.C. television for 26 years and an institution to that market's residents.

It was announced yesterday that George Michael would be stepping down from his nightly anchoring duties and the sports director position at NBC-owned WRC-TV in Washington D.C. on March 1. This also means the cancellation of The George Michael Sports Machine, a satellite-delivered program that ran on Sunday Nights in syndication for years. The show had been syndicated by NBC Universal Television Distribution.

The move comes as NBC Universal is cutting jobs and trying to save $750 million annually. Mr. Michael made the decision after he learned that much of his staff would be cut.

George Michael will not leave the station entirely: According to the Washington Post, he'll continue to host Redskins Report and Full Court Press on WRC, plus he'll continue to conduct live Monday interviews with the Redskins coaching staff.

Trivia: When Group W merged with CBS in 1995, WRC-produced The George Michael Sports Machine became the first program in history to be syndicated by a company owned by a rival network (CBS' Eyemark Entertainment). When CBS bought King World in 1999, it absorbed all Eyemark product into that company. Syndication rights reverted back to NBC after it formed its own syndication division.

ITC (original producer of The Muppet Show and Space:1999) started syndicating the show in 1991, and was taken over to Group W in 1994. Before that, NBC offered the program to its affiliates for airing from 1984-91.

CLEAR CHANNEL SOLD

This has ramifications for both the television and radio industries. Details here:

Clear Channel Sold for $26.7 Billion

May's Family Finds Buyers for Clear Channel, TV Stations for Sale

Clear Channel Goes Private in $26.7 billion deal

List of TV Stations to be sold by Clear Channel (courtesy of Michigan Buzzboard)

List of radio stations to be sold by Clear Channel

Official Press Release from Clear Channel

Updated 11:05pm, 11-16-06

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Emmitt Smith wins "Danicng"

Mario Lopez clearly was the better dancer, but it was the popular vote that rode Emmitt Smith to victory on last night's Dancing With The Stars. Meanwhile, the results show drew a season-high 27.2 million viewers while new serial drama Daybreak (haven't we had enough of those?) tanked.

(Updated 7:18pm 11-16-06)

Chicago Arbitrends

First Arbitrends ratings radio report for the fall season: WGN and WGCI are tied for first, WZZN's Oldies format is starting to pay dividends (best ratings for that frequency I've seen in least 18 years), The "feel good music" revolution is making WILV (Love FM) and WLIT feel bad, and WLUP (The Loop) and WKQX (Q101) continue to s(t)ink.

Where's Nine FM you ask? Don't ask.

Tuesday, November 14, 2006

Tribune Watch: 'Feud' switches syndicators

The continuing saga of the Tribune Co. continues to unravel: Fremantle Media, the producer of Family Feud, is dropping Tribune Entertainment as syndicator and is replacing it with Debmar-Mercury, a unit of independent film studio Lionsgate, Inc. effective immediately.

It seems this program has been through more syndicators than hosts -- John O'Hurley is currently the captain of this ship, replacing Richard Karn, who hosted the show since 2002.

For now, Tribune continues to syndicate American Idol Rewind for Fremantle, which launched this October for weekend play. This move leaves Tribune without a daily strip (five days a week) on the air, and the future of the syndicator uncertain.

For you trivia buffs, Family Feud premired on ABC in 1976 and in syndication a year later, both lasting until 1985. It returned again in 1988 on CBS and syndication -- with the network version ending in 1993 and the syndicated version ending two years later. The current version has been on since 1999. Family Feud was also the #1 game show in syndication from 1978-84, until a certain show with a Wheel knocked it off.

Hosts: Richard Dawson (1976-85; 1994-95), Ray Combs (1988-94), Louie Anderson (1999-2002), Richard Karn (2002-06), John O'Hurley (2006- )

Syndicators: Viacom (1977-85), LBS Communications (1988-92), All American Television (1992-95) Pearson Television (1999-2002), Tribune Entertainment (2002-06), Debmar-Mercury (2006- ).

Geraldo and the Big Apple

Geraldo At Large, Twentieth Television's syndicated news magazine, is making a big splash in New York City on WNYW, beating Katie Couric in the adult 25-54 demo at 6:30pm. for the month of October. He also beat Couric at 6:30pm in Detroit on WJBK in that same demo (it helps to note that Couric's news show airs on a station -- a network O&O with NO LOCAL NEWSCAST.)

Meanwhile Rachael Ray's syndicated show from King World was the top-rated new talk show for the week at 2.0. A distant second was Telepictures' (or Warner Bros., or Lorimar, or whatever they are calling themselves this week) Dr. Keith Ablow with a 1.0 rating.

Monday, November 13, 2006

Tribune Watch

Here is the latest:

  • The Chicago Sun-Times has reported in today's editions that Gannett Co. may be interested in buying Tribune's newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune.
  • In today's editions of Crain's Chicago Business, the business paper asks if Tyra Banks can boost Tribune Co.? According to the article, Tribune's CW stations in the top three markets (WPIX-- New York, KTLA -- Los Angeles, WGN -- Chicago) have posted gains to the tune of +11% in households, and (more importantly) up 17% from last year, thanks to the addition of shows like America's Next Top Model, which stars former supermodel turned talk-show host Ms. Banks. (Top Model ran on UPN last year; the Tribune stations were WB affiliates.) However, ratings are down in most of the other metered markets, and down nationally. This may help explain why NewsCorp's MyNetworkTV, a new network launched 13 days before the launch of the CW, is struggling in the top three markets, and elsewhere (Asides from the programming sucking.) There appears to be an uncertain future for both fledgling networks as they have been national ratings disappointments as viewers continue to flee broadcast television for cable, satellite, DVDs, and broadband video from the internet, hitting nontraditional affiliates (not affiliated with ABC, CBS, or NBC) the hardest as they struggle to attract and maintain audiences.
  • Crain's is also reporting that other potential bidders, besides Gannett, include MediaNews Group (owner of papers in San Jose and Denver) and various investor groups.

WMAQ drops midday newscast

A little late with this, but it does bear mentioning: Robert Feder in the Chicago Sun-Times reported Thursday that WMAQ-TV's 11a.m. newscast and its checkerboard rotation of 11:30am syndicated shows are being axed for iVillage Live, a new interactive program that will air live from 11a.m. to noon (CT) on Channel 5 and nine other NBC O&O's, and simultaneously on NBC's Bravo cable network and online at iVillage.com. NBC acquired the assets of the female-oriented website last year. The fun begins Dec. 4.

The move is related to NBC Universal goal to cut 700 jobs and save $750 million dollars.

NBC and its most of its affiliates traditionally has trailed ABC and CBS in the daytime ratings race. Since 1988, the network has cut three-and-a-half hours from its daytime lineup, giving the time back to its affiliates for local programming or in most cases, syndicated programs.

WMAQ's newscast averaged only a 1.1 rating and 4 share in October, far behind its news competitors, and syndicated shows Who Wants To Be A Millionaire and Judge Joe Brown.

The last time something like this (minus the internet and cable component, of course) was tried on the NBC O&O level in daytime was the ill-fated revival of House Party, which aired on NBC-owned and Group W stations, and a handful of other outlets in 1990. The host of the show? None other than the man who fronts Fox News Channel's morning show Fox and Friends -- Steve Doocy.

Saturday, November 11, 2006

What About Brian?




















No, not that Brian. But the ABC Monday Night Show What About Brian is picked up for a full season, while Fox's Justice has been crushed by the pooper-scooper.

Is the end near?

For the Tribune Company? It looks like the company is going to implode. The television Stations, WGN radio, The Cubs, and the Chicago Tribune may all be sold.

The Los Angeles Times reported yesterday that Tribune may be exiting the television ownership business because their stations in New York (WPIX) and Los Angeles (KTLA) licences are expiring soon. And with Tribune owning papers in both markets (including the Los Angeles Times), they might have to divest the stations because of the cross-ownership rules, which since 1975 prohibited companies from owning a television station and a newspaper in the same media market. Here in Chicago, Tribune owns WGN-TV and WGN-AM, plus the Chicago Tribune, but that was grandfather in, since Tribune owned them all since '75.

Crain's Chicago Business website also reported on the story. A financial analyst stated that Tribune's stations in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago (The nation's biggest) could fetch up to $2.5 billion dollars.

On the radio side of things, Inside Radio wonders in all the infighting at the Times and the Tribune, how come the fate of top-rated WGN-AM isn't be discussed? That's a good question. If WGN-AM is sold, who will step up to buy it? Clear Channel? CBS? Entercom? Citadel? Are the former two going to sell off weaker assets (because of market cap concerns) to acquire WGN-AM?

Plus, what's going to happen to the Cubs? CareerBuilder? WGN SuperStation? Soul Train? U.S. Farm Report? (You can't live without the U.S. Farm Report, you know.)

Ladies and Gentlemen, this is going to be one interesting ride for the next couple of months. We could see a unprecedented amount of wheeling and dealing -- one that could shake up the largest markets for years to come. As we say in television land (and well as in radio land) -- Stay Tuned.

Thursday, November 09, 2006

Ed Bradley dies

The Veteran 60 Minutes anchor dies of Leukemia at the age of 65. :-(

Link: Chicago Tribune

Talk about false advertising

CBS-owned KBCW in San Francisco (formerly KBHK) is actually promoting syndicated episodes of the Simpsons as "new":

http://kbcwtv.com/thesimpsons/local_story_310190847.html

I wonder if these are the same episodes that aired on Fox last season...

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

... and don't hit your ass out the door! (Part 2)

Britney dumps Kevin:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061107/ap_en_mu/spears_divorce

I know. I know. This is a media blog, and there should be no room for celebrity fluff. But hey, I'm not to pass up this opportunity to take a few shots....

1. This marriage is just as over as the Steelers' season.

2. Now that his meal ticket is gone, K-Fed will go back to doing what he does best... beg for change on the expressway off-ramp.

3. He will be in town for a concert soon. To get a feel of what his future is going to be like, he should stand outside of Wendy's on Madison and Clark in the Loop and sell Streetwise.

4. He could be the PC guy on those Apple commercials.

5. Maybe he can go play for the Blackhawks. As a loser, he'll fit in perfectly.

6. Oh yeah, the concert. If people want to see losers, they'll go to Cubs games.

7. Maybe he'll join the cast of 'Til Death. Like his music gig, he can appear on a sitcom that will also be short lived.

8. This marriage is just as over as Britney's career.

... and don't hit your ass out the door!

Mark Hyman, who created those "Point" commentaries for Baltimore-based Sinclair NewsCentral stations (including for Sinclair owned ABC affiliates WICS-TV in Springfield and WICD-TV in Champaign), has decided to stop annoying what little viewers they have left for their newscasts and decided to annoy his family instead....

http://www.baltimoresun.com/features/lifestyle/bal-bz.to.hyman03nov03
,0,214203.story?coll=bal-artslife-today


Those commentaries often featured views that were tilted to the right, which hurt Sinclair's image somewhat. When viewers watch local news -- they want murders, fires, and fluff pieces. When they want commentaries, they go to the cable news networks. (Here in Chicago, Walter Jacobson, the far opposite of Hyman, was ousted earlier this year from Fox-owned WFLD-TV, effectively ending the "Perspective" commentaries he has given on Chicago newscasts for over three decades.) Hyman's commentaries, like Jacobson's, just don't fit in this day and age of local news.

(P.S. -- Walter is part of Channel 5's election coverage tonight.) -- T.H. 11:59pm

BREAKING NEWS: FCC SPLITS DECISION ON PROFANITY REVIEW

http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6388805.html

If this does not make you go out and vote Democratic today, then I don't know what will.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Ladies and Gentlemen -- Your candidates for Governor:

















Well, they're better choices than the idiots that are REALLY running for the office.

Friday, November 03, 2006

WLIT flips to Christmas Music early

Yes, it's only November 3, but WLIT has decided to flip to Christmas Music -- fifty-something days until Christmas. A quote from Feder's column in today's Sun-Times:

"When I saw a snowflake this morning, that's when I decided," said Darren Davis, vice president of programming and operations for Clear Channel Chicago. "I hadn't planned on it. It just felt right."

It seems like most decisions made in radio today are made like that. On a snowflake.

But look at this way my fellow fanboys -- No more "The Girls" or those stupid "Flashback Weekends" for now -- or hopefully ever.

http://www.suntimes.com/business/feder/122283,CST-FIN-feder03.article

Thursday, November 02, 2006

NBC vs. Fox


















Photo credit: Chicago Tribune


Interesting article in the Trib today from Ed Sherman about the new flexible scheduling policy that came into place this year with the league new television contracts. This involves the Chicago Bears, and their successful undefeated season thus far.

Fox isn't pleased that the game between the Bears (media market #3) and the 5-2 New York Giants (media market#1), orginally scheduled for a 12:01 Central Time start on Nov. 12, was moved by the National Football League to 7:15, meaning that the game won't be televisied by Fox but by NBC instead.

NBC of course, got back in the NFL game for the first time in eight years by acquiring the Sunday Night Football franchise that was formerly was on ESPN. NBC paid the NFL $600 million dollars. Part of that new deal came with the guarantee of marquee match ups... (i.e. the ones with playoff implications) -- and the right to pluck one marquee game from either CBS or Fox's Sunday afternoon lineups late in the season.

Even though Fox hasn't protected the Nov.26 Bears-New England Patriots game (NBC has slated Eagles-Colts for that night), there is a possibility that NBC might go back to the league and ask for that game -- because the Eagles are struggling and NBC fears that the game has the potential to become a one-sided affair.

As it stands for now, Fox will carry the Bears-Patriots game on Nov. 26 at 3:15pm (originally a noon start) and also plans to carry the Bears-Vikings game the following Sunday.

As we say in television land, Stay tuned.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0611020268nov02,1,4164123.story?coll=chi-sportstop-

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Next thing you know, they'll say that watching Chicago Blackhawks and Detroit Lions games are good for your kids

The group that is the ultimate in stupidity (aside from Blackhawks management), the PTC, says that reality TV is better for your kids:

http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/release/2006/1031.asp

Wait a minute... kids still watch broadcast TV? Apparently, the people at the Prick Tofu Crud didn't get the memo.