Monday, October 20, 2008

T Dog's Groovy Grab Bag

- The ALCS Game 7 between the Boston Red Sox and the Tampa Bay Rays on TBS last night drew a record-setting 13.4 million viewers, making it the highest-rated baseball game in cable TV history. Boston made a historic comeback in Game 5 being down 7-0 and winning the game 8-7, and winning Game 6. But the Rays beat Boston in Game 7, so its the Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies in the World Series.

- Not so groovy news: The economic downturn has now arrived at television's doorstep. My Network TV affiliate WBFS-TV in Miami has canceled its morning show Jim and Jade in the Morning, which featured former WBBM-TV sportscaster Jim Berry and Jade Alexander. The CBS Corp.-owned station (in a duopoly with sis station WFOR-TV) has cut back on local programming, and laid off several staffers, including Dr. Sean Kaniff, who participated in the first season of Survivor.

For those of you who remember, WBFS used to a sister station to WGBO-TV here in Chicago and WGBS-TV (now WPSG) in Philadelphia when they were owned by the late Milt Grant, and were transfered to Combined Broadcasting when the stations went bankrupt in 1987. WGBO was sold to Univision in 1994; WBFS and WGBS were sold to Viacom in 1995, which the duo split off to CBS Corp. in 2006.

- Program Partners' new courtroom strip Family Court with Judge Penny has added clearences in a few key metered markets, including KSTC-TV in Minneapolis, WBFS in Miami, and Nashville (WNAB-TV) among others. The program has also added double runs in Milwaukee (WMLW) and Birmingham (WIAT-TV.) The additions of new markets and double runs in existing ones should help boost its low rating number.

- Finally, I made a permanent link for J.P. Kirby's NFL TV Distribution maps on The Sidebar, so you can see where your game is showing in your area every Sunday afternoon. You can find it on the right.

No comments: