Stanley Cup clipped

More bad ratings news for sports: The Stanley Cup Finals have been a complete disaster for Versus and the NHL, drawing just 466,000 viewers for Game 2 between the Anaheim Ducks and the Ottawa Senators. Ratings are down 22 percent in households from a year ago.

Of course, when the NHL commissioner is as stupid as the Blackhawks' owner is, both get what they deserve in the popularity department.

Since CNN's Anderson Cooper is in town, maybe he should high-tail those cameras over to the United Center to expose the biggest fraud in sports...

Battlestar Galactica to end

This just in: The spectacular sci-fi show on SciFi will end its run sometime next year.

Minnesota to The Simpsons: Get Lost

Leave it to Minnesota to spoil The Simpsons' fun: While sixteen other Springfields are vying for the free preview screening for the new Simpsons movie (including Illinois and Missouri), the Springfield in Minnesota turned the producers down.

Maybe they should stick to doing what they do best: boo A.J. Pierzynski.

And as for the "lady" quoted at the end of the article: it's entertainment for Christ's sake. She wouldn't last five minutes in Chicago.

CD trump downloads

But this is an online poll from the people who brought you Dewey defeats Truman, so I wouldn't read too much into it. As for the comments section, note that the posters are likely over 50 - the only people who pretty much read this blog anyway.

Cable ratings down too in May

Cable, like broadcast, is in a slump too - but hey, isn't everything nowadays? You know- sitcoms, ratings for the NBA playoffs, the economy, government, the Cubs, the White Sox, etc...

Study: 38 percent find primetime less enjoyable this year

According to an interview with Rich Luker of Chicago-based Relay Worldwide. Of course, that number would instantly double if they counted Chicago baseball fans in the survey.

Basketball bouncing down

The Jazz-Spurs NBA Western Conference Final was a ratings flop, and the San Antonio Spurs advancing to the Finals won't help the NBA or ESPN. But at least they won't have the numbers the NHL and NBC will have for the Ducks-Senators Stanley Cup matchup. Sadly for the NBA, that's the only positive thing out of all this.

Meanwhile, the Cubs and White Sox are tanking by getting swept earlier this week. Yeah, that's good for ratings...

So... When does Big Brother and America's Got Talent begin again?

An important reminder

The T Dog Media Blog usually doesn't endorse programming from the cable news networks, but this is an important special: On CNN, Anderson Cooper: 360 will focus on youth violence in Chicago, including the murder of 16-year old Blair Holt, who was among five people shot on a CTA bus on May 10. The crime shocked Chicago and made national headlines.

This comes as many cities, including Philadelphia, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee are experiencing surges in youth-related violence this year.

The report, entitled 24 Hours in Chicago, will air tonight at 9 p.m. (CT) on CNN.

Regis & Kelly relocates

It's back to the future for Regis Philbin - Regis and his main TV squeeze Kelly Ripa, will be hosting their TV chatfest from the modified set of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire on an indefinite basis while repairs are being done to the set due to the fire that struck WABC-TV's news set in New York Sunday Night. (Regis Philbin hosted the ABC game show from 1999-2002 - it's now in syndication and is hosted by Meredith Vierra.)

Live With Regis & Kelly tapes next door to the news set, and sustained some water and smoke damage. Kelly Ripa's office and her wardrobe also suffered the same fate. (Mr. Philbin's office is on another floor and suffered no damage.)

Millionaire has finished taping for the season, and will resume later this summer. Meanwhile, WABC is broadcasting their news from the station's newsroom for the time being.

Both Live and Millionaire are syndicated by Disney/ABC Domestic Television (formerly Buena Vista Television.) Both shows air on Disney/ABC-owned WABC-TV in New York (as well as WGN-TV here in Chicago.)

Do you trust your weatherman?

Living in Chicago? Hell, naw! (well, maybe Tom Skilling and Jerry Taft.) But this story from Broadcasting & Cable tells how inaccurate weather forecasts are putting the public in jeopardy and their credibility at stake. In some cases - it's blowing the bottom line for businesses, vacationers, and state highway troopers. In one example, the Texas Rangers lost $250,000 in concession and ticket revenue after a forecast predicted downpours during a game against the New York Yankees, which kept fans away. The game played on without interruption.

Of course, you don't have to have bad weather to keep fans away from Rangers' stadium. The team's poor play and Sammy Sosa are more than enough.

Hidden Palms to be hidden in Chicago

Tonight's premiere of CW's Hidden Palms is being delayed in the Windy City until Saturday Night because of something like a Cubs-Marlins game, but it doesn't really matter. Judging by this review, this show has about as much buzz as The Stanley Cup Finals.

LaSorte new boss at Emmis stations

Former WGN-AM programming head Tisa LaSorte has been promoted to the newly created position of brand manager of The Loop (WLUP) and Q101 (WKQX). She'll oversee both stations' programming, marketing, promotions, and new media.

She'll report directly to Marv Nyren, who is a regional vice president and marketing manager of Emmis' radio cluster in Chicago.

And believe it or not, she has a MySpace page...

MyNetworkTV unveils fall schedule

As expected, no more telenovelas.

From "Survivor" superstar to a has-been selling insurance

Dreamz, this is your future (if it isn't already.)

Reilly out

When NBC unveiled its fall schedule to upfront buyers, it seemed like the lineup was from 1977, not 2007. (The network was in last place then, too.) So, NBC fired Kevin Reilly and replaced him with producer Ben Silverman. He will move into the co-chairman role at NBC Entertainment and NBC Universal Television Group with Marc Graboff.

They had to get Reilly out of there before he greenlighted any more inane programming ideas, like The New Man From Atlantis.

The price is wrong, so you must be fixed

To coincide with Bob Barker's retirement from The Price Is Right next month, The Sun-Times reprinted an interview in today's editions with Robert Feder conducting an interview with him in New York on August 6, 1985. In this article, Feder bought items from a grocery store and played a pricing game on ol' Bob. He missed every one of them (at least he didn't overbid.)

Meanwhile, the above picture is Q101's (WKOX-FM) new billboard campaign. He's telling you to listen to Q101's new morning show and get fixed - or he will come to your house and spay and neuter your pet.

Sadly, Mr. Barker is making the same as any new radio station employee these days - minimum wage. (Cue the Losing Horns...)

Reel Talk to get really syndicated

Reel Talk, a movie-review show that has been airing locally on WMAQ-TV and nine other NBC-owned stations, is heading to syndication this fall. The program is taped at WNBC-TV in New York.

The half-hour weekly movie review program, hosted by film critic Jeffrey Lyons and IFC's Allison Bailes, has been cleared in 85 percent of the country by NBC Universal Domestic Television, including NBC, CBS, Hearst-Argyle, and Belo station groups.

The biggest non NBC O&O clearence comes in Boston, where it air on CBS O&O WBZ-TV.

The show will compete with Buena Vista's long-running Ebert & Roeper, now in its 21st season. That show is cleared primarily on ABC O&O's, including WLS-TV in Chicago.

Roger Ebert, meanwhile, is still recovering from surgery, and will not appear on Ebert & Roeper for quite some time. He is, however, writing movie reviews again for the Sun-Times. Guest hosts are filling in alongside Sun-Times columnist Richard Roeper for the time being.

The last movie-review show to air in syndication aside from Ebert & Roeper/Siskel & Ebert was Paramount's Hot Ticket, which limped along in syndication from 2001-04, with Lenoard Matlin and Joyce Kulhawik.

Another show, At The Movies, ran in syndication from 1982 to 1990. Roger Ebert hosted that show along with the late Tribune film critic Gene Siskel for four of those years, before bolting to Buena Vista in 1986 to host Siskel & Ebert & The Movies (later shortened to Siskel & Ebert.) At The Movies replaced them with a series of robotic co-hosts, one of which was Rex Reed.

Charles Nelson Reilly passes

Best known for his long-running stint on The Match Game, Mr. Reilly passes at 76.

Fire hits WABC-TV

WABC-TV in New York was knocked off the air for a time last night after a fire broke out at the station before the 11 p.m. newscast and didn't resume until 5 a.m. The station's early-morning newscasts were broadcast from what looked like a cramped office.

The station's newsroom and some equipment were damaged by fire, smoke and water damage.





Here is a report from WNBC on the story.

He Gone?

Hate to interrupt your Memorial Day, but here's something more interesting than the ants getting into your potato salad: Reports are circulating that NBC has canned its entertainment president Kevin Reilly and is being replaced by former William Morris agent Ben Silverman. This comes as NBC is stuck in fourth place and its prime-time fall schedule could make it fifth (That's a stretch, but given the tepid reaction from media buyers, it might as well be.)