Friday, November 30, 2007
Coasting to the finish line. Not!
Observing the last two weeks of America's Next Top Model and last night's Survivor, all I can say is this: I hope Tom Brady and the New England Patriots were watching. See what getting all smug gets you? Isn't that right, Heather, Lisa, and James? Hopefully, Brady and the rest of the Patriots will join you guys on the couch located on Overrated Lane and Loser Court. Get your popcorn ready, because your show is over.
Tribune Watch: Company get waivers from FCC to keep its properties
Which paves the way for the sale of the Tribune Company to Sam Zell. Those waivers will allow it to keep the Chicago Tribune, WGN-TV and WGN-AM - permanently. As expected, both Democratic FCC commissioners voted against the waivers (never mind that most Chicago Democrats supported the deal - including Senator Dick Durbin.)
If you want to tell the Trib how you feel - or sing to them how you feel, head to the Chicago Media Action Holiday Sing-A-Long at the Tribune Tower on Dec. 7 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
And while they're at it, those carolers should also stop at City Hall, the Cook County Building, and the State of Illinois Building on the way so they can sing to the Mayor, County President, and the Governor as well.
If you want to tell the Trib how you feel - or sing to them how you feel, head to the Chicago Media Action Holiday Sing-A-Long at the Tribune Tower on Dec. 7 from 5 to 6:30 p.m.
And while they're at it, those carolers should also stop at City Hall, the Cook County Building, and the State of Illinois Building on the way so they can sing to the Mayor, County President, and the Governor as well.
Chicago voted best radio market
The Infinite Dial Radio Blog rated Chicago the best radio market in the country. Not exactly my opinion (that's for sure), but at least somebody's giving us props.
As we say in Chi-Town, vote early and often...
As we say in Chi-Town, vote early and often...
WNBC goes off the wagon
NBC owned WNBC-TV in New York has decided to accept hard-liquor ads after 11 p.m. (except during Saturday Night Live.)
A New York station can do it because they don't have the holy rollers (i.e. Rev. Pflager) that Chicago has (of course, Comcast SportsNet and the former FSN Chicago has been accepting hard-liquor ads for years. Who is the sponsor for Blackhawks Post-Game Live again?)
A New York station can do it because they don't have the holy rollers (i.e. Rev. Pflager) that Chicago has (of course, Comcast SportsNet and the former FSN Chicago has been accepting hard-liquor ads for years. Who is the sponsor for Blackhawks Post-Game Live again?)
Thursday, November 29, 2007
AMPTP offers WGA a digital proposal
The AMPTP has offered the WGA a "Digital Plan" regarding payments of residuals from new media (i.e. the Internet, DVDs, etc.). The WGA says it will take four days to think about it, and come back to the bargaining table Tuesday.
UPDATE: The Writer's Guild has indicated that it has rejected the offer. which basically means, were back at square one.
updated at 2:37 p.m on 2007-11-30
UPDATE: The Writer's Guild has indicated that it has rejected the offer. which basically means, were back at square one.
updated at 2:37 p.m on 2007-11-30
Eddie Webb gets the afternoon shift at the Loop
Eddie Webb is back at WLUP and back in the afternoon time slot at the classic rocker, where he brought ratings success among men 25-54 to the Loop from 1998 to 2000. He later left for a gig at XM Satellite Radio, but returned to radio with gigs in Las Vegas and Boston.
Webb begins in January, filling the slot vacated by Zakk Tyler, who was dumped from the station a few months ago.
Webb begins in January, filling the slot vacated by Zakk Tyler, who was dumped from the station a few months ago.
WWOR gets hammered at license-renewal hearing
New Jersey residents complained about Fox's New York station, WWOR-TV - a station whose facilities and operations are based in Secaucus.
Many local groups are challenging the license renewal of WWOR, claiming the station doesn't serve the New Jersey communities it was intended to.
Around one hundred residents filled a lecture hall at Rutgers University Wednesday night at the station's license renewal hearing, and station officials faced criticism from residents, activist groups, and New Jersey's U.S. Senator, Frank Lautenberg. Also present at the meeting were the two Democratic FCC Commissioners, Michael Coops and Jonathan Adelstein.
Among the complaints: The station focuses more on New York stories than New Jersey ones, and those stories that are focused on New Jersey are usually on crime, and there's not enough information on the state's communities.
WWOR officials defended their operations, which at one point, showed a video of the station's New Jersey coverage.
Originally headquartered in Times Square, WWOR physically relocated to New Jersey in the mid-1980's. Fox bought the station from Chris-Craft industries in 2001. The station was a UPN affiliate until 2006, where the net folded and became a My Network TV affiliate.
Original owner RKO nearly lost the station's license in the early 1980's when parent company General Tire was embroiled in a corporate mistrust scandal (RKO however, did lose its license to operate WNAC-TV in Boston [now WHDH]. ) Thanks to New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, RKO was able to hold on to the license by relocating it from New York City to Secaucus. RKO sold WWOR to MCA/Universal in 1986.
The station later increased public affairs and local programming targeted toward the state (though programs produced at WWOR such as The Howard Stern Show, The Morton Downey Jr. Show and the trashy Richard Bey Show weren't exactly what you would call "public affairs".)
WWOR was also once a Superstation on the same wavelength as WGN and WTBS, but was shut down in 1997.
The station recently struck a deal to carry two Knicks and Rangers games each this season, and to carry a handful of New Jersey Nets games this spring.
Sight Seen: A cameraman recording the proceddings at Rutgers had masking tape over the NY portion of the "My 9 NY" logo on the camera (this has been since retracted by the New York Times, as WWOR's cameras have just "My 9" on them...) And shortly after the meeting, a picture of the New York skyline on WWOR's website was changed to the George Washington Bridge, one of the the main arteries that connects New York with New Jersey.
updated at 5:30 p.m. on 2007-12-07 (New York Times retraction)
Many local groups are challenging the license renewal of WWOR, claiming the station doesn't serve the New Jersey communities it was intended to.
Around one hundred residents filled a lecture hall at Rutgers University Wednesday night at the station's license renewal hearing, and station officials faced criticism from residents, activist groups, and New Jersey's U.S. Senator, Frank Lautenberg. Also present at the meeting were the two Democratic FCC Commissioners, Michael Coops and Jonathan Adelstein.
Among the complaints: The station focuses more on New York stories than New Jersey ones, and those stories that are focused on New Jersey are usually on crime, and there's not enough information on the state's communities.
WWOR officials defended their operations, which at one point, showed a video of the station's New Jersey coverage.
Originally headquartered in Times Square, WWOR physically relocated to New Jersey in the mid-1980's. Fox bought the station from Chris-Craft industries in 2001. The station was a UPN affiliate until 2006, where the net folded and became a My Network TV affiliate.
Original owner RKO nearly lost the station's license in the early 1980's when parent company General Tire was embroiled in a corporate mistrust scandal (RKO however, did lose its license to operate WNAC-TV in Boston [now WHDH]. ) Thanks to New Jersey Senator Bill Bradley, RKO was able to hold on to the license by relocating it from New York City to Secaucus. RKO sold WWOR to MCA/Universal in 1986.
The station later increased public affairs and local programming targeted toward the state (though programs produced at WWOR such as The Howard Stern Show, The Morton Downey Jr. Show and the trashy Richard Bey Show weren't exactly what you would call "public affairs".)
WWOR was also once a Superstation on the same wavelength as WGN and WTBS, but was shut down in 1997.
The station recently struck a deal to carry two Knicks and Rangers games each this season, and to carry a handful of New Jersey Nets games this spring.
Sight Seen: A cameraman recording the proceddings at Rutgers had masking tape over the NY portion of the "My 9 NY" logo on the camera (this has been since retracted by the New York Times, as WWOR's cameras have just "My 9" on them...) And shortly after the meeting, a picture of the New York skyline on WWOR's website was changed to the George Washington Bridge, one of the the main arteries that connects New York with New Jersey.
updated at 5:30 p.m. on 2007-12-07 (New York Times retraction)
WCIU grabs "Scrubs"
Good news for local fans of the TV series Scrubs: WCIU-TV has acquired the second cycle of the hit NBC comedy from Disney/ABC Domestic Television beginning in the fall of 2009. The move means the program will stay in broadcast syndication and not head for an exclusive deal on cable, which many off-network sitcoms have recently done (i.e. Home Improvement, Just Shoot Me, Full House, etc.)
Scrubs currently airs on Comedy Central and WGN (outside of the Chicago market) while locally, the program airs on Fox-owned WPWR-TV.
WCIU recently acquired Everybody Hates Chris for fall 2009 and acquired the second cycle of Carsey-Werner's That '70's Show for next fall, in addition to Debmar's Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
WPWR meanwhile, has acquired NBC Universal's The Office for 2009.
Scrubs currently airs on Comedy Central and WGN (outside of the Chicago market) while locally, the program airs on Fox-owned WPWR-TV.
WCIU recently acquired Everybody Hates Chris for fall 2009 and acquired the second cycle of Carsey-Werner's That '70's Show for next fall, in addition to Debmar's Tyler Perry's House of Payne.
WPWR meanwhile, has acquired NBC Universal's The Office for 2009.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Internet radio at death's door again?
This comes after Yahoo! and AOL are considering shutting down their Internet radio operations after a 38 percent increase in royalties to air their music. Both are reportedly losing money, as well as other operations, and with still no firm agreement on a model that will work for Sound Exchange and web carriers, Internet radio once again may be on the road to extinction.
Hold on just a minute: Didn't the large webcasters and the major labels come to an agreement last August? What is going on here? It looks like the major webcasters made a very bad deal - one that could put them out of business. And thus, have no one to blame but themselves for letting the deviants at Sound Exchange take them for a ride.
Hold on just a minute: Didn't the large webcasters and the major labels come to an agreement last August? What is going on here? It looks like the major webcasters made a very bad deal - one that could put them out of business. And thus, have no one to blame but themselves for letting the deviants at Sound Exchange take them for a ride.
The local station beat outside of Chicago
Interesting tidbits from the world of broadcast TV:
- New Jersey residents aren't happy with New York area WWOR-TV and accuse the Fox-owned station of backpeddling on its commitment of public service and giving the residents of the state the short shrift. WWOR is the only commercial VHF station in New Jersey. The FCC will hold a hearing tonight in Newark regarding the station's license and to question whether or not the station has been serving New Jersey accurately.
WWOR has been accused of being nothing more than a dumping ground for programs that flopped on sister station WNYW-TV. WWOR has traditionally trailed its New-York based competitors in the ratings and has struggled even more so in recent years, with overall ratings often coming in behind Spanish-language television stations. Not helping was the closure of UPN and the arrival of My Network TV, whose telenovelas last year were ratings bombs.
WWOR has been based in New Jersey since the 1980's, when it was sold by RKO (remember them?) to MCA/Universal.
-Marc Berman's Programming Insider newsletter reported today that Judge Judy beat Oprah in New York Monday, with Judy earning a 6.4/15 on WCBS-TV at 4 p.m. Maybe Oprah shouldn't have endorsed Barack Obama for President (main rival Hillary Clinton is, after all, a New York Senator.)
- No surprise here: Former WBBM-TV GM Bill Applegate, who now holds the same capacity at Raycom CBS affiliate WOIO-TV in Cleveland, is embroiled in a lawsuit regarding the wrongful termination of a former managing editor, who is suing the station and its execs for retaliation against him after he complained about an anti-Semitic mark directed toward him by a station employee. WOIO contends he was fired for poor work performance. The lawsuit has now gone to trial .
- Tribune-owned Fox affiliate WXIN-TV in Indianapolis will simulcast its morning newscast on sister station and CW affiliate WTTV effective January 2, replacing a mix of infomercials, paid religion, and syndicated programming.
- A major upset in Denver: CBS-owned KCNC-TV is on its way to beating NBC affiliate KUSA-TV for the first time in many years. The last time KCNC beat KUSA in the November ratings (excluding the Olympics) was in 1990, when KCNC was a NBC O&O and KUSA an ABC affiliate.
- New Jersey residents aren't happy with New York area WWOR-TV and accuse the Fox-owned station of backpeddling on its commitment of public service and giving the residents of the state the short shrift. WWOR is the only commercial VHF station in New Jersey. The FCC will hold a hearing tonight in Newark regarding the station's license and to question whether or not the station has been serving New Jersey accurately.
WWOR has been accused of being nothing more than a dumping ground for programs that flopped on sister station WNYW-TV. WWOR has traditionally trailed its New-York based competitors in the ratings and has struggled even more so in recent years, with overall ratings often coming in behind Spanish-language television stations. Not helping was the closure of UPN and the arrival of My Network TV, whose telenovelas last year were ratings bombs.
WWOR has been based in New Jersey since the 1980's, when it was sold by RKO (remember them?) to MCA/Universal.
-Marc Berman's Programming Insider newsletter reported today that Judge Judy beat Oprah in New York Monday, with Judy earning a 6.4/15 on WCBS-TV at 4 p.m. Maybe Oprah shouldn't have endorsed Barack Obama for President (main rival Hillary Clinton is, after all, a New York Senator.)
- No surprise here: Former WBBM-TV GM Bill Applegate, who now holds the same capacity at Raycom CBS affiliate WOIO-TV in Cleveland, is embroiled in a lawsuit regarding the wrongful termination of a former managing editor, who is suing the station and its execs for retaliation against him after he complained about an anti-Semitic mark directed toward him by a station employee. WOIO contends he was fired for poor work performance. The lawsuit has now gone to trial .
- Tribune-owned Fox affiliate WXIN-TV in Indianapolis will simulcast its morning newscast on sister station and CW affiliate WTTV effective January 2, replacing a mix of infomercials, paid religion, and syndicated programming.
- A major upset in Denver: CBS-owned KCNC-TV is on its way to beating NBC affiliate KUSA-TV for the first time in many years. The last time KCNC beat KUSA in the November ratings (excluding the Olympics) was in 1990, when KCNC was a NBC O&O and KUSA an ABC affiliate.
Hallmark, CBS hook up
Hallmark Channel has snapped up the cable rights to several off-network programs owned by CBS Television Distribution. Among them include Cheers, I Love Lucy, and 7th Heaven.
I Love Lucy and Cheers currently air on TV Land. Viacom owns TV Land and once owned the rights to Lucy and Cheers, but those went to CBS after the 2006 split that saw both companies go their separate ways.
Locally, both sitcoms air on classic television-formatted WWME-TV, or Me-TV, and is not affected by the cable sale.
I Love Lucy and Cheers currently air on TV Land. Viacom owns TV Land and once owned the rights to Lucy and Cheers, but those went to CBS after the 2006 split that saw both companies go their separate ways.
Locally, both sitcoms air on classic television-formatted WWME-TV, or Me-TV, and is not affected by the cable sale.
Four more games! Four more games!
Comcast SportsNet and the Chicago Blackhawks have announced four additional home games to be televised in March and April, in addition to the eleven they have already announced (one of them has already aired.) One game includes a visit from the Stanley Cup Champion Anaheim Ducks (nee "Mighty") on March 5. All games will be shown in high-definition, a huge selling point for hockey.
The home games are sponsored by Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Deals, which also sponsors the pre-game shows. The post-game shows' sponsorship are handled by Crown Royal (not the cola, but the - well, let's just say it's a drink that's a lot harder than RC.)
The home games are sponsored by Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana Chevy Deals, which also sponsors the pre-game shows. The post-game shows' sponsorship are handled by Crown Royal (not the cola, but the - well, let's just say it's a drink that's a lot harder than RC.)
Tuesday, November 27, 2007
Score big with Bender
He's not Devin Hester (that's for sure), but his return is a touchdown for long-suffering Futurama fans.
Futurama is back with the equivalent of four all-new episodes in stores today on DVD titled Bender's Big Score. Taking the same tack Family Guy used to thank its fans for helping bring back the show to network television two years ago (in the home video release of Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story), Twentieth Television is releasing new episodes of the series on home video and those same episodes will run on Comedy Central next year.
Comedy Central also acquired the rights to 72 existing episodes of the Sci-fi animated comedy that are currently running on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. The program's successful ratings there, as well as healthy DVD sales, has helped keep the show in the geek spotlight.
It's also possible that a off-network syndicated run may be in the cards, since local stations are struggling with the lack of sitcoms coming into the marketplace (hey, one can hope...)
Futurama ran on Fox from 1999 to 2003, and was pushed around the schedule a lot, often landing opposite 60 Minutes on Sunday Nights. The program was created by Matt Groening - the same person who created another animated series yours truly can't think of right now... D'oh!
Network notes
News and notes from the world of network TV:
- NBC has picked up the back nine episodes of Chuck (good move!) and Life, ensuring them with a full season each, assuming the writers' strike ends soon.
- Twiggy is out and Paula Porikzova is in as one of the judges when America's Next Top Model returns to the air late this winter with cycle 10, which also sends the show back to New York. Twiggy really never fit in among the program's judges and had a hard time filling Janice Dickinson's shoes (or heels) as her replacement. Dickinson abruptly left Top Model after cycle 5.
- NBC has picked up the back nine episodes of Chuck (good move!) and Life, ensuring them with a full season each, assuming the writers' strike ends soon.
- Twiggy is out and Paula Porikzova is in as one of the judges when America's Next Top Model returns to the air late this winter with cycle 10, which also sends the show back to New York. Twiggy really never fit in among the program's judges and had a hard time filling Janice Dickinson's shoes (or heels) as her replacement. Dickinson abruptly left Top Model after cycle 5.
Monday, November 26, 2007
Take that, Stewie!
Yes, it's true - Eric Cartman introduced the Colorado Buffaloes during a college football game airing on ABC this weekend (pretty funny stuff.)
Next thing you know, Bart Simpson will introduce the Chicago Bears on next week's Fox telecast against the New York Giants (I would have said Homer, but he would just mess up the names... D'Oh!)
Next thing you know, Bart Simpson will introduce the Chicago Bears on next week's Fox telecast against the New York Giants (I would have said Homer, but he would just mess up the names... D'Oh!)
Arbitron delays PPM rollout
Arbitron has delayed its controversial Portable People Meter until September 2008 for several markets including New York and Chicago. The delays are being instituted because of kinks that have to be worked out in the system, including better measurement of minority audiences.
Food Network cancels 'Emeril Live'
Bam! And the show goes to TV heaven. Or hell, depending on your point of view.
John Drury dies
A melancholy happy trails to John Drury. The former WBBM-TV, WLS-TV and WGN-TV news anchor who retired in 2002, lost his battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig's Disease. He died last night at the age of 80.
Drury got his started in television at Milwaukee's WTMJ, where he was a staff announcer. He began anchoring the news at the station shortly thereafter.
He came to Chicago in 1962, as a reporter for WBBM. He later joined WGN's newscasts in 1967, shifted to WLS in 1970, back to WGN in 1980, and finally returning to WLS for another stint in 1984, where he co-anchored the market's top-rated 10 p.m. newscast until his retirement in 2002.
John Drury's return to WLS in 1984 was part of a turnaround strategy at the station instituted by then-general manager Dennis Swanson - bringing familiar faces to the station's newscasts in order to boost ratings. WLS was mired in last place in news at the time.
The move finally paid off in 1986, when the anchor team of John Drury and Mary Ann Childers knocked WBBM's Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson out of the number one slot at 10 p.m. With a few exceptions, WLS has been at the top ever since.
The final work he performed for WLS was on September 10, 2002, when he hosted a prime-time special on how Chicago changed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
- Here is the obituary for John Drury on WLS' website.
- John Drury's death comes twenty years to the day another Chicago icon passed away - Mayor Harold Washington, Chicago's first African-American mayor - died in office. Mr. Drury was at WLS-TV co-anchoring the station's 10 p.m. newscast at the time.
Drury got his started in television at Milwaukee's WTMJ, where he was a staff announcer. He began anchoring the news at the station shortly thereafter.
He came to Chicago in 1962, as a reporter for WBBM. He later joined WGN's newscasts in 1967, shifted to WLS in 1970, back to WGN in 1980, and finally returning to WLS for another stint in 1984, where he co-anchored the market's top-rated 10 p.m. newscast until his retirement in 2002.
John Drury's return to WLS in 1984 was part of a turnaround strategy at the station instituted by then-general manager Dennis Swanson - bringing familiar faces to the station's newscasts in order to boost ratings. WLS was mired in last place in news at the time.
The move finally paid off in 1986, when the anchor team of John Drury and Mary Ann Childers knocked WBBM's Bill Kurtis and Walter Jacobson out of the number one slot at 10 p.m. With a few exceptions, WLS has been at the top ever since.
The final work he performed for WLS was on September 10, 2002, when he hosted a prime-time special on how Chicago changed after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
- Here is the obituary for John Drury on WLS' website.
- John Drury's death comes twenty years to the day another Chicago icon passed away - Mayor Harold Washington, Chicago's first African-American mayor - died in office. Mr. Drury was at WLS-TV co-anchoring the station's 10 p.m. newscast at the time.
Friday, November 23, 2007
WMAQ hit with kids' programming fine
Still on holiday, but this news is important since this involves FCC action against a local TV station:
WMAQ-TV, owned by NBC Universal, was hit with a $10,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commission for failing to publicize the "existence and location" of its children's TV programming reports.
Click here for more details.
Also on the FCC beat, former CBS O&O KUTV in Salt Lake City has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle an outstanding complaint against the station for airing a controversial episode in 2004 of Without A Trace. The complaint was filed by the Parents Television Council.
CBS recently sold the station and six others to Four Points Media Group, which was formed by Cerberus Capital Management. The deal is expected to close in the next two weeks.
WMAQ-TV, owned by NBC Universal, was hit with a $10,000 fine from the Federal Communications Commission for failing to publicize the "existence and location" of its children's TV programming reports.
Click here for more details.
Also on the FCC beat, former CBS O&O KUTV in Salt Lake City has agreed to pay $300,000 to settle an outstanding complaint against the station for airing a controversial episode in 2004 of Without A Trace. The complaint was filed by the Parents Television Council.
CBS recently sold the station and six others to Four Points Media Group, which was formed by Cerberus Capital Management. The deal is expected to close in the next two weeks.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
The 2007 T Dog Media Blog Turkey Awards
With the Pumpkin Pie Awards for Excellence
Welcome to the second annual T Dog Media Blog Turkey Awards. Once again, we're here to serve up the disasters in media in 2007.
I have twenty turkeys to hand out... so let's get gobbling!
And this year's awards go to...
- The Chicago Bears. A Super Bowl hangover this year. And especially Rex Grossman. Please, somebody end this torture. I do not want to see this "quarterback" anymore! (UPDATE: The Bears did win on Sunday, beating Denver 37-34 in OT, thanks to Devin Hester's two touchdown returns. He is definitely NOT a turkey. The Bears' playoff hopes are still alive.)
- FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Let's see... wants to regulate cable, ram ownership rules into law, lift the cross-ownership ban, and for all intents and purposes - mailed in his performance at the Chicago FCC hearing in September. The number one turkey of the year as far as I'm concerned.
- The Cubs. For a wonderful three-and-out performance in the playoffs this year (wait...they were in the playoffs?) At lest you outlasted Viva Laughlin, another fall turkey.
- The White Sox. At least the Cubs made the playoffs... What's your excuse? Great job on failing to get Torii Hunter. Are NBC executives running this team?
- The Bulls and the NBA. Wonderful start. Hey, are you guys still planning that Grant Park celebration in June? And how the NBA moving out of Seattle to Oklahoma City? Great move, David Stern. Your TV ratings are already in the toilet. Speaking of which, what about those Knicks? Have fun with your Orlando Magic-San Antonio Spurs NBA finals next June.
- The Miami Dolphins. 0-10. If Miami sports fans (if any) wanted bad football, they would have asked for an XFL team instead.
- ESPN. The only thing worth watching is Pardon the Interruption (when Dan LeBatard isn't on.) A Hot Seat segment today on the once-hip SportsCenter featuring Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith was classic must-flee TV.
- The Parents Television Council. This communist group wants to dictate what's good for everybody. It's called an off switch, you bastards. Use it.
- The CW. In a ratings free fall its second season, with junk like Online Nation, CW Now, and the tired Beauty and the Geek. Dawn Ostroff, it's time for you to go.
- Jay Mariotti. Just Because.
- Amy Jacobson. Appearing at the Stebic house in a bikini? Classy journalistic move. How about a career suicidal one?
- WBBM-TV. A perennial ratings laggard. And how does it reward it's GM? A contract extension. You sure the CW isn't running this station?
- Adam Buckman. A one-time respectable journalist for Electronic Media turned into Jay Mariotti Jr. for the New York Post. At least he's there and not here.
- TV Critics. 24 the second worst show on television? Can you say vendetta?
- Grey's Anatomy's three-part ferry arc. What the heck was that?
- The WWE and Vince McMahon. A "War of the Worlds" storyline which had Vince McMahon step into a limo - and it explodes! Only problem was, a real-life death occured two weeks later when Chris Benoit killed himself and his family. And so Vince magically re-appears, as if nothing happened. And the rest of the world goes back ignoring WWE Wrestling as usual.
- Clear Channel. Let's see. For firing Melissa Foreman at WLIT and replacing her with Whoopi (who recently got canned), and for firing Crazy Howard McGee and replacing him with the unlistenable Steve Harvey at WGCI. Yep, another banner year of Turkeys for Clear Channel and Darren Davis in particular (at least he got rid of Delilah...)
- Heroes. - A hangover from last year's successful season - much like the Bears. This year has been mostly a letdown, with inconsistent storylines and bad special effects. You sure Rex Grossman and Kristen Bell aren't dating? (at least the series is now back on track. Same can't be said for the Bears.)
- Cavemen and Viva Laughlin. Yeah, who saw this one coming? (Sorry, you two will have to split the award as we're trying to keep this list to twenty.)
- And of course, to the greedy corporations and the studios in particular for short-changing the writers who are out on strike. You guys are the biggest turkeys of all. God bless the Writer's Guild.
But hey, why just dwell on turkeys? Yours truly has decided to also hand out some Pumpkin Pie awards. And yours truly loves Pumpkin Pie...
- To Rocky Wirtz. Thank you for bringing the Chicago Blackhawks back from the brink of extinction by improving the team's marketing efforts and foremost, putting home games on TV. The game of hockey (and the NHL) thanks you.
- To South Park. This past season (except for an episode or two) was the best since the early years, with the focus on the stories and not on one individual (namely Butters... the Meg Griffin of the show)
- To The Simpsons and the rest of Fox's Sunday night lineup. Last Sunday's episode aside, the yellow-skinned clan continues to make America laugh. Here's to nineteen more seasons.
- Samantha Who? According to some, this show is reminiscent of Malcolm in the Middle's early years. A surprise ratings smash, and Christina Applegate is relieved that she finally got to shed the Kelly Bundy image (all right, this show isn't really a favorite of yours truly, but let's give credit where credit is due.)
- To Radio-Info. Last year, it was on the Turkey Awards list, this year it deserves a Pumpkin Pie award for an improved site, thanks to the arrival of Tom Taylor (an Inside Radio alum), who revamped it with a better look, an improved front page, more radio news, and better moderation of the message boards.
Happy Thanksgiving!
updated 1:11 am on 2007-11-26
Welcome to the second annual T Dog Media Blog Turkey Awards. Once again, we're here to serve up the disasters in media in 2007.
I have twenty turkeys to hand out... so let's get gobbling!
And this year's awards go to...
- The Chicago Bears. A Super Bowl hangover this year. And especially Rex Grossman. Please, somebody end this torture. I do not want to see this "quarterback" anymore! (UPDATE: The Bears did win on Sunday, beating Denver 37-34 in OT, thanks to Devin Hester's two touchdown returns. He is definitely NOT a turkey. The Bears' playoff hopes are still alive.)
- FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. Let's see... wants to regulate cable, ram ownership rules into law, lift the cross-ownership ban, and for all intents and purposes - mailed in his performance at the Chicago FCC hearing in September. The number one turkey of the year as far as I'm concerned.
- The Cubs. For a wonderful three-and-out performance in the playoffs this year (wait...they were in the playoffs?) At lest you outlasted Viva Laughlin, another fall turkey.
- The White Sox. At least the Cubs made the playoffs... What's your excuse? Great job on failing to get Torii Hunter. Are NBC executives running this team?
- The Bulls and the NBA. Wonderful start. Hey, are you guys still planning that Grant Park celebration in June? And how the NBA moving out of Seattle to Oklahoma City? Great move, David Stern. Your TV ratings are already in the toilet. Speaking of which, what about those Knicks? Have fun with your Orlando Magic-San Antonio Spurs NBA finals next June.
- The Miami Dolphins. 0-10. If Miami sports fans (if any) wanted bad football, they would have asked for an XFL team instead.
- ESPN. The only thing worth watching is Pardon the Interruption (when Dan LeBatard isn't on.) A Hot Seat segment today on the once-hip SportsCenter featuring Skip Bayless and Stephen A. Smith was classic must-flee TV.
- The Parents Television Council. This communist group wants to dictate what's good for everybody. It's called an off switch, you bastards. Use it.
- The CW. In a ratings free fall its second season, with junk like Online Nation, CW Now, and the tired Beauty and the Geek. Dawn Ostroff, it's time for you to go.
- Jay Mariotti. Just Because.
- Amy Jacobson. Appearing at the Stebic house in a bikini? Classy journalistic move. How about a career suicidal one?
- WBBM-TV. A perennial ratings laggard. And how does it reward it's GM? A contract extension. You sure the CW isn't running this station?
- Adam Buckman. A one-time respectable journalist for Electronic Media turned into Jay Mariotti Jr. for the New York Post. At least he's there and not here.
- TV Critics. 24 the second worst show on television? Can you say vendetta?
- Grey's Anatomy's three-part ferry arc. What the heck was that?
- The WWE and Vince McMahon. A "War of the Worlds" storyline which had Vince McMahon step into a limo - and it explodes! Only problem was, a real-life death occured two weeks later when Chris Benoit killed himself and his family. And so Vince magically re-appears, as if nothing happened. And the rest of the world goes back ignoring WWE Wrestling as usual.
- Clear Channel. Let's see. For firing Melissa Foreman at WLIT and replacing her with Whoopi (who recently got canned), and for firing Crazy Howard McGee and replacing him with the unlistenable Steve Harvey at WGCI. Yep, another banner year of Turkeys for Clear Channel and Darren Davis in particular (at least he got rid of Delilah...)
- Heroes. - A hangover from last year's successful season - much like the Bears. This year has been mostly a letdown, with inconsistent storylines and bad special effects. You sure Rex Grossman and Kristen Bell aren't dating? (at least the series is now back on track. Same can't be said for the Bears.)
- Cavemen and Viva Laughlin. Yeah, who saw this one coming? (Sorry, you two will have to split the award as we're trying to keep this list to twenty.)
- And of course, to the greedy corporations and the studios in particular for short-changing the writers who are out on strike. You guys are the biggest turkeys of all. God bless the Writer's Guild.
But hey, why just dwell on turkeys? Yours truly has decided to also hand out some Pumpkin Pie awards. And yours truly loves Pumpkin Pie...
- To Rocky Wirtz. Thank you for bringing the Chicago Blackhawks back from the brink of extinction by improving the team's marketing efforts and foremost, putting home games on TV. The game of hockey (and the NHL) thanks you.
- To South Park. This past season (except for an episode or two) was the best since the early years, with the focus on the stories and not on one individual (namely Butters... the Meg Griffin of the show)
- To The Simpsons and the rest of Fox's Sunday night lineup. Last Sunday's episode aside, the yellow-skinned clan continues to make America laugh. Here's to nineteen more seasons.
- Samantha Who? According to some, this show is reminiscent of Malcolm in the Middle's early years. A surprise ratings smash, and Christina Applegate is relieved that she finally got to shed the Kelly Bundy image (all right, this show isn't really a favorite of yours truly, but let's give credit where credit is due.)
- To Radio-Info. Last year, it was on the Turkey Awards list, this year it deserves a Pumpkin Pie award for an improved site, thanks to the arrival of Tom Taylor (an Inside Radio alum), who revamped it with a better look, an improved front page, more radio news, and better moderation of the message boards.
Happy Thanksgiving!
updated 1:11 am on 2007-11-26
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