Monday, August 20, 2007
Tribune sale sunk?
It looks like Wall Street isn't high on the sale of the Tribune Co. to Sam Zell, given Tribune's sinking sale price. And yours truly is having second thoughts about the sale, which would keep all the properties (except the Cubs) together, even though this blog voiced support for the sale and to keep the media properties intact - but that was before some major media missteps (and then some ) that has happened since - not to mention that coverage on certain issues (the state budget crisis, for example) - hasn't been reported on enough.
T Dog Media Blog Think Tank: Is the off-network sitcom dead?
That's the question TVnewsday's Steve Passwaiter is asking (registration may be required.) With the sitcom drought on the networks, the reliable comedies needed for stations not affiliated with the big three networks to fill non-prime time periods are fading away, and there is nothing coming in to replace them.
Many stations are using the time slots that were once reserved for off-network sitcoms are now being filled by newscasts and other first-run syndicated programming. For example, Fox-owned WTTG in Washington, D.C. announced this week they are launching a new 6 p.m. newscast on Sept. 10., and possibly the new tabloid magazine show TMZ at 6:30. At one time, the station carried a block of off-network sitcoms from 5 to 8 p.m.
Another Fox-owned station, WJBK in Detroit, will return to the news game at 11 p.m. on Sept. 24.
WFLD-TV here in Chicago recently launched a 10 p.m. newscast that is beating WBBM-TV's news show in some key demos.
But moreover, stations are using news because the costs are low, and they don't have to hand over money to a syndicator, or share the show with a cable network. Plus, with the presidential candidates expected to spend record amounts of money on television ads, stations now have a valid excuse to expand newscasts, since politicians often target news-oriented programs to spend dough on their campaigns. Some station groups, like Fox, are aggressively expanding their newscasts to take advantage.
On the other hand, CBS-owned WWJ-TV in Detroit, or Sinclair-owned ABC affiliate KDNL-TV in St. Louis don't have newscasts. Those low-rated news operations respectively shuttered in 2002 and 2001, and the owners of those stations have no plans to get back into the local news business in those markets anytime soon. Somehow, they claim that doing news is too expensive for them.
************************************************************************
There have not been any successful off-sitcom stories in the past several years, and those that are currently running in high-viable time periods, like Seinfeld, Friends, and Everybody Loves Raymond, are concurrently playing on cable TV in those same early fringe, prime access, and late fringe time periods, siphoning off rating points from broadcasters.
And the current sitcoms now on the air on the networks are nowhere near the popularity of the three yours truly just mentioned.
Plus, the studios are now selling sitcoms to cable before they are offered in broadcast, with Twentieth Television selling My Name is Earl to TBS before selling it to any local station. Local station groups are now nothing more than also-rans to syndicators when it comes to off-network products. Is there going to be any interest in Earl when it is sold to stations? Twentieth may have to do what they did with Yes, Dear and Still Standing and take Earl out on an short-term, all-barter basis. That means that stations don't have to pay anything to get it, but have to surrender half of their available commercial time to the syndicator, and the syndicator sells that time to national advertisers.
It's just an example of how the studios now have more power over their product than ever before. There has been consolidation on both sides of the fence, (syndicators and station groups), and it drives the price up for everything, despite the lowered ratings.
Yes, my friends, it's getting ugly out there in TV land, and it's bound to get even uglier.
Many stations are using the time slots that were once reserved for off-network sitcoms are now being filled by newscasts and other first-run syndicated programming. For example, Fox-owned WTTG in Washington, D.C. announced this week they are launching a new 6 p.m. newscast on Sept. 10., and possibly the new tabloid magazine show TMZ at 6:30. At one time, the station carried a block of off-network sitcoms from 5 to 8 p.m.
Another Fox-owned station, WJBK in Detroit, will return to the news game at 11 p.m. on Sept. 24.
WFLD-TV here in Chicago recently launched a 10 p.m. newscast that is beating WBBM-TV's news show in some key demos.
But moreover, stations are using news because the costs are low, and they don't have to hand over money to a syndicator, or share the show with a cable network. Plus, with the presidential candidates expected to spend record amounts of money on television ads, stations now have a valid excuse to expand newscasts, since politicians often target news-oriented programs to spend dough on their campaigns. Some station groups, like Fox, are aggressively expanding their newscasts to take advantage.
On the other hand, CBS-owned WWJ-TV in Detroit, or Sinclair-owned ABC affiliate KDNL-TV in St. Louis don't have newscasts. Those low-rated news operations respectively shuttered in 2002 and 2001, and the owners of those stations have no plans to get back into the local news business in those markets anytime soon. Somehow, they claim that doing news is too expensive for them.
************************************************************************
There have not been any successful off-sitcom stories in the past several years, and those that are currently running in high-viable time periods, like Seinfeld, Friends, and Everybody Loves Raymond, are concurrently playing on cable TV in those same early fringe, prime access, and late fringe time periods, siphoning off rating points from broadcasters.
And the current sitcoms now on the air on the networks are nowhere near the popularity of the three yours truly just mentioned.
Plus, the studios are now selling sitcoms to cable before they are offered in broadcast, with Twentieth Television selling My Name is Earl to TBS before selling it to any local station. Local station groups are now nothing more than also-rans to syndicators when it comes to off-network products. Is there going to be any interest in Earl when it is sold to stations? Twentieth may have to do what they did with Yes, Dear and Still Standing and take Earl out on an short-term, all-barter basis. That means that stations don't have to pay anything to get it, but have to surrender half of their available commercial time to the syndicator, and the syndicator sells that time to national advertisers.
It's just an example of how the studios now have more power over their product than ever before. There has been consolidation on both sides of the fence, (syndicators and station groups), and it drives the price up for everything, despite the lowered ratings.
Yes, my friends, it's getting ugly out there in TV land, and it's bound to get even uglier.
Saturday, August 18, 2007
"High School Musical 2" socks competition
To the tune of 17.2 million viewers for the Disney Channel last night, according to Nielsen, topping the 7.8 million viewers the original had. Not only that, it broke ratings records in kids 6-11 and the highest Friday viewership for any show - broadcast and cable - in the last five years.
One word to describe this: Phenomenon.
One word to describe this: Phenomenon.
Radio ratings tank with PPM in Philly and Houston
According to Media Life. But media buyers are saying, "So? The data is more accurate." And those Portable People Meters are being rolled out in the top ten largest radio markets in the next year, including New York in October and Chicago in January.
Wednesday, August 15, 2007
Strachota out at WTMJ
Some things I guess you can't blame on NBC's prime-time lineup: Journal Broadcasting's WTMJ-TV replaced Mark Strachota with a returning Steve Wexler as general manager. This comes as once-dominant WTMJ is coming under siege in the ratings from ABC affiliate WISN-TV. Those two Milwaukee stations have been neck-and-neck in the ratings.
And don't expect a return to the glory days of WTMJ news. The "If it leads, it bleeds" philosophy is here to stay.
And don't expect a return to the glory days of WTMJ news. The "If it leads, it bleeds" philosophy is here to stay.
Twista fires back at Pflager
It's dated two weeks ago, but Chicago rapper Twista fires back at his critics in his Red Eye column - namely Rev. Pflager, who applauded McDonalds for dropping him from a Chicago concert sponsored by the food chain.
The bigger question is, what the heck Twista's doing having a column in Red Eye to begin with (and not the Chicago Daily Onion?) Just how low big media is willing to go in Chicago? (maybe we should ask Amy Jacobson and Channel 2 that question...)
The bigger question is, what the heck Twista's doing having a column in Red Eye to begin with (and not the Chicago Daily Onion?) Just how low big media is willing to go in Chicago? (maybe we should ask Amy Jacobson and Channel 2 that question...)
Fox News cancels news comedy show
The Half Hour News Hour is becoming the NO Hour News Hour - Fox News dumped the right-wing satire news show after 15 episodes - much longer than Cavemen would probably last. The program was co-created by the producers of 24. Yes, that 24.
See, there's the problem. The producers obviously didn't know anything about comedy, or drama for that matter, given how this past season of 24 turned out.
See, there's the problem. The producers obviously didn't know anything about comedy, or drama for that matter, given how this past season of 24 turned out.
Another radio station shooting
This one just outside of Houston, where bullets from a drive-by shooting hit non-commercial KPFT-FM's studios on Monday. The bullets went through the door and into the DJ booth. Fortunately, no one was injured.
This is the second time in a week a radio station's facilities were targeted by shooters. On Friday, a shooter took aim at a Peoria radio station's transmitter lines, knocking it off the air for hours (see post below.)
In the past, shootings have occurred outside of WQHT-FM (Hot 97) studios in New York, the most notable one between entourages of rappers 50 Cent and The Game.
It looks like working at a radio station has become one of the most dangerous jobs in America....
This is the second time in a week a radio station's facilities were targeted by shooters. On Friday, a shooter took aim at a Peoria radio station's transmitter lines, knocking it off the air for hours (see post below.)
In the past, shootings have occurred outside of WQHT-FM (Hot 97) studios in New York, the most notable one between entourages of rappers 50 Cent and The Game.
It looks like working at a radio station has become one of the most dangerous jobs in America....
Tuesday, August 14, 2007
Imus settles with CBS
And Boomer Esasion takes over his former morning drive-time slot, along with some guy named Craig Carton from a New Jersey radio station, who is built in the Michael Savage mold.
Will it play in Peoria? Obviously not.
This didn't happen in New York City, but in all places, Peoria: According to All Access, someone shot up the transmitter of Rhythmic outlet WZPW-FM in Peoria early Friday morning, effectively taking the station off the air. WZPW returned to the air Saturday afternoon, but is still running at reduced power.
HBO sends John back to Cincinnati
HBO dumped its ratings and critically challenged drama series John From Cincinnati, effectively sending John back to the land of Oinco Cinco, where Jerry Springer was once mayor, Pete Rose was once a hero, and Les Nessman gave hog reports.
Monday, August 13, 2007
"Family Guy", "Men" to run in access in Chicago
The full fall schedule isn't out yet, but WGN-TV in Chicago has announced that new-to- syndication repeats of Family Guy and Two and a Half Men will air in prime access starting Sept. 10.
Family Guy will air at 6:30 and at 10, replacing Everybody Loves Raymond and Sex and the City, respectively. The Family Guy slotting at 10 is likely in response to Fox-owned WFLD-TV dropping The Simpsons in that time slot last spring, to make way for an expanded newscast (Bart & Co. now air at 10:35.)
Sex and the City is expected to be relocated to 11 or 11:30p.m.
Family Guy could surpass WBBM-TV's slumping 10 p.m. newscast in the ratings. WFLD's newscast has equaled or bettered WBBM's newscast in certain demos and in households.
Two And A Half Men will air at 6 and 10:30, replacing According to Jim and Everybody Loves Raymond, respectively. Raymond moves to WFLD and WPWR in March. Jim is expected to move into an earlier time slot (between 5 and 6.)
WGN is also adding The Steve Wilkos Show to its daytime lineup, most likely airing at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.
Family Guy will air at 6:30 and at 10, replacing Everybody Loves Raymond and Sex and the City, respectively. The Family Guy slotting at 10 is likely in response to Fox-owned WFLD-TV dropping The Simpsons in that time slot last spring, to make way for an expanded newscast (Bart & Co. now air at 10:35.)
Sex and the City is expected to be relocated to 11 or 11:30p.m.
Family Guy could surpass WBBM-TV's slumping 10 p.m. newscast in the ratings. WFLD's newscast has equaled or bettered WBBM's newscast in certain demos and in households.
Two And A Half Men will air at 6 and 10:30, replacing According to Jim and Everybody Loves Raymond, respectively. Raymond moves to WFLD and WPWR in March. Jim is expected to move into an earlier time slot (between 5 and 6.)
WGN is also adding The Steve Wilkos Show to its daytime lineup, most likely airing at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.
"Girlfriends" syndication runs to end
Star Trek's weekly run to get better time slot in the NYC
This despite the fact that The CW renewed the sitcom for another season on Monday nights (it's not on WWOR's weekday fall schedule - scroll down to see). CBS Paramount has decided to end local station deals on Sept. 7, meaning it's going to be buried on BET's schedule for the next few years (Good luck on trying to re-coup that back-end, CBS.)
Like most female-targeted sitcoms that have historically aired in off-network syndication (Kate & Allie, Suddenly Susan, Caroline in the City, etc.), Girlfriends has not fared well in the ratings. The program has often averaged less than a 1.0 Nielsen rating.
Stations are being offered former UPN sitcom Half & Half as a replacement, which is being picked up by both WWOR and WCIU to fill Girlfriends' vacated time slots.
Meanwhile, weekly repeats of Star Trek: The Original Series move to WWOR Sunday nights at 11, beginning next month. Those repeats had been airing in the Big Apple on Mondays around 3 a.m. on WNBC.
This despite the fact that The CW renewed the sitcom for another season on Monday nights (it's not on WWOR's weekday fall schedule - scroll down to see). CBS Paramount has decided to end local station deals on Sept. 7, meaning it's going to be buried on BET's schedule for the next few years (Good luck on trying to re-coup that back-end, CBS.)
Like most female-targeted sitcoms that have historically aired in off-network syndication (Kate & Allie, Suddenly Susan, Caroline in the City, etc.), Girlfriends has not fared well in the ratings. The program has often averaged less than a 1.0 Nielsen rating.
Stations are being offered former UPN sitcom Half & Half as a replacement, which is being picked up by both WWOR and WCIU to fill Girlfriends' vacated time slots.
Meanwhile, weekly repeats of Star Trek: The Original Series move to WWOR Sunday nights at 11, beginning next month. Those repeats had been airing in the Big Apple on Mondays around 3 a.m. on WNBC.
TLC lands Miss America
So viewers can now ignore it on another cable network. Maybe they can acquire the NHL next?
Meanwhile, Nick's Noggin (the pre-school outlet) and The N (a teen-targeted outlet), which shared space on one channel, will be spitting up into two separate 24-hour operations on Dec. 31, with Noggin taking over the channel space now occupied by Nick GAS (Games and Sports for Kids), which ran out of GAS long ago (But hey, where else you get to see Get the Picture host Mike O'Malley circa 1991 before he put on weight and blew his career thanks to appearing on lousy prime-time sitcoms like Yes, Dear? )
Meanwhile, Nick's Noggin (the pre-school outlet) and The N (a teen-targeted outlet), which shared space on one channel, will be spitting up into two separate 24-hour operations on Dec. 31, with Noggin taking over the channel space now occupied by Nick GAS (Games and Sports for Kids), which ran out of GAS long ago (But hey, where else you get to see Get the Picture host Mike O'Malley circa 1991 before he put on weight and blew his career thanks to appearing on lousy prime-time sitcoms like Yes, Dear? )
Someone needs to rescue "Rescue Me"
Silly skits. Implausible plot lines. Terrible lines. Subpar acting. What you usually expect from sitcoms 'Til Death and According To Jim you're finding in Rescue Me, according to Advertising Age's Brian Steinberg. With ratings down and critical acclaim now almost non-existent, maybe it's time for Denis Leary to hang up his fireman's hat.
Sunday, August 12, 2007
Merv Griffin dies
The legendary former talk-show host and producer, who basically put first-run syndication on the map with Dance Fever, Wheel of Fortune, and Jeopardy!, has died at the age of 82, due to a bout with prostate cancer.
Mr. Griffin was a bandleader, singer, TV star, and a performer at KFRC-AM San Francisco before he became involved in the backside of the business.
Griffin became inolved in television in the 1950's, when he hosted a game show called Play Your Hunch. He hosted The Tonight Show for a few weeks in 1962, in between Jack Paar's depature and Johnny Carson's arrival. He was also Paar's substitute host.
In 1965, Griffin launched his own daily syndicated talk show with Group W Productions, then moved it to a late-night slot on CBS in 1969, where he unsuccessfully competed with Johnny Carson. His talk show returned to daytime syndication in 1972, which was syndicated by Metromedia Producers Corporation, and later by King World Productions. That show lasted until 1986.
After his first daytime talk show effort was canceled by NBC in 1963, Merv Griffin created a game show for the network called Word for Word, via his new production company. In 1964, he created another daytime game show called Jeopardy!, one that would last on the network until 1975 and would run again in 1978-79.
In 1975, another new game game showed he created for NBC's daytime lineup, Wheel of Fortune, debuted on January 6 of that year.
In 1979, Griffin expanded his presence in first-run syndication by producing a weekly dance contest show called Dance Fever for Twentieth Television. That show ran for eight seasons.
In 1982, Merv Griffin Productions decided to put Wheel into nighttime syndication and struck a deal to syndicate the show with small syndicator King World Productions - a New Jersey based company only known at the time for selling Little Rascals shorts in syndication. The syndicated version of Wheel debuted in September 1983 in only half of the country, without New York and Chicago (those large markets would not come on board until January 1984.) The nighttime version became a surprise monster hit, and in the process, knocked Family Feud out of the number one slot in syndication. With a few exceptions, Wheel has been there ever since.
In 1984, Griffin and King World struck again by reviving Jeopardy! for syndication, and it has been the number two show since. Stations started pairing Wheel and Jeopardy! in prime access (7-8 p.m. ET) and it has been a winning combination for them (and King World) for more than 20 years. However, Griffin's and King World's bid for a hat trick failed the following year with the ill-fated game show Headline Chasers.
Griffin sold his production company to Coca-Cola owned-Columbia Pictures in 1986; Coca-Cola would spin-off its entertainment assets into Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. in 1987. Columbia was sold to Sony in 1989 (Both Wheel and Jeopardy! are now produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed by CBS Television Distribution.)
Griffin later produced another new game show scheduled to launch in syndication called Ruckus, a program that was tested on WNBC-TV in New York in 1991 in a weeknight 7:30 time slot. Ratings were subpar, and the host left because of a contract dispute. The project was subsequently dropped.
Griffin went into real estate, including purchasing and restoring the Beverly Hills Hilton, and he owned numerous other hotels, including Resorts Hotel & Casino, where Ruckus was taped.
Recently, Merv Griffin created another new game show called Crosswords, for Program Partners and the William Morris Agency that premieres in syndication Sept. 10 (locally on WMAQ-TV.) Griffin was a noted crossword fanatic.
Griffin also was a songwriter - he wrote the Final Jeopardy! theme and the second theme that was used on Wheel of Fortune from 1983-2000, called Changing Keys.
Update: Program Partners' executives said late today that the fall rollout of Merv Griffin's Crosswords would not be affected by his passing, and the name of the show (which has already changed from Merv Griffin's Let's Play Crosswords) will stay the same. You can read a statement from Program Partners' founders Ritch Colbert and Josh Raphaelson, embedded in a larger article about Griffin's death from Marc Berman in Mediaweek by clicking here.
Update 2: Phil Rosenthal from the Tribune has a story remembering Merv Griffin, noting an memorable episode of Seinfeld where Kramer tries to re-create The Merv Griffin Show - in his apartment.
Updated at 22:22 on 2007-08-12
Mr. Griffin was a bandleader, singer, TV star, and a performer at KFRC-AM San Francisco before he became involved in the backside of the business.
Griffin became inolved in television in the 1950's, when he hosted a game show called Play Your Hunch. He hosted The Tonight Show for a few weeks in 1962, in between Jack Paar's depature and Johnny Carson's arrival. He was also Paar's substitute host.
In 1965, Griffin launched his own daily syndicated talk show with Group W Productions, then moved it to a late-night slot on CBS in 1969, where he unsuccessfully competed with Johnny Carson. His talk show returned to daytime syndication in 1972, which was syndicated by Metromedia Producers Corporation, and later by King World Productions. That show lasted until 1986.
After his first daytime talk show effort was canceled by NBC in 1963, Merv Griffin created a game show for the network called Word for Word, via his new production company. In 1964, he created another daytime game show called Jeopardy!, one that would last on the network until 1975 and would run again in 1978-79.
In 1975, another new game game showed he created for NBC's daytime lineup, Wheel of Fortune, debuted on January 6 of that year.
In 1979, Griffin expanded his presence in first-run syndication by producing a weekly dance contest show called Dance Fever for Twentieth Television. That show ran for eight seasons.
In 1982, Merv Griffin Productions decided to put Wheel into nighttime syndication and struck a deal to syndicate the show with small syndicator King World Productions - a New Jersey based company only known at the time for selling Little Rascals shorts in syndication. The syndicated version of Wheel debuted in September 1983 in only half of the country, without New York and Chicago (those large markets would not come on board until January 1984.) The nighttime version became a surprise monster hit, and in the process, knocked Family Feud out of the number one slot in syndication. With a few exceptions, Wheel has been there ever since.
In 1984, Griffin and King World struck again by reviving Jeopardy! for syndication, and it has been the number two show since. Stations started pairing Wheel and Jeopardy! in prime access (7-8 p.m. ET) and it has been a winning combination for them (and King World) for more than 20 years. However, Griffin's and King World's bid for a hat trick failed the following year with the ill-fated game show Headline Chasers.
Griffin sold his production company to Coca-Cola owned-Columbia Pictures in 1986; Coca-Cola would spin-off its entertainment assets into Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. in 1987. Columbia was sold to Sony in 1989 (Both Wheel and Jeopardy! are now produced by Sony Pictures Television and distributed by CBS Television Distribution.)
Griffin later produced another new game show scheduled to launch in syndication called Ruckus, a program that was tested on WNBC-TV in New York in 1991 in a weeknight 7:30 time slot. Ratings were subpar, and the host left because of a contract dispute. The project was subsequently dropped.
Griffin went into real estate, including purchasing and restoring the Beverly Hills Hilton, and he owned numerous other hotels, including Resorts Hotel & Casino, where Ruckus was taped.
Recently, Merv Griffin created another new game show called Crosswords, for Program Partners and the William Morris Agency that premieres in syndication Sept. 10 (locally on WMAQ-TV.) Griffin was a noted crossword fanatic.
Griffin also was a songwriter - he wrote the Final Jeopardy! theme and the second theme that was used on Wheel of Fortune from 1983-2000, called Changing Keys.
Update: Program Partners' executives said late today that the fall rollout of Merv Griffin's Crosswords would not be affected by his passing, and the name of the show (which has already changed from Merv Griffin's Let's Play Crosswords) will stay the same. You can read a statement from Program Partners' founders Ritch Colbert and Josh Raphaelson, embedded in a larger article about Griffin's death from Marc Berman in Mediaweek by clicking here.
Update 2: Phil Rosenthal from the Tribune has a story remembering Merv Griffin, noting an memorable episode of Seinfeld where Kramer tries to re-create The Merv Griffin Show - in his apartment.
Updated at 22:22 on 2007-08-12
Saturday, August 11, 2007
Steve Harvey the future of WGCI
In a rare Saturday column today, Phil Rosenthal interviews new WGCI morning star Steve Harvey, who is coming back to Chicago to do three shows from their studios this coming week. Harvey tells it like it is when it comes to working in TV. But is radio any better? Harvey thinks so. But don't ask those who work in the business, especially here...
Friday, August 10, 2007
"Wheel", "Jeopardy!" to WATL (It's true)
In a move that may be related to WTBS changing its format and becoming WPCH-TV, a thread on Radio-Info's Atlanta TV board is stating that Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy!, now currently airing on NBC affiliate WXIA-TV, is moving to sister station WATL-TV this fall. Both stations are owned by Gannett. WATL is scheduled to air the game shows between 7 and 8 p.m.
World News and Entertainment Tonight on ABC affiliate WSB-TV are traditionally the top-rated shows in prime access, with Wheel at 7:30 p.m. coming in second.
Jeopardy! has come in third in its 4:30 p.m. slot behind Oprah and Divorce Court.
Current time period occupant The Simpsons is expected to move to 11 p.m. It's likely to be a full hour (like it is now at 7 p.m.), and will replace repeats of Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond, which also air on WTBS. WPCH-TV is expected to carry the sitcoms exclusively in the Atlanta market this fall.
WXIA is scheduled to replace the 4:30 airing of Jeopardy! with another airing of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Millionaire already airs at 4. Crosswords, a new game show from Merv Griffin and Program Partners, is scheduled to air at 12:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, WTBS is already starting the transition somewhat, with Still Standing replacing the no longer-syndicated Home Improvement at 3 p.m. (in Atlanta only.) Home Improvement still airs on TBS' national feed at the same time. Reruns of Diff'rent Strokes is now airing in Atlanta at 2 p.m., instead of Fresh Prince.
The national TBS last week started airing repeats of Just Shoot Me at 1 p.m.
updated and corrected on 2007-08-10 at 18:35. (Misstated that Jeopardy! airs in prime access on WXIA, when it does not. In other words, we've got to get our facts straight!)
World News and Entertainment Tonight on ABC affiliate WSB-TV are traditionally the top-rated shows in prime access, with Wheel at 7:30 p.m. coming in second.
Jeopardy! has come in third in its 4:30 p.m. slot behind Oprah and Divorce Court.
Current time period occupant The Simpsons is expected to move to 11 p.m. It's likely to be a full hour (like it is now at 7 p.m.), and will replace repeats of Friends and Everybody Loves Raymond, which also air on WTBS. WPCH-TV is expected to carry the sitcoms exclusively in the Atlanta market this fall.
WXIA is scheduled to replace the 4:30 airing of Jeopardy! with another airing of Who Wants To Be A Millionaire. Millionaire already airs at 4. Crosswords, a new game show from Merv Griffin and Program Partners, is scheduled to air at 12:30 p.m.
Meanwhile, WTBS is already starting the transition somewhat, with Still Standing replacing the no longer-syndicated Home Improvement at 3 p.m. (in Atlanta only.) Home Improvement still airs on TBS' national feed at the same time. Reruns of Diff'rent Strokes is now airing in Atlanta at 2 p.m., instead of Fresh Prince.
The national TBS last week started airing repeats of Just Shoot Me at 1 p.m.
updated and corrected on 2007-08-10 at 18:35. (Misstated that Jeopardy! airs in prime access on WXIA, when it does not. In other words, we've got to get our facts straight!)
WJBK back in the news game at 11
We have The Ten, they will have The Edge.
WJBK-TV, the Fox-owned station in Detroit, is returning to the 11 p.m. newscast race effective on September 24 named The Edge.
WJBK had news in the 11 p.m. slot when it was a CBS affiliate, but was moved to 10 p.m. when the station was switched to Fox by then-owner New World in December 1994. The 11 p.m. newscast often finished far behind rivals NBC affiliate WDIV and ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV.
CBS discontinued its newscasts at its owned stations, WKBD-TV and WWJ-TV in late 2002, depriving WWJ of an 11 p.m. news show. WWJ airs reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond in that time slot instead.
WJBK-TV, the Fox-owned station in Detroit, is returning to the 11 p.m. newscast race effective on September 24 named The Edge.
WJBK had news in the 11 p.m. slot when it was a CBS affiliate, but was moved to 10 p.m. when the station was switched to Fox by then-owner New World in December 1994. The 11 p.m. newscast often finished far behind rivals NBC affiliate WDIV and ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV.
CBS discontinued its newscasts at its owned stations, WKBD-TV and WWJ-TV in late 2002, depriving WWJ of an 11 p.m. news show. WWJ airs reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond in that time slot instead.
Weigel buys WJJA
The television ratings show there was nothing "incredible" about WJJA-TV Channel 49 (in which they called themselves Incredible 49), so Chicago-based Weigel Broadcasting is doing something about it - they're buying the station from Joel Kinlow Sr. for $7 million.
WJJA is one of the few TV stations in the United States to be owned by an African-American.
Weigel already owns CBS affiliate WDJT-TV in Milwaukee, and a low-powered independent, WMLW. There's a possibly that Weigel may bring the successful "MeTV" format to Milwaukee. "MeTV" , a classic-TV format similar to TVLand (but much better executed), airs in Chicago on WWME-CA, a low powered TV outlet on Channel 23 analog and is on one of WCIU's digital subchannels.
WJJA is currently carrying a home shopping format. The station was approached by CBS in 1994 for affiliation after losing its 17-year home at WITI when that station switched to Fox. WJJA turned down the CBS affiliation, which went to WDJT.
WJJA is one of the few TV stations in the United States to be owned by an African-American.
Weigel already owns CBS affiliate WDJT-TV in Milwaukee, and a low-powered independent, WMLW. There's a possibly that Weigel may bring the successful "MeTV" format to Milwaukee. "MeTV" , a classic-TV format similar to TVLand (but much better executed), airs in Chicago on WWME-CA, a low powered TV outlet on Channel 23 analog and is on one of WCIU's digital subchannels.
WJJA is currently carrying a home shopping format. The station was approached by CBS in 1994 for affiliation after losing its 17-year home at WITI when that station switched to Fox. WJJA turned down the CBS affiliation, which went to WDJT.
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