T Dog's Think Tank: The TV Hall of Shame

What happens when you move a late-night show into prime-time? Disaster. This was happened to NBC when those geniuses at the Peacock gave Jay Leno a weeknight prime-time show - a move panned by critics and audiences alike.

(Editor's Note: This was updated on 2011-04-20.)


Oh, hi. Didn't see you come in. Welcome to The T Dog Media Blog Hall of Shame. I'm Terence, your master of ceremonies, and I am here to welcome you to the horror! The stench! The horrible stale smell of bad TV!

You've heard of Me-TV? Welcome to Flee-TV.

Ted McGinley, our newest usher, is here to present you with a complimentary gift basket just for stopping by. In it, you'll receive a copy of Windows Vista; a gift certificate from Family Dollar, good toward a purchase of a HD-DVD player; a 20 ounce bottle of Diet Coke Plus; a red wig from the Wendy's "That's Right" ad campaign; and a DVD collection of wonderful video properties, featuring the movies Strange Wilderness and Meet the Spartans and the complete first season of Joey.

All right, let me show you around. Here in our hollowed halls of horrible, you'll find the bombs. The clunkers. The shows that just didn't make it, ideas that were ill-conceived, or programs that just basically stunk.

Questions? Yes, you in the back... Why only shows featured since 1979 are in the Hall of Shame? Because... well, if we included pre-1979 shows, it would be too much for all of you to handle! You don't want to pass out in here, now do you? (Besides, yours truly doesn't remember a lot of TV before then, since he was only 7 back then. Plus, think of the liability we would encounter...)

Besides, other places can handle that era better than I can, so if you want to see what Turn-On or You're in the Picture was all about, then you have to go somewhere else (pssst... or click this link.)

So, let's take a tour of terrible TV from the dumps of the Disco era to the terrible trud of today. Let's go!

These are ranked in no particular order...

The T Dog Media Blog TV Show Hall of Shame (post-1979 edition)

- Fred & Barney Meet the Schmoo (NBC, 1979) They didn't really meet. It was Flintstones cartoons paired up with Schmoo ones - before that, it was Fred & Barney Meet the Thing

- Makin' It (ABC, 1979) An obsolete-the-day-it-came-out sitcom about a person who works at an ice cream shop by day, and becomes a disco dancer at night. And no, this show did not make it

- Hour Magazine (syndicated, 1980-89) Infotainment at its worst, hosted by personality repellent Gary Collins

- Thicke of the Night (syndicated, 1983-84) Alan Thicke hosted this supposed late night talk show

- Just Our Luck (ABC, 1983) This featured a genie who was black

- Rubik The Amazing Cube (ABC, 1983) Thank God the FCC stepped in to stop producers from basing Saturday morning cartoons on toys. One of the few things the agency has ever done right

- We Got It Made (NBC, 1983-84; syndicated 1987-88) Ironically, the syndicated version was somewhat better than the NBC one

- Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour (NBC, 1983-84) What happens when you pair two, two, two great game shows in one? One huge, unwatchable mess on the screen - and off (co-hosts Jon Bauman and Gene Rayburn did not get along)

- Brothers (Showtime, 1984-89) A groundbreaking show- it was the first sitcom made for pay cable and the first one to feature a major character who was homosexual. But groundbreaking doesn't necessarily equal a good show

- America (syndication, 1985) Daytime talk show featuring Sarah Purcell, McLean Stevenson, and Stuart Damon. Three months and $22 million down the drain later, this show was gone

- The Colbys (ABC, 1985-87) Dynasty spin-off, with the all-time soap opera clincher - Fallon abducted by a UFO

- Life With Lucy (ABC, 1986) Lucille Ball's short-lived comeback attempt

- She's the Sheriff (syndicated, 1987-89) The Sun-Times' Daniel Ruth once wrote about this show, "Suzanne Sommers returns to television. Who cares?"

- Geraldo (syndicated, 1987-98) Geraldo Rivera brings daytime TV into the sleazy era

- The Morton Downey Jr. Show (Syndicated, 1987-89) Mort shouted, screamed, and yelled into viewers' living rooms only to usher himself out when he fabricated a story about being attacked by skinheads in a restroom at a San Francisco airport.

- USA Today on TV (syndicated 1988-90) The most expensive flop in syndication history - all style, no substance

- Everyday With Joan Lunden (Syndicated, 1989-90) Joan Lunden was perky on Good Morning America, but audiences couldn't take no more than two hours of such nausea a day. Of note is this monstrosity was produced and even syndicated by Lunden's talentless ex-husband, Michael Krauss.

- Chicken Soup (ABC, 1989) Jackie Mason and Lynn Redgrave fall flat on this sitcom devoid of laughs

- New Kids on the Block (ABC, 1990), The Guys Next Door (NBC, 1990) and any other Saturday morning program based on a fictional or non-fictional music group (except The Banana Splits)

- Joker's Wild, Tic Tac Dough (syndicated, 1990-91) Two very horrid remakes of great game shows

- Cop Rock (ABC, 1990) A musical that didn't quite work out. Never, ever should be tried again. Will it?

- Into the Night with Rick Dees (ABC, 1990-91) Into the night and right into the trash can for this turkey of a late night talk show, hosted by L.A. disc jockey Rick Dees

- Johnny B. On the Loose (syndicated, 1991) Jonathan Brandmeier: Good disc jockey, bad TV show. Lasted just five weeks

- The Jerry Springer Show (syndication, 1991-) A given.

- Rhythm & Blues (NBC, 1992) Sitcom that was set at a radio station in Detroit. WKRP it wasn't.

- On the Air (ABC, 1992) A single-camera sitcom summer burn-off, it was off the air in three weeks

- The Jackie Thomas Show (ABC, 1992) with Tom Arnold

- The Chevy Chase Show (Fox, 1993) 29 episodes was more than enough for this clumsy late-night talk show

- South of Sunset (CBS, 1993) After one airing, this Glenn Frey crime drama went south quick

- The Drew Carey Show (ABC, 1995-2004) Like Drew, but not this show

- Suddenly Susan (NBC 1996-2000) Amazingly not to be confused with She's the Sheriff

- The Magic Hour (syndicated, 1998) Magic Johnson's talk show

- Maury (syndicated, 1998-) The crowd shouts, "Who's Your Daddy?" "Who's Your Daddy?" (not to be confused with his earlier effort, The Maury Povich Show)

- The Mike O'Malley Show (NBC, 1999) The dude from Nick's Get the Picture and GUTS and CBS' Yes, Dear - yes, it's the same guy

- XFL (NBC, TNN, UPN, 2001) From the infertile mind of Vince McMahon

- According to Jim (ABC, 2001-09) Disposable sitcom trash

- Around the Horn (ESPN, 2004-) Stars Jay Mariotti - enough said

- Life & Style (syndicated, 2004) This View rip-off featured four ladies (one of whom was Kimora Lee) who practically had no chemistry whatsoever on-screen and reportedly clashed with each other off-screen. What's amazing is with an average rating of 0.4, this clunker lasted a half a season before getting canceled

- The Larry Elder Show (syndicated, 2004) Or anything with this guy in it, and that includes Moral Court

- The Tony Danza Show (syndicated, 2004-06) One word: Why?

- The War At Home (Fox, 2005-07) See According to Jim above

- Emily Reasons Why Not? (ABC, 2006) A sitcom dead after one airing. Yeah, why not?

- Show Me the Money (ABC, 2006) Insipid game show

- Dr. Keith Ablow (syndication, 2006) Another in the line of useless talk shows

- Flavor of Love (VH-1, 2006) Reality TV meets Jerry Springer

- Any "soap opera" that aired on My Network TV

- Anchorwoman (Fox, 2007) Two episodes + one airing+ zero ratings = quick cancellation

- Pirate Master (CBS, 2007) Survivor rip-off (and not a good one at that)

- Cavemen (ABC, 2007) An idea. How about a sitcom based on a TV commercial? Hey, it just might work!

- Kid Nation (CBS, 2007) A reality show featuring kids. Where's social services when you need them?

- Viva Laughlin (CBS, 2007) See Cop Rock

- Merv Griffin's Crosswords (Syndicated, 2007-08) Yours truly liked this show, but poor production values, canned applause, and one episode where the day's champion won only -$250, lost the bonus round, and wound up going home with only a cheap watch qualifies this program to land here

- Crowned: The Mother of All Pageants (CW, 2007-08) And as if the real beauty pageants aren't bad enough

- Celebrity Apprentice (NBC, 2008) These "celebrities" are vying with each other in Donald Trump's dog-and-pony show for charity (what charity wants to be associated with this garbage?) to see who can make the biggest ass out of themselves.

- The Pussycat Dolls Presents: Girlicious (CW, 2008) Remember when The Pussycat Dolls were hot? It seemed like a long time ago, doesn't it?

- Secret Talents of the Stars (CBS, 2008) Huh? One and done

- I Survived a Japanese Game Show (ABC, 2008-09) Is it a game show? Is it a documentary? What the hell is it? Do you care what the contestants go through to be on a Japanese game show and hear them talk about it for fifteen minutes? Hell, no! We want to watch them compete, not sit around all day and whine about it... How about a show based on someone surviving watching this for an hour?

- Do Not Disturb (Fox, 2008) Shhh!! Do not disturb. If you do, this unfunny comedy might wake up and torture us. It was the first official cancellation of the 2008 fall season

- Momma's Boys (NBC, 2008) Three guys choose from 32 women with one catch - their mothers get involved in the decision! And one of them is prejudiced! Wow, television just doesn't get any better than this. Hey Seacrest, stick to six of your day jobs.

- Osbournes: Reloaded (Fox, 2009) A "preview" of a new TV series (which was pre-empted or delayed in 16 markets) featuring... kids dressed up as Ozzy and Sharon swearing; the Osbournes working a drive-thru; and an ambush wedding, all in 35 minutes. It's so outrageous, so bold, so daring... so who cares? Nobody else did.

- Sit Down, Shut Up (Fox, 2009) Who knew an animated series could suck so badly? Should've renamed it Capitol Critters II: The Awakening. The producer of Arrested Development struck out on this one.

- I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out Of Here! (ABC, 2003; NBC, 2009) Should be retitled I'm A Viewer, Get Me Out Of Here! Another in a long line of useless reality shows.

- Brothers (Fox, 2009) This sitcom with Carl Weathers and Michael Strahan is unrelated to the 1984 Showtime series of the same name - except for the fact that they both suck.

- The Beautiful Life (CW, 2009). Not so beautiful given this drama lasted only two episodes

- Secret Girlfriend (Comedy Central, 2009) Here's the premise: "you" are the main character of this insipid sitcom where he/she follows two aerosol can-sniffing morons all day where he/she ends up at parties, watching women make out with each other, and listen to their female friends whine about everything. Makes "you" want to grab a shotgun and put these people out of misery. This show - hands down, is the worst television program of all time, even worse than According to Jim and My Mother The Car. Girlfriend lasted just six episodes, five more than necessary. 

- The Jay Leno Show (NBC, 2009-10)  History was made when NBC decided to move Jay Leno to primetime at 9 p.m. (CT), making his show the first network program to be stripped in the daypart in more than 50 years. History was also made when this show completely bombed in the ratings, thus rendering Leno's move to prime-time one of network television's biggest blunders. Leno has since returned to late night.

- Sons of Tucson (Fox, 2010) Three kids who live in Tuscon pay a complete stranger to be their father. Let the laughs begin.

- Monsters and Money in the Morning (WBBM-TV, 2010). A failure you can see a mile away, former radio stars and Comcast SportsNet morning show rejects Mike North and Dan Jiggetts come to CBS 2 with the same show - but adding Terry Savage and Mike Hedegus, making for really bad morning TV. The first local Chicago show to ever make the Shame.

- The Cape. (NBC, 2011) Dopey tripe about a guy who adapts the identity of his son's favorite superhero, The Cape.

- Perfect Couples (NBC, 2011). The rom-com comes to TV. Can we send this back to the theater?

- The Paul Reiser Show (NBC, 2011) Oh, Paul. Did you really think you were funny, talented, and charming enough to headline your own sitcom, let alone a concert in the parking lot of the local Blain's Farm & Fleet? 

Well, that's it for the tour! For now. But hey, it doesn't end here. We here at the T Dog Media Blog TV Hall of Shame are always adding new items, so come back and visit... Remember our slogan: "The T Dog Media Blog TV Hall Of Shame. Where you will always find the worst crap from yesterday... and today." Thanks for coming!

Tribune puts Newsday up for sale

This moves comes after owner Tribune posted a fourth quarter loss of $78 million.

And among the suitors for the Long Island paper include: The publisher of the New York Daily News, Cablevision owner James Dolan (who is destroying the New York Knicks) and News Corp., whose Daily Rupert (a.k.a The Post) publishes rumors as fact.

CBS cancels "Jericho". Again.

And this time for good. So, where were ya, fans? Too busy scoring more peanuts, I guess... (or perhaps watching Jericho on BitTorrent or iTunes.)

WMAQ launches new local magazine

NBC-owned WMAQ-TV is launching a brand-new local magazine program to air after Saturday Night Live, beginning March 29.

Titled 24/7, the new show is hosted by Catie Keogh and Billy Dec, and it features interviews with celebrities and local Chicagoans, providing "a fun, fresh approach to Chicago's unique blend of urban liveliness and Midwest charm" (think 190 North crossed with Upscale Chicago. )

Also joining in the festivities every week is Jamie Blyth, a former reality show contestant and co-author of the book Fear Is No Longer My Reality.

WMAQ aired a pilot episode of 24/7 December 31 (New Year's Eve), and aired webisodes at 247chicago.tv.

Sports off broadcast TV in Detroit

Local broadcasts of Detroit Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings games have been locked up by cable channel FSN Detroit for the next 10 years, keeping the games off of broadcast TV in the Motor City (unless their respective broadcast network partners - i.e. Fox with MLB, NBC with the NHL, etc. carries a game.) It also erases the possibility of the teams starting up their own cable sports network.

Pistons games will exclusive to FSN for the first time, while Red Wings games have been exclusive to the sports net since 2003. Ratings for the Pistons and Red Wings on FSN are very competitive with the broadcast networks' fare and outdraw both CW and My Network TV (thank you, writers' strike.)

At one time, some Tigers, Pistons, and Red Wings games aired on WKBD-TV, which pushed them aside because the station thought it would find greater success with UPN and The CW. Um, wrong.

WKBD was Detroit's Fox affiliate until 1994, when the New World-Fox affiliation swap sent Fox to WJBK-TV.

Ryan Baker jumps to Channel 2

In what may be the first of many moves among local television personalities, sports anchor Ryan Baker has jumped to CBS-owned WBBM-TV from NBC-owned WMAQ-TV. Beginning on April 14, he will anchor the sports on Channel 2's morning newscast and report on other newscasts.

NBC Universal puts two stations on the block

It's WTVJ in Miami and WVIT in Hartford that's being chopped off, while the network's Telemundo affiliate (WSCV-TV) won't be sold. The sale will leave NBC with just eight O&O's - the smallest of any network group.

Warning: Local news shakeup ahead

A big news anchor shakeup is in the works at Chicago's TV news stations. The ball got rolling last week when Mark Supplesa abruptly left WFLD-TV after rejecting a contract offer. In Feder's column today, he put in all in perspective, with several high-profile names involved in play:

- Diann Burns of WBBM-Channel 2 may lose her 10 p.m. anchor slot this summer. The decision to pay her $10 million over five years didn't exactly work out in the ratings or the bottom line.

- Allison Payne of WGN-Channel 9, who is currently sidelined because of a series of mini-strokes.

- Warner Saunders of WMAQ-Channel 5, whose rumors of retirement is swirling around more frequently.

Others though, may be looking to make high-profile moves:

- Patrick Elwood, who currently anchors WFLD's noon newscast.

- Anna Davlantes, a weekend news anchor at WMAQ, who could be in line for a new deal.

-Anchor seats at WBBM (with the death of morning anchor Randy Salerno) and WMAQ (a weekend morning anchor seat is vacant after the promotion of Rob Elgas to weekday mornings) are now wide open.

- Amy Jacobson, a reporter who isn't mentioned in the article, but the former WMAQ news anchor is playing the Garry Meier card - waiting around for the best offer, no matter how long it takes.

As they say in TV land - Stay tuned.

Sci-Fi channel greenlights Battlestar prequel

NBC Universal's Sci-Fi channel has greenlighted several new projects, unveiled at their upfront presentation in New York City Tuesday. They include:

- A new prequel to Battlestar Galactica called Caprica, which is set fifty years before Galactica takes place. Galactica concludes its run this year.

- True Beliver, a two-hour backdoor pilot from executive producer Rosario Dawson (a noted sci-fi fan) and David Atchison, who she authored a comic book with. In the pilot, a comic-book geek hooks up with a real-life superhero to save the world.

- 30 Rock's Tracy Morgan also has signed a deal with Sci-Fi to host Scare Tactics.

- Sci-Fi is also expanding its web offerings to its tech-savvy viewers, via its SciFi.com site. Included in the festivities are new offerings in gaming and technology, plus improved streaming video playbck.

Real or rumor: New San Diego Fox affiliate?

This Sam Zell video posted on Trib-owned Baltimore Sun's website (click on "Sam 5" to see video) may hint at a possible affiliation switch for KSWB, going from CW to Fox (why are they still called KSWB to begin with?) So what happens to current Fox affiliate XETV based in nearby Tijuana, Mexico? It could be deja vu all over again (the FCC forced ABC to disaffiliate with XETV in 1972 because of its Mexican location.)

And what about Tribune's allegiance to the CW? Can they find the green network another home (by perhaps buying KUSI-TV?) Will this happen? Or is this rumor? Stay Tuned.

Syndication Box

- Wizards Rule: Disney-ABC Domestic Television has cleared Wizard's First Rule in 84 percent of the country, including all top 50 markets, i.e., the 50 largest metro areas in the country - essentially making it a "firm go". To see a complete list of station groups airing the show this fall, click here (locally, Wizard's will air on WGN-TV.)

This marks the first scripted hour to air in first-run syndication since MGM's She Spies debuted in 2002. For Disney-ABC, it is their first scripted hour show in syndication since Land's End and Honey, I Shrunk the Kids in the 1990's, when it was known as Buena Vista Television.

- Meanwhile, NBC Universal has sold off-network weekend runs of House and Monk to 99 percent of the country, with WFLD-TV clearing them both locally. Fox O&O's in New York and Los Angeles nabbed House, while NBC O&Os in those two same markets (WNBC and KNBC) nabbed Monk.

- Twentieth's Boston Legal has been sold in 92 percent of the country for a fall 2008 launch for weekend runs (WLS-TV will carry the show locally.) This deal is separate from the one made last month with ION Television, which enables the former PAX network to strip the show five days a week.

High Court to hear indecency case

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear the fleeting profanities case, with pits the major networks against the FCC. So we'll finally see if we truly live in the home of the free and the brave or if we live in China.

Another reason to cancel your cable subscription

Besides the cable news channels and Chris Berman:

MTV greenlights Paris Hilton reality series, titled Paris Hilton's My New BFF.

A Bachelor knockoff clearly targeted for the "whatever" generation. Don't know what BFF stands for (code word for slave, perhaps? Yeah, the "winner" of this show gets to work on the Paris plantation - what a prize!), but I'm betting the last two letters stands for what the "winner" is likely to get: f'd over.

Comcast Sportsnet to air classic Blackhawks game

Here's something you won't find on ESPN Classic (and that's not a bad thing): A classic Blackhawks game featuring the Golden Jet, Bobby Hull.

The game from Dec. 11, 1971 features Hull and two other Blackhawk legends - Stan Mikita and goalie Tony Esposito, will air Tuesday at 10:30 p.m. on Comcast SportsNet. Their opponent was the Toronto Maple Leafs and was broadcast from Maple Leaf Gardens. It was originally broadcast on CBC and was televised in black-and-white (yes, in 1971. CBC didn't have a full-color schedule until 1974 - eight years after the U.S. networks went to broadcasting their entire prime-time schedules in color.)

There's also going to be pre-game, post-game, and intermission interviews.

Recently, the three Hockey Hall of Famers returned to the Blackhawks organ-i-zation as goodwill ambassadors. Hull and Mikita were honored at a recent home game.

Official Comcast SportsNet press release

South Bend PBS station may go all-digital

WNIT, a PBS station in South Bend, is asking the FCC permission to broadcast only in digital after the station's broken-down analog transmitter sputtered out for good on Wednesday.

The transmitter broke down last month, when one of two tubes which fed the station's audio and video feeds stopped working. The feed was rerouted to the station's other tube, which forced the station to operate at reduced power. When that tube broke down, the station's analog signal was forced to go off the air (WNIT's digital signal, which is carried by cable and satellite providers, wasn't affected.)

With the digital switchover taking place on February 17 of next year, WNIT felt fixing the analog transmitter (which would be obsolete by then) wouldn't make sense. Viewers without cable can still get the station's signal by buying a digital converter box, which is sold in most electronic stores. Government coupons can help cut the price down to next-to-nothing for consumers in most cases.

Viewers flock to cable premieres

Bravo's new season of Top Chef - shot on location here in Chicago - was a big hit with viewers. Airing Wednesday night at 9 p.m., the season premiere of the cooking contest nabbed 2.2 million viewers - up 11 percent from last season.

However, Top Chef was topped by the season premiere of South Park and the series premiere of Lewis Black's Root of All Evil. South Park drew 3.1 million viewers and came close to outdrawing CW's America's Next Top Model in adults 18-49. Park was up 11 percent from last October's premeire.

Evil grabbed 2.3 million viewers and it won its time slot in key young male demos. And yes, the new show is already causing controversy, and not for taking on Oprah (and no, that's not me making the comments in Alex Weprin's blog.)

"TMZ" gets new slot - and channel

Katie, Brian, and Charles: you met your match.

Beginning Monday, Harvey Levin's syndicated celebrity gossip paparazzi show TMZ will face off against network newscasts in Chicago with the show moving to 5:30 p.m. on Fox-owned WFLD-TV. The program currently airs on sister station WPWR-TV at 6:30 p.m.

TMZ will continue to air at 11:35 p.m. on WFLD.

Fox-owned stations in New York (WNYW) and Los Angeles (KTTV) already air the Warner Bros. - syndicated magazine directly against the network newscasts with some measure of success. TMZ airs in those two markets at 6:30 p.m.

The moves are being made due to the arrival of Everybody Loves Raymond at WPWR and four other My Network TV stations owned by Fox (WWOR in N.Y., KCOP in L.A., KDFI in Dallas, and KTXH in Houston.) The off-network sitcom is moving from Tribune stations in these markets.

Raymond is airing at 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. on WPWR beginning Monday. Fox is also moving Malcolm in the Middle to WPWR (a move long overdue), where it will air at 5:30 p.m. - the same time period where it has aired on WFLD since 2004. Still Standing (a former CBS sitcom) moves to 6:30 p.m. from 5 p.m. on WPWR.

Raymond is also airing Saturdays at 6:30 p.m. on WFLD, while Malcolm gets a second weekday airing at 7:30 a.m.

The moves leave King of the Hill, Seinfeld, and The Simpsons as the only off-network sitcoms left on WFLD's weekday schedule, as the station is moving more toward news, court, and reality programming, while WPWR is being positioned more for recent off-network sitcoms and first-run talk and game shows.

At one time, WFLD's early-evening (or early fringe and access) lineup consisted of off-network sitcoms such as Happy Days, Gimme A Break!, Diff'rent Strokes, The Cosby Show (which it paid a record $105,000 an episode for), Family Matters, Home Improvement, and M*A*S*H.

Will WFLD launch a early fringe news show in the future like many other Fox-owned stations have done? Only time will tell.

And if you think slotting TMZ at 5:30 p.m. between two airings of The Simpsons is - well - odd, think of TMZ as a comedy show itself - if you've seen it, then you know what I mean.

"Rachael Ray" out at WABC? (updated 2)

The New York ABC-owned station is considering axing the program from its 10 a.m. time slot due to mediocre ratings, according to this article in the New York Post. Or is it because ABC parent Disney wants to reclaim the time period for its own fare (remember Wayne Brady's and Tony Danza's talk shows? Works of masterpiece right there.)

If WABC axes Ray, other ABC O&O's (like WPVI in Philadelphia) could follow. One problem though: Ray is signed with the group until 2010.

But it turned out the story was false. A spokeperson from CBS Television Distribution who handles Ray said there's no truth to the rumor.

A little nitpick here: In the Post article, it says that King World is producing Marie Osmond's new talk show for fall 2009.

Um, geniuses: 1). It's Program Partners producing Marie Osmond's new show, not King World. 2) King World changed its name to CBS Television Distribution last year. 3.) CBS is in talks with Valerie Bertnelli for her own talk show in fall 2009, and she's made regular appearances om Rachael Ray this season.

Then, you wonder if any of what the Post said is really true (it wasn't). Rachael Ray is actually winning its time slot on WABC.

Of course, if the New York version of the Chicago Sun-Times didn't spend all its time attacking Family Guy, then maybe they would get something right. But what else you expect from The Daily Rupert?

updated 11:37 p.m. on 2008-03-15

Black TV crew attacked in South Carolina

A crew from CBS affiliate WSPA-TV in Spartanburg, S.C. were attacked by four people while reporting on a homicide story. The attackers also used racial slurs.

The incident happened Monday in Union, S.C., where WSPA reporter Charmayne Brown and the cameraman, both African-American, were reporting on a homicide case across the street from the family's home, when members of the family confronted the crew and asked them to leave. When they refused, the family members attacked Brown with fists and used racial slurs. The camerman and several other bystanders intervened. The incident was caught on camera by a rival station, NBC affiliate WYFF-TV.

All four, who are white, have been arrested in the attack.

The homicide case involved the murder of 73-year old Tommy Howell, who was found dead in his home Monday morning. The grandson (Michael Shane Howell) was arrested in the case.

WSPA is owned by Media General, while WYFF is owned by Hearst-Argyle. Both stations serve the Greenville (S.C.)-Spartanburg (S.C.)-Ashville (N.C.) market, whose DMA is ranked 36th. The market is also home to Sinclair's ABC affiliate WLOS-TV (based in Ashville) and Meredith's Fox affiliate WHNS-TV.

Hulu's here

On Hulu, this Family Guy moment is presented to you by Chevrolet.

NBC Universal and News Corp. are finally opening up its video-streaming service Hulu to the public today, after nearly five months in private beta.

Hulu features TV programs from NBC Universal and Fox parent News Corp., not to mention other content providers, including the NBA, MGM, Sony, Lionsgate, and Warner Bros. Television. Shows being streamed include current series such as Family Guy, The Simpsons, and House, and classics such as The A-Team, Bewitched, and The Bob Newhart Show.

Not all content providers are on aboard however, as the company with the biggest television library (CBS) is not on board, and neither is Viacom or Disney/ABC.

Full-length movies are also available to stream, including Ice Age and The Jerk.

Meanwhile, Hulu is hoping the advertising is has on its site is aimed to engage viewers, not annoy them (though the ad bugs on-screen might be a bad idea... )

Radio's Renaissance

It looks like the NBA, NHL, and the Chicago Blackhawks aren't the only ones having a renaissance - According to Kurt Hanson, radio is having one, too (and the recent AOL-CBS Internet radio streaming deal cements that point.)

Maybe radio isn't dead after all - you know, unlike the Bulls' current season.

Lee Abrams joins Tribune

XM it seems can't catch a break: first, AOL Radio dumps them for CBS, and now Lee Abrams - who has been with XM since 1998 - has jumped to Tribune as Chief Innovation Officer (no, I am not making this up), where he will report to Randy Michaels, who is Tribune's chief executive of broadcasting and interactive.

Abrams, who is a Chicago native, once worked for album-rocker WLUP-FM, and is credited for spearheading the format. Abrams also gave Chicago radio legend Steve Dahl and nationwide radio star Howard Stern their first jobs in broadcasting.

Jacobson: "Law & Order" episode no laughing matter

An episode of tonight's Law & Order: a reporter, looking to get to the bottom of a story regarding a man suspected of killing his wife, shows up at one point in the episode with a bathing suit on.

Sounds familiar?

To Amy Jacobson, it does. All too familiar, and she's not pleased about it.

Tonight L&O features Chicago native Lara Flynn Boyle as a reporter, who according to the preview from NBC, "uses her sexuality to break the case".

As many of you recall, former WMAQ-TV reporter Amy Jacobson was spotted by a crew from WBBM-TV last July at Craig Stebic's house wearing a bikini. Stebic is a suspect in his wife's Amy disappearance. Jacobson lost her job shortly thereafter.

Jacobson blasted Law & Order and creator Dick Wolf in today's Sun-Times, saying the episode is "a reminder of the high price I had to pay for doing my job. Hollywood takes things like this out of context all the time." She has no plans on watching the show.

So, its been eight months since she's been out of work and apparently, she's still not all the wiser. And certainly, if Law & Order and Wolf has to rely on "ripped from the headlines" stories to get plots for his program (which is in its eighteenth season), then we all know this program has run out of ideas. But it's all about surpassing Gunsmoke for the longest-running drama of all time, right? Keep in mind The Simpsons (an animated comedy) still has a step ahead of Wolf & Co. in the race with Gunsmoke for longest-running scripted program of all time.

Classic Post: What was she thinking? (July 10, 2007)

T Dog's Think Tank: Local media blows it again (July 15, 2007)

Comcast, Big Ten Network near deal

It's too late for the just-about-to-conclude college basketball season, but Comcast and the Big Ten Network are close to a deal that would put the new college sports net on its extended basic package.

Comcast recently dropped a provision in its stance, stating BTN was a "niche" channel, and should be regulated only to a sports tier. Currently, BTN is not available on Comcast, Time Warner, Charter, or Mediacom cable systems.

But if a deal with Comcast is achieved, the channel could be in place just in time for the Big Ten football season this fall, plus it could also thaw negotiations between the other cable company holdouts.

Already, BTN is available on Dish Network and Direct TV, and on Chicago RCN and WOW cable systems. BTN is also available on WOW systems in Ohio and Michigan.

Ladies and Gentlemen, let the speculation engines begin

So where is the world is Mark Supplesa going to end up next? Channel 2? Channel 5? Channel 9? CLTV? (One can only hope not.)

The speculation engines are revving up and circulating on where the news anchor, who rejected a generous offer from Fox-owned WFLD-TV, is going to land next.

Supplesa is planning to stay in the Chicago market, but where he lands is not going to be known for at least ninety days, since any offer he gets Fox can match in that time frame.

Given that, his agents are in no hurry to secure an offer from competitors.

So as they say in television land, Stay Tuned.

Sports ratings going up, up, and away

Maybe its the writers' strike. Maybe its the Cubs' post-season run. Maybe its the Blackhawks' resurgence. Maybe its the Celtics and Lakers making noise in the NBA playoff race. Maybe its the hugely successful NFL post-season. Whatever it is, sports is gaining viewers from a year ago, and all sports are benefiting.

Even a Cubs exibition game from nine days ago set a spring-training record for Comcast SportsNet Chicago on March 1 - a 2.0 rating, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The NBA and the NHL have seen rating gains from a year ago, with the NBA up 9 percent in households, with ESPN and TNT also showing gains in households and in male demos. The NHL is up 26 percent in total viewers on NBC and up 30 percent on Versus, to a point where hockey is even outdrawing the numbers it had on ESPN, despite limited distribution.

This comes as viewers sought seeking alternatives to reruns and reality shows on the networks, impacted by the recently concluded writers' strike.

Suppelsa out at WFLD

Mark Suppelsa who is co-anchor of Fox-owned WFLD-TV's 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. newscast, has stepped down.

No word was given on why Mr. Suppelsa is leaving the broadcast, but he recently rejected a four-year renewal pact from the station.

Suppelsa came to WFLD-TV in 2003 from NBC-owned WMAQ-TV, where he started on the noon newscast, then was promoted to 9 p.m. a year later, where he has anchored alongside Robin Robinson. He replaced long time vet Walter Jacobson.

This is a huge blow to WFLD's struggling news operation, which trails WGN's and unlike other Fox-owned stations and Fox affiliates in the rest of the country, is unable to benefit from its' parent networks successful prime-time line-up, which is anchored by American Idol.

No word on the next move for Suppelsa (start your speculation engines.)

"Price" 2, "Deal" 0

The Price Is Right did it again Friday night, giving away another one million dollars on its Million Dollar Spectacular prime-time special, when a contestant came within $500 of the retail price in the Showcase Showdown.

Meanwhile, the hapless louts over at Deal or No Deal have yet to give anyway a million on their program, despite having thirteen million dollar cases on a few shows. Since the mission ended, ratings have dropped substantially (hey, you live by the gimmick, you die by the gimmick.)

So what's the biggest news at Deal they can muster out? Going to three overseas countries to do episodes for the sets of their versions of Deal for May sweeps. Whoopee. Nothing compliments your show better than paying a visit to the set where they rip your version off (but producer Endemol doesn't mind. They license the format around the world.) Then again, isn't Deal's format based on the British version (sans the models and goofy gimmicks?)

When they do leave, let's hope Deal goes overseas and never comes back (the models can stay, though.)

UPDATE: Saw an NBC promo this evening touting Deal as "The Most Watched Show on TV". Guess they haven't heard of a show called American Idol. L. O. to the freakin' L.

This is like Power 92 (WPWX-FM) saying they are really Number One In The Streets (again, L.O. to the freakin' L.)

My guff, how desperate can you get? They should change Deal Or No Deal to Desperate Deal, with NBC President Ben Silverman as host and NBC Universal Chairman Jeff "Doogie" Zucker as The Banker.

updated 7:30 p.m. on 2008-03-10

New links added

Some things have been changed on the sidebar at The T Dog Media Blog:

-Since the Writer's Guild strike is over (thankfully), I have taken down the WGA Strike Central section, but several of those links have relocated to the sidebar: Nikki Finke's Deadline Hollywood Daily blog has been added, as well as The Hollywood Reporter and Variety.

- As a thank you for Larz (who runs Chicagolandradioandmedia.com) for adding my blog to his sidebar on his blog, I've returned the favor and added his new CRM Blog to my sidebar.

- Remember the T Dog Think Tank I wrote back in October regarding television's worst shows? No? Good. The article is in the process of being rewritten (hey, I could've written it better than that!) and will be prominently featured on the sidebar. The post will also be constantly updated with latest inductees (such as Celebrity Apprentice.)

- I've added a new section regarding the upcoming television digital transition, which takes place February 17, 2009. So far, I have added DTVAnswers.com, and more links will be added as soon as they become available.

- I'm also in the process of adding links to websites featuring Chicago's television and radio history. You'll see them here soon.

I hope the changes will make the place more fun and reflective of media in Chicago and the Midwest. Your visits to the site are always appreciated.

AOL, CBS Radio team up

XM ends partnership with AOL, launches new online radio initiative

CBS Radio and AOL struck a major deal Friday, which allows AOL to stream all CBS-owned radio stations on its Internet Radio service. The deal will mesh CBS-owned radio stations with AOL's existing radio stations, and it also calls for CBS to create custom radio stations exclusively for the Internet.

CBS is also developing a new player for AOL listeners, which will enable listeners to toggle between stations, rate songs, buy albums, link to artists' web sites, and even purchase concert tickets.

AOL will have access to Chicago's terrestrial CBS radio stations, including sports talk WSCR-AM (The Score), Triple A-formatted WXRT-FM, rhythmic/hip-hop outlet WBBM-FM (B96) and new AC station WCFS-FM (Fresh 105.9)

Other stations available to AOL listeners include legendary Oldies station WCBS-FM in New York, alternative rocker KROQ-FM in Los Angeles, and urban-formatted WVEE-FM in Atlanta, plus several JACK radio stations, including WJMK-FM in Chicago.

CBS will sell adtime for the online stations using CBS TargetSpot, with commercials differing from their terrestrial counterparts.

Read the official press release from CBS Radio

What about XM?








As a result of the CBS deal, XM has opted out of its contract with AOL, effective May 1. On that date, XM channels will no longer be available on AOL's website. Instead, XM has decided to re-launch its own online radio service, named XM Radio Online.

XM will stream 80 channels of commercial-free music, along with exclusive content from Bob Dylan, Oprah Winfrey, and Opie & Anthony.

Customers who sign up for the internet service get a fourteen-day free trial and afterward, pay just $2.99 a month for the first six months.

Analysis: Trading in commercial-free XM channels for Eddie & Jobo? What a bum deal! (it's worst enough I have to see the two old geezers in those insurance commercials on TV.) While it seems like a huge victory for terrestrial radio, it actually may help Internet Radio. AOL's deal with the enemy (CBS Radio) is better for them than one with XM, given one company is obviously in better financial shape than the other. XM is in the process of merging with Sirius, and the future of both (and satellite radio in general) is quite unclear. It's still not known whether or not the FCC will approve the deal.

One could wonder however, what the CBS/AOL deal means for RIAA and Sound Exchange, which has been seeking bigger royalties from Internet streamers. They could go after the two for a even bigger payday.

Also, are AOL's XM Internet listeners - many of them who left terrestrial radio for the greener pasture of commercial-free stations - stick around? With plenty of choices on the Internet - including lots of commercial-free stations, many of them (like me) will likely leave AOL. But those listeners will be replaced by a lot of CBS Radio ones, many of them are quite loyal to their outlets (with WXRT as an example.)

CBS is willing to bet the farm on Internet radio with AOL. It's a bet worth taking.

Rant: You think I was going to let this deal go without criticizing it a little? As for yours truly - is he ticked that XM decided to move its Internet channels to a pay platform, knowing damn well you can get other Internet stations without commercials for free? Is he ticked AOL sold out to CBS Radio, a group known for its cookie-cutter formats and annoying radio personalities? Is he ticked that AOL is moving to an advertising-supported format? You bet. Thank goodness for those other choices. Have fun with your new best friends Eddie & Jobo, AOL.

The business side of me says this is a good deal. The Internet radio fan side of me says this deal completely blows. Now I know what a person who eats Frosted Mini-Wheats for breakfast feels like.

T Dog's Think Tank: Radio takes another step backward

Today's feedback in Robert Feder's column in today's Sun-Times was about the recent corporate cutbacks at Citadel's WLS-AM and WZZN-FM. Among the universally critical letters of Citadel were three former WLS staffers - one of which (Jake Hartford) was fired Friday.

If the Citadel firings are any indication, the radio business has taken a major step backwards (again) and has given the middle finger to its listeners (again). According to Citadel, someone had to take the fall for the $848 million debacle in last year's fourth quarter earnings report and the company's reckless overspending, and it wasn't going to be the suits.

Despite what you think on how much WLS leans (personally, yours truly finds news/talk radio - whether left or right - quite boring), it still had a hard-working news department (even in the Musicradio 89 heyday), and a reporter dedicated to local politics. And now, Citadel has stripped most of that out and decimated the place in the process.

And then there's sister station WZZN's reluctance to hire local personalities for the True Oldies Channel. While it was understandable when they launched the station in 2005 to start off with a satellite-fed service, it's 2008 - and they haven't shown much improvement in hiring local personalities, aside from hiring Dick Biondi, Greg Brown, and Scott Mackay (and they let one go - John Landecker - last year.) Last Friday, they flipped WJZW-FM in Washington, D.C. from Smooth Jazz to True Oldies, firing the entire airstaff, and added Imus in the mornings, in a Radio & Records story that read more like a press release (really, R&R should know better.)

It's just more proof audience numbers don't matter in this business anymore, but how much money a show rakes in and what Madison Avenue and Wall Street thinks does (and that goes for television too, since CW thinks most of their aging shows can still draw an audience.) Arbitron and Nielsen numbers are starting to come more and more irrelevant with each passing day (and yes, I know about the LPMs and PPMs, so don't go there.) It is harder and harder to tell who the winners and losers are, even among demos. After all, McGee was canned and he was in the top five and often in the top three among adults 18-34.

Radio's cruelness has been on display in recent years - the big, corporate losses. The firings. The bland playlists. Even losing your job because you speak your mind about the state of the business. And much, much, more. And the suits - and even some clueless listeners - still can't grasp what's going on.

And you think the politicians care about this? They are too busy raising our taxes to notice. What does your presidential candidates say about this? Oh yeah - they are too interested in selling us "change", which we all know won't happen. What does John McCain think about this? Oh, that's right. He's for the "free market" - a word people in the corporate boardrooms love to hear. If he becomes the next President, he'll give corporations free reign over radio and television, which gives them the incentive of stripping them of their soul.

So, the mass firings at Citadel Friday were no surprise. Sadly, we've become too numb to this kind of event. And if you think good ratings doesn't matter anymore, neither does localism.

Let's go to Cleveland

Remember when Family Guy creator Seth McFarlane was upset with Fox for airing those episodes of Family Guy that were not approved by him during the recent writer's strike? Well, I guess all is forgiven...

Fox is talks with McFarlane about a possible spin-off of Family Guy featuring Cleveland Brown, the lone African-American character on the show. If you watch the show regularly (like yours truly does), then you know Cleveland (voiced by Mike Henry) is the most level-headed person in Peter's group of friends. If the project is green-lighted, the series could air sometime next season.

Of course, Cleveland Brown is not to be confused with the NFL football team from Cleveland of the same name, only with a "s" at the end of Brown.

Steve Stone signs with White Sox

The former White Sox and Orioles pitcher and Cubs commentator signs on full time with the Chicago White Sox to be their new color analyst, replacing Chris Singleton in the role. Singleton is reportedly heading to ESPN's Baseball Tonight.

White Sox games air over WSCR-AM.

Thankfully, the new contract doesn't call for Stone doing Public Insurance commercials (remember those?)

But welcome back, Steve. You've been missed.

FCC winning war on indecency?

If this article in TV Week is any indication, the major broadcast networks are in for more audience erosion - but read my latest Think Tank and I'll give you even more reasons why they are.

Meanwhile, the relentless assault on the First Amendment continues from the FCC and PTC groups, though its too bad the government (and the PTC) aren't more concerned about other more pressing issues.

Yeah - go on and celebrate on saving our children, you jerks.

Feder analyzes WLS firings

Robert Feder of the Sun-Times wrote a pretty good article today, analyzing WLS-AM and WZZN-FM's firing spree on Friday, in which fourteen people lost their jobs - a dead-on piece that pretty much sums up the state of the media business today, especially radio.

And that's not all: On top of that, Feder reported that four employees at CBS-owned WBBM-TV were let go; NBC affiliate WSAZ-TV in Charleston-Huntington, West Virginia has cut eight jobs because of expenses due to its transition to digital broadcasting; and the Hollywood Reporter stated that CW has let up to thirty employees go, and shuttered their comedy development division. 

One word we'd better get use to in this business these days: layoff.  

Oprah's Big Give gets big ratings

Oprah Winfrey's new prime-time reality show on ABC was a big hit last night, with the program finishing first in total viewers, adults 18-49, and in households, despite the fact critics ultimately panned the show (so much for that extra promotion - but does the queen of daytime TV really even need them?)

Meanwhile, Fox's The Simpsons scored the highest ratings this calendar year in households and in adults 18-49. The improved ratings and exciting plot last night should shut critics of the series' recent episodes up for a while (You're welcome.) Also, King of the Hill hit a season high in adults 18-49. Keep in mind the numbers are skewed a bit because of a NASCAR overrun.

The new comedy Unhitched didn't get unhitched from its lead-in, retaining much of Family Guy's audience, and Deal or No Deal laid an egg, losing to Oprah's Big Give and Family Guy (and with one contestant obviously losing her mind. In the future DOND, please don't pick contestants who dance...)

CW picks up six shows

If you're a fan of America's Next Top Model, Everybody Hates Chris, Gossip Girl, One Tree Hill, Smallville, and Supernatural - good news - your show has been picked up for next season, though Top Model and Chris were renewed ahead of time.

Left off the list (for now) are Reaper, The Game, and Aliens in America. Gone are WWE Smackdown, Life Is Wild, and CW Now.

While the pickups give the perception the CW is having some success this year, the reality is these renewals are a reflection of the writer's strike, which has thrown this season's network schedules for a loop, and it now will take another season to fully access things. Ratings for CW are down from last year.

T Dog's Think Tank: Thank you, Jim

Last week, two programs reminded us how much the words "vertical integration" meant to the TV business.

The possible renewals of tired sitcoms According to Jim and Scrubs.

Both come from the same studio (ABC Studios) and both are being considered for pickups by ABC next season, despite the fact both have drawn less and less viewers over the last few years (Jim is averaging only 4 million this season.)

Now, if you have read this blog in its first few months, you know how yours truly feels about According to Jim and Jim Belushi. Not exactly a fan.

The last time I heard, Scrubs was airing on NBC, where its been for seven seasons. Barring any legal action from the Peacock Network (which is likely), Scrubs is headed to the alphabet network this fall.

So, why is ABC is considering picking up Scrubs and According to Jim, despite ratings that should make them more than eligible for cancellation?

Simple. The Walt Disney Co. owns ABC. Disney also owns ABC studios. Disney is also the syndicator of both shows through Disney-ABC Domestic Television. ABC can continue to make money from syndication sales and revenue of both shows. That's what we call in the business "vertical integration".

Never mind the fact According to Jim and Scrubs are nowhere near the ratings and revenue achieved by fellow off-network stalwarts Everybody Loves Raymond, Friends, and Seinfeld, and never will be. Believe me, According to Jim would have long been gone and Scrubs wouldn't be even considered for a pickup had the shows been produced by someone else.

Don't you love this "vertical integration?"

There was something that used to prevent these actions from happening. It was called the Financial Interest and Syndication Rules, or fin-syn, as it was more commonly known. It was a set of rules the FCC imposed on the Big 3 networks in 1970, because they controlled too much of the business.

Fin-syn was supposed to diversify the business, and it did - somewhat - with more and more independent producers popping up on the prime-time landscape. But when the Fox network rose to respectability, and dramatic changes happened to the TV industry, the FCC abolished the rules in 1991, setting them up for their sunset four years later.

In the years since, we've seen the networks enter back into the syndication business by merging with Hollywood studios, notably ABC with Disney, CBS with Paramount and Viacom, and NBC with Universal. The networks started putting their own-produced shows on their schedules in greater numbers, squeezing out the indie producers. Then, the television business fragmented like crazy, thanks to the rapid rise of viewing options in the average household.

After all, you can connect the dots - Republicans (ironically, except for Reagan) hated fin-syn and got rid of it; and judging by the comments on message boards supporting Jim, the show is well-liked by conservatives (and by some brain-dead Cubs fans, of course.) After all, they hate the idea of the government stepping in and running things, right?

Oh yeah. Except in the cases of sex, violence, and profanity on TV and then they want government regulation. Gotcha.

So it seems the demise of fin-syn was intended to keep a no-talent hack like Jim Belushi gainfully employed. After all, he's a hot commodity these days (at least in the eyes of media companies) - he was recently tapped to host WGN-TV's 60th anniversary celebration. After all, they do air According to Jim reruns. And when the Chicago Tribune (whose parent company also owns WGN-TV) wants a "celebrity perspective" on anything regarding Chicago sports, they run to Belushi, because they supposedly think his I.Q. is in the hundreds.

Don't you love this "vertical integration"?

Yes, even Jim Belushi can accomplish this feat. The TV business is so much better for it.

So much better that only 45 percent of prime-time viewers watch the five major networks so far this season, down tremendously from the already low number last year, thanks in part to the writers' strike. Friday and Saturday nights in prime-time these days are virtual wastelands. More and more viewers are fed up with the lackluster quality of network television (more Nickelodeon game show retreads, anyone?) Local TV ratings continue to erode. And so on. And so on.

And what do the major networks do? Rubber-stamp shows for renewal. Piss viewers off by having "countdown clocks" on-screen while a program is on, telling us when the next show begins (all it means to me is a countdown to change the channel.) Put on more and more unwatchable junk, like The Race for the Next Celebrity Bachelor Apprentice, or something.

And you thought industry observers said the demise of fin-syn would lead to better programming.

The networks act like there is nothing wrong with the medium. Why should they? Once again, they have all the power, they make all the money, and they pretend to live in their own little world. Hey louts, there's a signpost up ahead - your next stop - The Trouble Zone. Radio's already there. And look what mess that medium is in.

Of course, the people who run radio are about as clueless as the people who run television and the people who run the deregulation-happy FCC.

But as along they answer to Wall Street and only Wall Street and not the public and the FCC has no problem with it, the quality of both businesses will continue to suffer.

And our reward? More Jim Belushi. Gee, thanks. Thanks a lot.

Me-Too and Me-TV Milwaukee launches today

A reminder: the new WMEU-CA, branded Me-Too is launching today at 5 a.m.

The new channel is a spin-off of Me-TV (WWME-CA), which launched in 2005. WMEU is taking the place of ethnic-programmed WFBT-CA, which is switching to one of WCIU's sub-channels.

WMEU, WFBT, WWME, and WCIU are all owned by Weigel Broadcasting.

Me-Too is available on broadcast analogchannel 48 (good luck picking it up), WCIU digital sub-channel 26.3, and Comcast Cable channel 247 (WFBT will still be available on channel 248.) Me-Too is also available on RCN and WOW cable systems; check your channel lineup for details.

Meanwhile, The Me-TV format will launch today at Weigel's WDJT in Milwaukee on digital channel 58.3, and will also be available on Time Warner and Charter digital cable systems on cable channel 201. However, the digital sub-channel feed (as well as WMLW on 58.2) will be pre-empted to carry NCAA tournament games later next month.

To see the Chicago lineup of Me-TV and Me-Too, click here (PDF reader required.)

To see the Milwaukee lineup of Me-TV, click here.

And remember: To view the channels, you don't need a HDTV set.

WLS-AM, Citadel cut jobs

This occurred as parent company Citadel Broadcasting posted a whopping $848 million loss in the fourth quarter of 2007. The personnel layoffs include:

Jennifer Keiper, news director ; Bill Cameron, city hall reporter; David Jennings, reporter; Christina Filiaggi, traffic reporter; Nate Clay, talk host and Jake Hartford.

Meanwhile, Citadel has laid off two at WABC in New York; WPLJ (also in New York) fired Rocky Allen; In Washington, WMAL fired talk show host Chris Core, and WJZW-FM has dropped its Smooth Jazz format, and replaced it with The True Oldies Channel. There are reports surfacing that Citadel's stations in Los Angeles and San Francisco have also been hit.

And there's more: And there might be more layoffs coming, particularly at WZZN. This is truly a sad day in the local media industry, just another reminder that this is a business first and only first. And with the economy further slumping downward, things are bound to get only worse.

Editor's Note: The title of this post was changed because yours truly found it was insensitive after some thought, particularly after the NIU shootings that recently took place. I apologize if anyone was offended. - T.H.

updated at 11:07 p.m. on 2008-02-29

Bobby Knight to feed hand that bites him

ESPN, whose Jeremy Schaap berated Bobby Knight in an interview several years ago, and made a mockery of him in the made-for TV movie Season On The Brink, which inaccurately portrayed his 1985-86 season at Indiana, has signed the recently-retired basketball coach as analyst for "Championship Week", beginning on March 12, and will appear on all ESPN platforms, including SportsCenter, ESPN Radio, and ESPN News.

I guess its easier to forgive when The Worldwide Leader in B.S. waives a check at you.

Hmmm... I wonder what Deadspin thinks about all this?

Local stations' sweeps numbers hit by writers' strike

Affiliates - who depend on their network's prime-time programs to draw viewers to their late newscasts - suffered ratings declines during the just-concluded February sweeps as the writer's strike forced the networks into reruns and were forced to air less-appealing reality shows.

Judging by the few markets available for review, NBC affiliates seemed to be affected less, thanks to a somewhat-resurgent network lineup thanks to the popularity of Deal or No Deal and American Gladiators, and the success of the Tonight Show With Jay Leno sans writers, while ABC and CBS affiliates were hurt more with their most popular shows in reruns.

As a result, NBC stations held on to their posts in late news, with many stations even showing increases from their network lead-ins.

As noted in a few posts below this one, NBC affiliate WTMJ won the 10 p.m. news race in Milwaukee, while WGN-TV beat all competitors from 5 to 9 a.m. here in Chicago this month, including ABC-owned WLS-TV (keep in mind WLS did tie WGN at 6 a.m.). Bad weather throughout the entire month drew viewers to local news in these markets - though ratings still do not match those of a year ago, as many viewers have a wealth of viewing choices at their disposal.

Here are sweeps results from a few other markets:

Philadelphia: Despite its parent network missing many of its popular shows, ABC-owned WPVI continued to dominate the ratings, doing something sister station WLS in Chicago couldn't even do - sweep all news dayparts. The loser: CBS-owned KYW-TV, which saw its ratings drop after firing controversial anchor Alicia Lane. Fox-owned WTXF also had a good book, with American Idol, Judge Judy, and the station's 10 p.m. newscast doing quite well (the 5 p.m. newscast however, still trails its competitors, tying WPSG-TV's People's Court in the process.)

Boston: NBC affiliate WHDH wins at 11, but ABC affiliate WCVB wins in other time slots. Fox-owned WFXT had a great month with Fox prime-time programming, and its 10 p.m. newscast drawing as many viewers as competing prime-time shows.

Washington, D.C.: NBC-owned WRC-TV bounced back from a so-so November sweeps and beat ABC affiliate WJLA-TV in the nation's capital. WJLA however, saw ratings increases in many of its newscasts. Fox-owned WTTG benefited from Fox's prime-time lineup, with its 10 p.m. news drawing more viewers than the affiliates 11 p.m. newscasts, and drew more viewers than WRC at 5 a.m.

Detroit: The motor city actually bucked the nationwide trend this February, with all three news stations showing increases for the month, thanks to hot local stories and cold, bad weather. NBC affiliate WDIV won at 11 p.m. over ABC affiliate WXYZ-TV, with Fox's WJBK drawing more viewers to its newscasts thanks to - all together now - American Idol and the Super Bowl. WDIV tied WXYZ at 5 p.m. despite no revelant lead-in while WXYZ won total-day household ratings. On the other hand, CBS-owned (and news-less) WWJ-TV finished way behind its other competitors.

Denver: What goes up in Detroit, comes down in Denver (and that includes the Colorado Avalanche.) February was a tough time to be a TV station, as many of Denver's outlets tumbled in the ratings, with the 10 p.m. newscasts on the three network affiliates - and total-day viewing in the market among broadcast stations - hitting a record low share. NBC affiliate KUSA-TV dominated and KMGH was in the Nielsen basement as usual, while Fox affiliate KDVR won prime. Of note is KUSA tying Oprah on CBS-owned KCNC-TV at 4 p.m. with a 12 share.

Orlando: Despite a lack of fresh popular programming at ABC, WFTV continued to dominate news time periods and total-day ratings sans prime, which went to Fox.

WTMJ wins 10 p.m. newscast in February

Thanks to harsh weather in Wisconsin all month long, Journal Broadcasting's WTMJ-TV in Milwaukee won at 10 p.m. in February, beating Hearst-Argyle-owned ABC affiliate WISN-TV.

The NBC affiliate benefited from a resurgent network line-up (albeit filled with second-hand fare), while WISN suffered without popular ABC shows out of episodes due to the writer's strike and alt shows like Dancing With The Stars on the bench for the month.

Of course, the main factor was WTMJ's win was the station's wall-to-wall weather coverage, which it snowed quite a lot in Milwaukee this month.

Ironically, Fox affiliate WITI was the only station at 10 p.m. to gain viewers, maybe in part due to American Idol fueling its 9 p.m. newscast (here in Chicago, viewers turn the channel when Idol is over.)

CBS affiliate WDJT-TV - like CBS-owned WBBM-TV here in Chicago - continues to struggle in the ratings, with the UHFer (Channel 58) a distant fourth.

As for the off-network sitcoms in the time period, WCGV's Simpsons was flat from last year, while WVTV's King of Queens dropped a share point. Both stations are owned by Sinclair Broadcasting.

Seacrest expands his business

He's more than a smarky TV host and a Los Angeles radio personality, but a businessman as well.

Ryan Seacrest's KIIS-FM morning show in Los Angeles is getting syndicated in a three-hour program for midday and afternoon airings in other markets.

Seacrest took over the KIIS morning gig from 22-year veteran Rick Dees in 2004.

The American Idol host is also taking control of his own destiny: In an agreement with Premiere Radio Networks, Seacrest will own and control a portion of the barter time being sold in the show. Seacrest is also selling his own time on American Top 40, the weekly syndicated radio countdown show once hosted by co-creator Casey Kasem and former L.A. radio personality Shadoe Stevens.

The goal is to bring more advertisers to radio and develop closer business relationships with them. Seacrest plans to do what marketers call "product placement", where instead of thirty and sixty-second spots, Seacrest mentions the products in passing on his shows. Seacrest works extensively with Coca-Cola, a prominent advertiser on Idol, and Proctor & Gamble, among others.

Seacrest has also renewed has deals with KIIS and Premiere to host American Top 40 (as well as the Hot AC version of the show.) Seacrest also has a production deal with E! to host E! Daily News, produce the network's Keeping Up With The Kardashians, and also hosts Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year's Eve.

He is also planning to launch his own website.

Do we have the next Oprah? Possibly coming soon: RS - The Ryan Seacrest Magazine and Ryan's Book Club, plus a new TV show: Ryan's Big Give.

Thought: Love him or hate him, you have to admire his entrepreneurial spirit. Good for him. And to the haters: He's taking control of his own destiny, unlike other radio and talk personalities who show up for five hours a day, run their mouths, attend a bunch of production meetings, and leave at the end of the day and take a check from The Man. And when they get canned, they whine like little girls.

If you are in the media business - you have to take control of your future. That's what Oprah Winfrey, Kimora Lee, Tom Joyner, Tyra Banks, Byron Allen, Martha Stewart, and other countless celebrities have done. They surely take nothing for granted. These people aren't looking for handouts from media companies - they want to be in business with them. There's a difference. Sadly, there are some people who have more respect for a bombastic radio personality who hops on stage at a political rally and slanders a presidential candidate, then gleefully accepts his six-figure check from The Man and runs back to his mansion in Kentucky while contributing nothing worthwhile.

Scrubs may move from NBC to ABC

Scrubs could be soon in the same company with the likes of Peter Gunn, Let's Make A Deal, Get Smart, Scooby-Doo, Family Matters, JAG, The Hogan Family, Step by Step, The Critic, Diff'rent Strokes, Taxi, and Buffy, The Vampire Slayer: series that has aired on more than one network.

ABC is reportedly picking up Scrubs for next season, which has aired on NBC since 2001, when the show was produced by Touchstone Television, which has been since rechristened ABC Studios.

Both ABC and ABC Studios are owned by The Walt Disney Co.

Throughout television history, more than fifty shows have switched networks. A handful, including The Price Is Right, has aired on as many as three networks (NBC, ABC, and CBS.)

Scrubs has been hurt by the writer's strike - ABC Studios had planned to produce eighteen episodes, but has since been cut down to twelve. The move to ABC would make financial sense for the network since it has already has an audience, and the network needs hit comedies - even if the "hit" is modestly-rated, such as Scrubs.

In other words, chalk one up for vertical integration.

Trivia: Even soap operas aren't immune to the network switcheroo. In late 1975, The Edge of Night became the first soap to change networks by switching from CBS to ABC.

WGN pulls upset in the mornings

The CW may be tanking, but Tribune's WGN-TV is thriving - its morning show ranked number one in the daypart (second item), besting ABC-owned WLS-TV in the recently concluded February book from 5 a.m. to 9 a.m. - though it tied WLS at 6 a.m.

Meanwhile, not even the presence of American Idol and the Super Bowl has helped Fox-owned WFLD's Good Day Chicago. Why would the station change the name of the show back to what it was when it launched as a ratings-deprived program in 1993? As a result, those ratings are back in the basement.

Oh Shut Up, Part II

In the "why does this guy have a job department" (a question yours truly asks whenever he comes across a Jay Mariotti-written article), New York Daily News TV Critic and Robert Feder wannabe Richard Huff whines about New York TV News during "sweeps", never mind TV stations in Local People Meter markets (like New York and Chicago) de-emphasized sweeps years ago and you see these type of stories year-around.

Certainly this is an article more targeted to Greensboro, N.C. than to New York City, and treating your readers like they are from Greensboro really doesn't boost circulation, and there's reason No. 235 why newspapers are among "the walking dead".

"WWE Smackdown" bodyslams its way to My Network TV

It's My Smackdown now.

The WWE and News Corp.'s My Network TV have entered into an exclusive agreement to carry the two-hour WWE Smackdown, beginning in September. The program will enter season 10 on the mini-net.

Many former UPN affiliates (including WPWR in Chicago and WCGV in Milwaukee) aired Smackdown but when UPN merged with the WB to form CW in 2006, many of those stations lost the show. But now those same stations will have an opportunity to air Smackdown again.

The move is a boon for My Network TV, which has struggled outside the gate for the last two years with an all-telenovela format that quickly went bust on the onset.

No word on what night Smackdown will air, but it expected to air either Thursday or Friday.

Read the official press release from the WWE

UPDATE: In order for My Network TV to pay for acquiring Smackdown, it is asking affiliates to give back two minutes of adtime back to the network - on top of the two minutes it had already asked to give back. When the network launched in 2006, affiliates got a very generous 5-minute national/9-minute local ad split. Beginning this fall, the split will become more even, at exactly 7/7 with Smackdown having a 9/5 split.

Thought: This is a good move for both parties involved - for the WWE, which returns to many of those same stations it spurned when UPN and the WB merged to form CW. For My Network TV, the network gets a show that is a proven winner, and given the struggles at CW, this is an excellent opportunity for My Network TV to become a very serious contender and pass CW. If that happens, those former UPN affiliates-turned-My Net stations may get the last laugh. Ha.

Updated 6:00 p.m on 2008-02-26

Oscar least watched in 34 years

This year's Academy Awards, hosted by Jon Stewart, scored the lowest ratings ever by attracting only 32 million viewers, and averaging only a 10.7 rating in adults 18-49. The telecast was down 20 percent from last year.

Meanwhile, a native Chicagoan has snared an Oscar for the second straight year. Congratulations to Diablo Cody from southwest suburban Lemont (and no, she does not look like Amy Winehouse), who took home the Oscar for Best Screenplay for the movie Juno. Last year, Chicago native Jennifer Hudson took home an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for her role in Dreamgirls.

Our sports teams may suck - but we're winning at the Oscars! All right, you all can wake up now...

Ladies and Gentlemen - the 1,000th post.

The T Dog Media Blog has reached its 1,000th post. And in those one thousand posts, what has we learned? Well...

- Jim Belushi still has no talent whatsoever.

- Chicago celebrities in Hollywood can be just as much as a jerk as anyone else - except the one who won the Oscar last year.

- If you a guy, or if your over the age of 50, advertisers don't care about you - unless you're interested in life insurance or Axe body spray.

- No one thought the FCC could've been run worse than by anyone other than Michael Powell.

- You can jump the shark and become even more popular. Bobby Ewing in every shower, stat!

- You can be the toast of the town by saving a cheerleader one season, and be scorned the next - a familiar scenario to a certain Bears QB.

- If you work and radio, do a good job, and become number one, you can still get fired.

- You can have no talent and still land a syndicated radio show.

- A radio station that is touted as an alternative can turn out to be even worse than the big boys.

- Reality shows can reinforce negative stereotypes against minorities - even if its a show hosted by one.

- Jay Mariotti still sucks.

- Local news - in any market - is a joke.

- You can go on strike - and still command more respect than a certain bunch of political hacks who need to have an opinion on anything and everything (and really need to shut the hell up.)

- You can blow yourself up in a limo and "survive" - while another person in your organization - in real life - can kill himself and his own family a few days later.

- You can pick a show to be number one on a best show list for the year - only to quickly tumble and crash (hey, yours truly can make a mistake once and awhile) by changing the backstory of the series because the writers are completely out of ideas and giving long-time loyal viewers the middle finger in the process.

- Any medical hack can host a talk show - and fail trying (and by the way, we got five of them hosting a show together this fall.)

- You can run a right-wing organization interested in protecting children from the "evils of TV"... but not the evils of gun violence, which kills more children than any TV show. But since those children who are killed or hurt live in predominately black or Hispanic neighborhoods - oh gee whiz, why should they care about that?

- And finally, don't write posts saying they're on the clock. It kills your cred...

- But you know what? This is still a fun business to cover and talk about. For every story about something stupid, there are five that are smart. Here's to another thousand posts!

T Dog's Think Tank: Did "The Simpsons" Jump the Shark? (Updated)

Originally published on January 30th, but slightly re-written to further explain why the show finished first on the Excellent 10 list last year and to address the series' last few seasons.

When I read the synopsis for January 27th's Simpsons episode That '90's Show, yours truly was worried. Really worried. Meredith's ferry boat crash-worried. Well, I tuned in, and my worst fears were confirmed...

Holy Humdrum, Batman, what the heck was that? This episode was so bad, The 700 Club marathon that aired earlier that day was funnier. Who wrote this episode, the Cavemen staff? (all right, the "Weird" Al bit and the President Bush joke at the end were funny... but it was the only times I laughed while watching this.)

And the fanboy reaction was quite what I expected (split.)

So I guess continuity doesn't matter in this series anymore. For those of us whose been with the series since day one, this episode was the ultimate slap in the face - though I concede younger viewers than me (I'm 35) and newbies probably won't have a problem with it.

As long-time fans know, the backstory of the show had Marge and Homer meeting in high school in 1974, marrying in 1980 (the same year Bart was born), having Lisa in 1984, Maggie coming along later in the decade, and so on.

But now with That '90's Show, they changed the backstory completely (a writing no-no), with Marge and Homer meeting in the 1990's with a ultra-lame plot around Marge dating a college professor. Homer is so ticked off, he invents grunge. At the end of the episode, I was hoping Marge would wake up and find Homer in the shower and it was all a Dallas-inspired nightmare.

Instead, it was this episode that was a nightmare. I guess cutting the show mid-scene Sopranos-style with Lisa trying to parallel park outside was too easy.

So I guess Homer really didn't go into outer space, Montgomery Burns really wasn't shot, and Bart didn't really Do The Bartman (there's an upside, I guess).

And to think yours truly picked this show as the number one show of 2007 over Family Guy and South Park. Rest assured The Simpsons won't be number one in 2008.

The season started off great for The Simpsons, its 19th, coming off the momentum of the success the franchise had at the box office last summer. What happened? It's quickly running out of gas faster than the 2007 Detroit Lions. Did they suddenly hire Matt Millen to supervise the writing staff? The letdown curse strikes again.

Ah, the 2007-08 season. The season of the letdown. Top Model, Survivor, Heroes, Ugly Betty (ratings performance only), the Bears and the Bulls. And to top it off, a writer's strike. And now, The Simpsons. Is it time for yours truly to invest in some new programming incentives? I'm going to have trouble finding even five shows to put in the The Excellent List for 2008. Can reruns of M*A*S*H count? Don't be surprised if Pardon The Interruption is this year's number one show, in which Armageddon truly has come.

Some say The Simpsons stopped being funny around Season 11 or so. They may be right, but it did manage to spurt out a couple of funny episodes a season since then. But even those have come few and far between lately, especially in the last three years. I'm sorry, but the writers are clearly out of ideas after nineteen seasons if they have to resort to rewriting the series' backstory, and relying too much on tired gags and plots. This awful pace picked up in the series' last few episodes.

So, why did yours truly make it number one for 2007 on the Excellent 10 list? Because there were really no other options left, with South Park, Family Guy, and Heroes also in creative decline (plus I gave The Simpsons Movie a lot of credit. Perhaps too much credit.) It wasn't easy putting that list together.

The lesson learned here is, maybe we shouldn't invest so much time and energy and emotion into a TV show. People who do this are often mocked by people who actually have lives. Ask any Star Trek or Lost fan. It's not easy being a fanboy (I should know.)

So yes, I think The Simpsons Jumped the Shark after the January 27th episode. But who knows? Both Grey's Anatomy and the WWE jumped the shark last year, and they are as popular as ever. It defies all common sense, which seems to be lacking in television today and the public couldn't care less. Today's audiences - especially younger viewers - watches television passively, not actively. If we had quiz show scandals today, it wouldn't be a big deal. If you live in the Chicago area (where scandals are about as common as snow in the wintertime), you know this already.

And so, the writers finally returned from the picket line, ready to write again. But the way this current season has collapsed for The Simpsons, their writers should stay there.

The "Price" was definitely right

L.O. to the freakin' L...

While Deal or No Deal couldn't give away one million dollars on their show (even after filling thirteen suitcases with the prize), the prime-time version of The Price Is Right and host Drew Carey actually went out and did it - when contestant Adam Rose came within $880 of the actual retail price in the Showcase Showdown. Rose not only walked away with the showcase, he also walked away with a cool million (Rose won a total of $1,153,908 in cash and prizes. Not bad for a teacher!)

So while Price gave away one million, Deal focused on gimmick (The Banker - a.k.a Jeff "Doogie" Zucker - smashing a contestants' piggy bank) after gimmick (suspending a contestant's husband high above the stage exposing his fear of heights) after gimmick (a contestant said she was afraid of cats - and guess what - out come the cats.)

So while Price may not match Deal in the drama department - or in the ratings - at least Price did something that Deal has not done to this point - make someone a million dollar winner. And to this game show fan, Deal needs to get serious and cut out the gimmicks and speed up the game - before the viewers start to bail. And with the program entering first-run syndication as a daily strip in September, it needs to do this and fast.

BTW: In case you're wondering - yes, there is a connection between the two shows - somewhat. Claudia Jordan (Suitcase Model Number 1) was a Barker Beauty on Price before she joined Deal in 2005. So, what were her days on Price like? Don't ask.

The week in FCC nonsense

One of the reasons why yours truly discontinued the Worst Person In Media This Week award because the FCC and the Parents Television Council would be runaway winners every week...

- FCC fines thirteen Fox affilates for airing racy Married By America episode (what was that show again?)

- FCC fines 40 ABC stations for Feb. 2003 NYPD Blue episode (down from 52; some fines were dropped) - ABC stations pay fine, will take FCC to court

- Parents Television Council files indecency complaint against NBC's Las Vegas for last Friday's episode

Yes, Castro has stepped down and the Soviet Union no longer exists, but the real card-carrying commies are still among us - and they are living in the United States and go by the initials FCC and PTC.