TCA, Part 7: The cable nets of NBCU

Here’s a brief synopsis of the cable presentations for NBC Universal’s cable networks:

SyFy

If you walked down State Street in Chicago’s loop in the last few weeks, then you have noticed ads on bus shelters for SyFy’s new show Being Human, which is a show about a ghost, vampire, and werewolf all living together – and are cute twentysomethings! This sounds like a dopey sitcom – but it’s not. SyFy also unveiled a reality competition series titled Face Off, which pits makeup and special effects artists against one another. With these two shows, it’s easy to see why the SyFy presentation at TCA was sparsely attended by critics.


Bravo

There were no Housewives of any city present, was there was Kara DioGuardi, the disposed American Idol judge, hawking her new series Platinum Hit, which is a songwriting competition (which has been tried before– and failed miserably – with the first-run syndicated You Write The Songs in 1986.)  DioGuardi declined to discuss why she left Idol, which drew a hostile response from the crowd at TCA. Meanwhile, don’t look for Platinum Hit to be a hit.

Oxygen

Oxygen’s unveiled more information on the new Glee reality show being launched in June, which the winner will receive a seven-episode stint on the Fox series next season. The show’s creation was part of Oxygen’s deal with Twentieth Television for off-network reruns of Glee.

Other

Oxygen also announced it was launching new reality series All About Aubrey, and Paris Hilton’s The World According To Paris this spring… Bravo has renewed Top Chef and Top Chef Masters, and announced the return of The Real Housewives of New York Feb.15; and the sixth season of The Real Housewives of Orange County bows on March 6…. USA network will air the indie film The Space Between on September 11, which commemorates the 10th anniversary of the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks.

TCA, Part 6: NBC and life after football

Last year at this time, the NBC Television Critics Association Press Tour presentation was played amidst the backdrop of the Jay Leno-Conan O’Brien late-night mess. This year, there’s no such drama. But NBC’s presentation on Thursday did generate interest nevertheless, with panels on several new mid-season shows, including The Cape and Harry’s Law. But what was also absent was an executive session, since the Comcast-NBC merger has still not been finalized. So let’s get into the shows (NBC’s cable  programming will be covered in the next post.)

The Cape

The premise is a cop gets framed for the murder of a big-city police chief; so he gets a job at a private security firm and takes the guise of his son’s favorite comic-book character. According to series creator Tom Wheeler, his new series in character-driven and would experience different kinds of tones, from science-fiction to crime-drama. The series’ first two episodes debuted on January 9 with 8 million viewers and is scheduled to run Monday nights. This is what Wheeler said, according to Marc Berman at  PIFeedback.com: “We are beginning to see that we can capture different tones. Like one episode can have sort of a science fiction feel to it. We just finished shooting a two-part episode that has a very gothic, frightening kind of energy, I mean, truly frightening. And I love that. I love the ability to tell a story that’s a crime story in the city, but then that’s what’s great, the latitude of storytelling. So we’re going to have fun, but it’s emotionally grounded. You know, it’s character-driven.”

Unfortunately, The Cape was way too campy and featured a lot – and I mean a lot of cartoonish violence. The characters (except for Summer Glau’s) were clichés (do you love clown robbers?), the plots were inconsistent, the story structure weak, and the dialogue was just flat out terrible. This series is basically a throwback from the Batman TV series from 45 years ago. But even Batman has matured – look at any of the feature films, especially The Dark Knight, which featured great storytelling. This series is not really much different from the last few seasons of Heroes, and you know that’s not a compliment.

And as for The Cape being a character-driven series? The characters in the show are much like the Mayhem guy in those Allstate commercials – they make you want to drive your car into a ditch.


Perfect Couples

This sitcom follows the trials and tribulations of three couples as they search for the perfect relationship, from Seinfeld producer Andy Ackerman, who is the showrunner. NBC plans to air this series at 7:30 p.m. Thursday nights, opposite American Idol and Wipeout, where Couples will certainly get wiped out by this competition.

Dumb premise, dumb show. Who keeps coming up with this crap? 

Harry’s Law

And speaking of which, this new series from David E. Kelley – yes another legal drama – features Kathy Bates as a grumpy lawyer who loses her job and teams up with a hot, young annoying lawyer at a new law firm. Kelley says he’s just glad he’s back on TV with another law drama – despite the objection from his children. From the LA Times: "It was a question raised by own kids -- 'Dad, please, not another law show. But I found that I did miss getting into some of the topics. I also found that the economic times had changed so dramatically that I would like to give a voice to that. I'll be happy to get a series back on the air. I'm getting a little squirrely not having one to write. I particularly wanted to get my hands on topical subject matter again. I'm happy to be back and I’m hoping the show allows us to do that." The series premieres Monday night Jan. 17 at 9 p.m. where it’ll face off against Hawaii Five-O on CBS and Castle on ABC.

Yours truly has never been a fan of David E. Kelley’s work, and this series is really no different than any of his other overrated shows. Maybe you should’ve listened to your kids, Mr. Kelley.

It’s 0-for 3 for NBC midseason as with football gone from the network until next fall, it’s back to the cellar for the peacock.

Other

- NBC announced at the tour that Steve Carrell will depart The Office earlier than expected. Carrell (who played the boss on the show) is expected to depart the series with just before the May sweeps period, while those remaining episodes will deal with find his replacement. 

- Other NBC panels at TCA included Community, where creator Dan Harmon said an entire episode where the gang plays the ultimate geek game - Dungeons & Dragons – is in the works… The insufferable Marriage Ref (the worst show of 2010 and future T Dog Media Blog TV Hall of Shame inductee) also held a panel at TCA and is returning March 6 with new changes - among them the bickering couple will now be in the studio and the studio audience votes for a winner. Can’t we have a vote to cancel this stupid show instead? … Though technically not a TCA item, Donald Trump unveiled his cast for Celebrity Apprentice this past week on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon… to see who made the cut, click here.

The Grab Bag: Grabbing some “Baggage” ; “Big Bang” bags three more years

Bagging a renewal: Sheldon and the gang are around for three more years.


The Grab Bag is actually living up to its name today by grabbing some baggage and some renewals:

- WCIU here in Chicago and nine stations owned by Sinclair Broadcasting quietly began testing an off-cable dating game show this week called Baggage, with a format that combines classics The Dating Game and The Newlywed Game. Hosted by Jerry Springer and syndicated by NBC Universal (which also happens to syndicate his talk show), the show is currently running on GSN and has been picked up for a second season. WCIU and other stations are currently testing the series for ten weeks and if successful, may be sold into syndication either for a fall 2011 or fall 2012 start. Baggage is seen on WCIU at noon weekdays.

-CBS and Warner Bros. announced Wednesday a three-season renewal of hit sitcom The Big Bang Theory, which takes  the series through 2014. This comes as Big Bang has become a success in its new Thursday 7 p.m. (CT) time period after three successful seasons on Mondays. The Big Bang Theory enters off-network syndication this fall as a weeknight strip.

- Also on the renewal front: The Wendy Williams Show has been picked up for a third season. Debmar-Mercury made the announcement today as renewals have passed the 70 percent of the United States, with stations owned by Fox, CBS, NBC (specifically KNTV in San Francisco), Raycom, Cox, New Vision, and more. Williams is sold on a cash-barter basis with four minutes set aside for national ad sales by Twentieth Television. Locally, Fox-owned WFLD carries Wendy Williams each weekday at 10 a.m. and again at 11:30 p.m.

- In the surprise of the week, The Game pulled an upset and won big  in the ratings Tuesday night. The former CW sitcom drew 7.7 million viewers in its 9 p.m. time slot – more than many network programs did the same evening. One day earlier, ESPN set a cable ratings record 27.3 million viewers for the BCS College Football Championship between Auburn and Oregon, in which Auburn won 22-19 in a late-game field goal. Auburn not only won the BCS Championship, but each member of the team won a lifetime supply of Tostitos (LOL.)  It’s not a problem for Tostitos manufacturer Frito-Lay – as long as Brent Musburger foots the bill.

TCA, Part 6: Fox with a full plate

While ABC skimped through its TCA Press Tour presentation Monday, Fox had a full plate of panels for three of its new shows on Tuesday, including one for its revamped version of American Idol, with new judges Jennifer Lopez and Steven Tyler. Fox announced at the press tour its was renewing Raising Hope for a second season, announced a premiere date for its ridiculously expensive action series Terra Nova, and a return of a familiar face to So You Think You Can Dance.

Executive Session

- First was the executive session panel fronted by Fox Networks Group President Peter Rice and Entertainment President Kevin Reilly. The two defended their programming strategy on launching Lonestar and Running Wilde last fall, despite the duo flopping. But what everyone in the room wanted to hear from them is anything and everything regarding American Idol.

American Idol

- Both Rice and Reilly acknowledged the ratings for American Idol without Simon Cowell will likely drop some, but the two didn’t speculate on how much. They point out however, that Cowell’s new X Factor show launching on Fox this fall could make up the difference.

- Then it was showtime. The new Idol judges came out on stage, and so is returning judge Randy Jackson, host Ryan Seacrest, and returning executive producer Nigel Lythgoe. Both Tyler and Lopez talked about how excited they were to be judges on the show.  As for Randy Jackson, he gave a hint on who is going to be the mean judge in Cowell’s absence: "You'll see a bit more of an assertive dawg, a little bit more hair on the dog, if you will. Fewer yo's, maybe more no's, less dawgs."

- When American Idol season premiere is scheduled for Jan. 19, viewers will no doubt tune in at first to see how the new judges are settling in their role and the overall cosmetic changes being made to the show. The program’s second night is moving to Thursday at 7 p.m. in a time slot now dominated by The Big Bang Theory, which moved from Monday just last September. While there is no doubt Idol will continue to draw 15 or so million viewers a week, remember at one time this series drew double that number – and last spring, Idol was outdrawn for the first time by Dancing With The Stars in total viewers. Idol is still a force to be reckoned with – but its no longer the most dominant show on television.

Chicago Code

- Shield creator Shawn Ryan is creator and executive producer of this series set and filmed here in Chicago about three sets of officers who battle corruption and the female chief of police. From Marc Berman and PIFeedback.com, here’s Shawn Ryan:  “The original concept was to try to do a police show in Chicago that kind of made the viewer feel as if they were in the police car with the cops. And it evolved greatly over time. It became a show that I realized I wanted to be about a lot more than just police officers. So police officers are who we use to look at the city and look at the intersection of politics and its citizenry. But it became much, much more than I originally intended it.”

- While it is terrific this series is shot in our fair town, this program could likely become the next Detroit 1-8-7. With crime and corruption rampant in this town, The Chicago Code may hit too close to home for many local viewers. And you can bet the person behind the Second City Cop blog (which yours truly definitely isn’t a fan of) already has a rant saved up and ready to post on the series’ premiere date (February 7) on how the series misrepresents Chicago police officers and how Hollywood does this wrong, and blah, blah, blah. If that wasn’t enough, Code is also up strong CBS and ABC lineups, especially later in the season with Dancing With The Stars on tap. It all adds up to a disaster waiting to happen.  Sadly, yours truly doesn’t see this show succeeding. Thank goodness Chicago is more successful when it comes to sports (except the Cubs.)

Terra Nova

What happens when you combine Jurassic Park, Land of the Lost, and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World? You get Terra Nova, a new action series from Steven Spielberg about a family who travels back in time to save mankind. And if you think this is the next Lost – think again, says director Alex Gravers. This is what he told The Wrap: "This has nothing to do with Lost for one main reason: It's so made for a massively broad audience, I can't even tell you. Lost was for that great Lost audience. Terra Nova, more than anything I've done before in my life, is for everybody. ... Everyone from my kids to a gamer to my dad will love this show. It's incredible."

In an era of cost-cutting and cheapo production, Terra Nova certainly stands out – it looks expensive, it smells expensive, and it is expensive – and on budget, according to Fox. Sources say the pilot may cost nearly $20 million to make.

Land of the Lost – you know, the cool Saturday morning show from the 1970’s and not the crummy film from last year – cost a fraction of what Terra Nova to produce. If this show is to make a profit, it would have to do very well in the ratings real quick. Fox plans a preview of two episodes on May 23 and May 24 (out of American Idol) and is on Fox’s fall schedule, along with X Factor. It’s a huge gamble – if it works, this may open the door for more projects like this on television from feature film producers like Spielberg. But if it  doesn’t… Get ready for a lot of reality show-knockoffs with screaming chefs and dull-witted women looking for love on TV. Ugh.

Other

Fox held a panel on new sitcom Traffic Light, which premieres February 8 at 8:30 p.m. (CT). The logline? Three friends try to balance their relationships with their need of freedom. Sounds like a real gut buster… Fox announced it will air a “preview” of Jamie Foxx’s new sketch comedy show after Idol on March 31 after Idol and then premieres June 9 at 8 p.m. (CT)… and the wild one – Mary Murphy – returns as a judge on So You Think You Can Dance on a regular basis when it returns in May.

TCA, Part 5: ABC opens the broadcast portion

The Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour continued on Monday with ABC as the first commercial network to present.

- ABC right off the bat announced the early renewal of six shows for the 2011-12 season: Castle, Cougar Town, Grey’s Anatomy, The Middle, Modern Family, and Private Practice. Fans of Dancing With The Stars, Desperate Housewives, and 20/20 need not worry: your shows will more than likely be back as well. Brothers and Sisters… maybe not so much.

- It seems ABC wants to make itself into The CW’s older sister by targeting females 18-49. And with Dancing With The Stars, Bachelor, Grey’s Anatomy, and Castle. And like an older sister, ABC is Marcia Brady-popular while CW is stuck with the Jan Brady role. ABC Entertainment Chief Paul Lee demonstrated the network’s commitment to the creative process. From the LA Times: “My real ambition is to make the ABC studio and the ABC network a real show-runner culture. Empowered show-runners give networks distinctive voices.  We don’t want cookie-cutter television.”

While ABC has coasted with the success of Dancing this season (thanks to buzzworthy contestants such as Bristol Palin), the network’s rating in the adult 18-49 demo has slid 11 percent from last season as many of its aging dramas have declined in the ratings – not to mention Private Practice was recently out-rated and embarrassed by MTV’s Jersey Shore head-to-head in key demos. But ad buyers are still love these shows because of their heavy-female skew – after all, women do the most shopping in the household – so it was an easy call to bring back most of the sudsers.

And those ad buyers are grateful to have University Park’s own Shonda Rimes (though TV critics certainly feel otherwise.) This Wednesday sees the premiere of the latest show from the Grey’s and Private creator called Off The Map, and was a panel on the show at TCA. The show’s logline is three medical students (of course they have to be med students – it wouldn’t be a Shonda Rimes show without them) leave to run a run-down clinic in South America. All this is Grey’s Anatomy and/or Private Practice set in a jungle without the expensive medical equipment. And Mr. Lee says he doesn't allow cookie-cutter television? Shonda Rimes is like Seth MacFarlane – critics may not like her shows, but audiences – especially females – continue to lap it up (it’s amazing Grey’s is even still on the air after the dumb Ferry story arc from 2007 – guess the show’s target audience really doesn’t mind having their intelligence being insulted every week.)

- While ABC continue to pursue female audiences, it has projects in development destined to appeal to both genders. ABC has the new Mr. Sunshine coming up later this season; and parent The Walt Disney Co.’s acquisition of Marvel opens up all kinds of possibilities for television projects. First up: A reboot of The Incredible Hulk (CBS, 1978-82) simply known as Hulk and a series based on Jessica Jones, who is a superhero who gives up the daily grind of saving lives to become a detective.



ABC Family

During the ABC portion of the press tour, sibling cable channel ABC Family – which also skews heavily female – announced renewals for hit series The Secret Life Of The American Teenager and Pretty Little Liars.

CW adds "Dr. Drew's Lifechangers"

The CW announced Monday it was launching a new half-hour strip this fall with Dr. Drew Pinsky from Telepictures productions called Dr. Drew's Lifechangers, a spin-off of a segment of the syndicated magazine series Extra, which is also produced by Telepictures (and syndicated by Warner Bros.) The acquisition marks the first time a spin-off from a syndicated program landed on a broadcast network. The news broke Monday night on Broadcasting & Cable's website.

Dr. Pinsky (of Celebrity Rehab and Loveline fame) hosts the series and features stories abouit individuals who are in conflict, with the causes ranging from relationship problems to addiction. Pinsky brings in experts to help the people involved, and they can be anyone from celebrities (hopefully not Miley Cyrus or Lindsay Lohan) to those in the medical field. Lifechangers is being shot in front of a participatory studio audience and also plans to field questions from home viewers via video teleconferencing. Dr. Pinsky also plans to test self-help products on his show, including fitness and diet products.

CW plans to schedule the half-hours back-to-back from 3 to 4 p.m. in all time zones with the first episode a original, replacing repeats of Tyra Banks' now-defunct talk show. CW's early fringe schedule was originally two hours, but they gave the second hour back to affiliates to program last September. There were rumors CW was also going to give the first hour back to affiliates this coming fall, but the decision to schedule Lifechangers keeps them in the daytime business and is bad news for upcoming syndicated series hoping to land the time slot - especially Bill Cunningham's proposed talk show from Tribune Entertainment, which still has not found a distributor. Tribune owns fourteen CW affiliates, including WGN-TV in Chicago.

In addition to Lifechangers and his rehab cable shows, Dr. Pinsky will host a weekday strip on HLN, beginning this spring. 

TCA, Part 4: Cable wraps up

The cable portion of the TCA Winter Press Tour wrapped up over the weekend, with the rest of the cable networks making their presentations. Remember, even though the cable portion of the tour wrapped up Saturday, cable networks owned by the major broadcast networks are still scheduled to make presentations this week.

Rainbow (We, AMC, IFC)

-AMC – the home of must-see dramas Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and new smash hit The Walking Dead may have another one up its sleeve with The Killing, based on a miniseries from Denmark called Forbydelsen. The Killing is set in Seattle (but filmed up the road in Vancouver) and follows a trio of stories surrounding the homicide of a young girl. Look for it to premiere April 3rd at 9 p.m. (CT). Also, AMC announced that Mad Men resumes production on Thursday, and has already been picked up for a fifth season.

- We, who competes with  Lifetime and Oxygen for female viewership unveiled a new reality show featuring Grammy Award-winning artist Toni Braxton and her sisters titled Braxton Family Values (yes, just what we need – more Keyshia Cole/Kardashian reality show knockoffs.) And Joan Rivers also has a docusoap on the network with her daughter Melissa.

- IFC is launching two new shows in the first quarter – a magazine show based on the faux newspaper The Onion and Portlandia, a comedy show which looks at Portland, Ore. in a unique way.

Hearst (A&E, Lifetime)

- A&E has a show Prison Break fans will love. Okay, maybe they’ll love. It’s called Breakout Kings, from executive producers Matt Olmstead and Nick Santora. It’s like  Prison Break – but a little more on the lighter side and the series are non-serialized. The U.S. Marshals Office makes a deal with some convicts and in return,  they help nab criminals on the run. According to Santora (as quoted by the Los Angeles Times), "It's not about breaking out of prison. It's about what happens after they break out."

A&E also announced it was renewing Storage Wars for a second season and started production on a new series titled Relapse (I suppose Recovery is the sequel to this show…)

- Lifetime – you know, the one female-targeted cable network who  doesn’t feature housewives catfights and bad girls behaving badly? Well, it has several projects in the works this winter with made-for-TV movie (remember those?) The Amanda Knox Story, a ripped-from-the-headlines flick which looks at the real-life story on how a Seattle college student murdered her roommate Hayden Panettiere (Heroes) stars in the film. Lifetime is also rolling out several new non-scripted series next month: One Born Every Minute (reality show set in a hospital maternity ward); Seriously Funny KIds (a take off of Kids Say The Darndest Things with Heidi Klum); Quad Squad (reality series about quadruplets attending a Minnesota high school; and Glamour Belles (a reality show set in a pageant gown shop.)

Starz

The premium channel announced it was continuing production on Spartacus: Blood and Sand, despite the departure of star Andy Whitfield due to illness. Producers of the series say they will continue to search for his replacement. Since Whitfield’s illness delayed production of Blood and Sand, Starz is launching Spartacus: Gods of the Arena in its place starting January 21. Starz is also planning a reboot of Torchwood (so soon? seems like Torchwood ended like weeks ago…) and launched new series Camelot in April.

HBO

- Home Box Office unveiled a numerous slate of new series, movies, and specials to appear on the premium channel this year. The most anticipated panel at TCA – at least outside of Oprah Winfrey’s – was one for new sci-fi/fantasy drama Game Of Thrones. Based on the Song of Ice and Fire written by George Martin, the series is about a battle of power and family values in an environment where violence is common. Martin appeared on stage with three of the stars and showrunner David Benioff and criticized the way television handles Science Fiction. In fact. Martin left television completely to write novels after he felt his vision was being compromised by greedy, narcissist television execs. The series premieres April 17 for a ten-episode run.

- HBO also announced it was airing a five-hour miniseries based on the 1941 novel Mildred Pierce and starring Kate Winslet. And yes, there was Pee Wee Herman (Paul Reubens) via the magic of satellite to promote The Pee-Wee Show on Broadway. Shot in front of a live audience, the special contains elements of his popular CBS Saturday Morning Show and a stage show he did when the TV show was airing. Let’s hope a movie theater isn’t involved.

- Also on tap on HBO, the channel picked up new comedy Girls from Judd Apatow and Lena Dunham; an airing of one-man play Thurgood with Laurence Fishburne in the title role set for Feb. 24; and a documentary on the University of Nevada-Las Vegas college basketball team and their one-time controversial championship-winning coach Jerry Tarkanian. It airs March 7.

Other

It was a Beverly Hills, 90210 reunion at TCA – of sorts: Jennie Garth, Jason Priestly and Luke Perry are scheduled to appear in several made-fors for Hallmark with both Priestly and Perry appearing in Goodnight for Justice… Hallmark also signed former Food Network star Emeril Lagasse to star in a new daily cooking show embedded within Martha Stewart’s daytime block… TV Guide Channel told the press in Pasadena it was launching a new reality show set in a nail salon. I guess TV Guide Channel’s next reality show will be set in a Laundromat.

TCA, Part 3: We OWN you

 

Obviously the biggest highlight of the Winter version of Television Critics Association Press Tour was a rare appearance by the Queen of Talk, Oprah Winfrey. She was at the press tour to promote her new cable network, The Oprah Winfrey Network, or OWN, which launched January 1 in place of Discovery Health. Discovery Communications owns half of the new joint venture while Winfrey’s Harpo Productions, Inc. owns the other half.

 

When she addressed reporters, Winfrey talked for a long time – so long, it was being compared to a filibuster. A question asked by a reporter took Winfrey 18 minutes and 15 seconds to answer, according to the Los Angeles Times. Winfrey talked about her career and the reasons why she decided to start the OWN network – basically because of the often negative culture of television, and she wanted to provide an alternative with more uplifting, positive fare. However, she can only take it so far: she regrets calling The Oprah Winfrey Show “change your life TV”.

 

Among the shows being launched on OWN include new talk shows by Gayle King (who once hosted a 1997 syndicated talk show) and Rosie O’Donnell, whose talk show was initially headed for syndication, but wound up on OWN due to disinterest from local stations. Also on the weekday schedule is repeats of Dr. Phil, whose Harpo Productions produces the show.

 

In primetime, look for a new reality show from Mark Burnett Productions titled Your OWN Show: The Search For The Next TV Star, where the winner would get his/her own show on OWN. I’m not kidding. Former View and Scratch personality Lisa Ling travels the country to search for stories in Our Country with Lisa Ling. Another series is a behind the scenes look at Oprah Winfrey final season of her talk show, and Chicago’s own Suze Orman also has a show on OWN.

 

So far, OWN has gotten tons of publicity and good buzz. The shows on OWN have surprisingly good production values, and ratings for the debut of the new cable network on its first primetime night were impressive – OWN drew a little over one million viewers in the female 25-54 demo, only behind ESPN and USA among cable networks.

 

Whether Ms. Winfrey can sustain this good start remains to be seen.

TCA, Part 2: Resuming “The Game”

It’s “Game” back on for the one-time CW sitcom. 

The Television Critics Association tour continued in Pasadena on Thursday with Oprah Winfrey and her new OWN network obviously the biggest attraction (more in the next post.) But there was other news from this day as well, with BET, Turner, and Discovery making presentations:

BET

The biggest projects BET has on tap  is their first foray into original scripted programming. First up is the revival of former CW sitcom The Game, which debuts Tuesday night at 9 p.m. (CT). The Game joins a select few programs that have been revived on cable or in first-run syndication after their network runs ended. The list includes Airwolf, The Days and Nights of Molly Dodd, Charles in Charge, and Too Close For Comfort, among others.

The cast was at the press tour Thursday reported Eurweb, and talked about how they had to deal with resuming the show after being off the air for two years, and the move of production from Los Angeles to Atlanta.  Series creator and executive producer Mara Brock Akli  (who also created Girlfriends, from where the series spun-off from) said when she got everyone finally under contract, the writers got the go-ahead to produce new scripts. Her husband, co-executive producer Sam Akli pointed out the writers –all who had stories to tell -were eager to get to work.

Much like when Sony ditched its syndicated courtroom shows from its portfolio to make room for product from Harpo Studios, CW canceled The Game and other sitcom fare in 2009 to focus exclusively on female-skewing one-hour dramas – this despite the fact The Game had been improving in the ratings, even in its tough Friday night time slot. BET acquired repeats of the previous three seasons of the show and became a huge hit for the network. When The Game ran on CW, the series was often the most-watched series on broadcast television among African-Americans.

Launching after The Game on Tuesday is an original sitcom titled Let’s Stay Together, a show which according to its ads, is “an original comedy about love and happiness”. Well, good luck with that.

Turner

Turner’s network brought five series to the tour, including Dr. Drew Pinsky’s new series on HLN. The Loveline host (who continues to front Celebrity Rehab), will focus on news and newsmakers, but also spend time on celebrity  misbehavior. Pinsky’s new show debuts in March.

Larry King’s successor was also present at the tour, with Simon Cowell Piers Morgan announcing he will have Oprah Winfrey on his first show when it debuts January 17 on CNN. Pretty impressive get for a nobody, except for fans of Fox’s NBC’s American Idol America’s Got No Talent.

Moving on to a real star, Ray Romano was at the tour hawking TNT’s critically acclaimed drama Men Of A Certain Age, and when asked about how his wife felt about his kissing scenes, Romano replied: "Every time my wife sees me in a kissing scene, she says, 'This is ... We have enough money.' "

Also present at Turner’s presentation was new legal drama Franklin & Bash with Mark-Paul Gosselar (who appeared on 2008 dud Raising The Bar – guessing this will be his second TNT flop in a row) and Adult Swim’s eleven-minute sitcom Children’s Hospital.

Discovery

As stated before, the OWN network presentation will be covered in another post. As for the rest of Discovery Networks’ programming at the tour:

- If you were wondering, yes, there is a Science Channel. And they have Ridley Scott. The critically acclaimed film director is producing a new eight-part series called Prophets of Science Fiction, which takes viewers on a journey with Ridley to explore the great minds of science fiction, from Issac Newton to George Lucas (Star Wars) and their unique way of storytelling. The series debuts later this year.

- Discovery is launching a new Chicago version of Cash Cab, with Second City alum Beth Melewski hosting the festivities. So if you are here this summer and board a cab in the Loop – be warned – you might actually win lots of money instead of forking it over.

- Mike Tyson showed up on stage to hawk his new program on Animal Planet  titled Taking on Tyson, with the former championship boxer fooling around with pigeons. I give the pigeons 5-to-1 odds on knocking out Tyson – or at least dropping a “present” on his head…

TCA report: Part 1

It’s the Winter Television Critics Association tour where TV critics and bloggers escape the cold to come out to somewhat warmer Pasadena, Calif., a suburb of Los Angeles known for the wonderful Rose Parade, the Rose Bowl, and where Sheldon Cooper lives.

Over the next few days, networks will trot out stars and execs to hawk their new shows and tell the press how well they’re doing in the ratings, using more spin than a tennis ball.

With that said, here’s what been going on:

TV Land

- Move over Bears-Packers, there’s a new rivalry in town: Erica Kane vs. Betty White. TV Land announced Wednesday its Hot In Cleveland sitcom will have a crossover with ABC’s daytime soap All My Children featuring Wendie Malick’s character in a rivalry with star Susan Lucci, set to air in February. The TCA presentation featured the entire Hot in Cleveland cast, but most questions were lobbed at Betty White. HIC’s new 20-episode season kicks off on January 19.

- And thanks to Cleveland, (not Cleveland Show, mind you) you’re seeing more and more first-run sitcoms pop up on cable – TV Land is rolling out Retired at 35, featuring someone who, well,  retired at 35 (might as well rename it Lucky Bastard.) CMT is also getting into the cablecom business with Working Class, featuring former Mary Tyler Moore and Lou Grant star Ed Asner.

TV Land also announced it was moving its annual awards show from Los Angeles to New York, to the disappointment to all six people in L.A. who actually care. The shows honored next year include The Cosby Show and Family Ties - both will have their full casts on hand (and that means Tina Yothers and Tempsett Blesdoe are still alive!)

TV One

Another network with TV its name has – you guessed it – another sitcom premiering this month. The show is titled Love That Girl!, with former Fresh Prince cast member Tatyana Ali has a divorced woman returning to Los Angeles to work in her father’s (played by Seinfeld and Marblehead Manor alum Phil Morris) realty business. Morris also created and produces the show. TV One, which targets an older African-American audience is rolling out the sitcom on January 10 – a night before BET brings back The Game and rolls out a new sitcom titled Let's Stay Together. More on those two shows in the next TCA post.

ESPN

The network announced Wednesday it will take a look at one of the most scrutinized positions in football – the quarterback. The Year of the Quarterback is being examined on ESPN’s NFL and college football-related shows, along with specials and even during the football games themselves, The year-long initiative will look at recruitment, leadership qualities, race, and perhaps why the Bears haven’t had a decent one in fifty years….

Stay tuned… there’s more TCA stuff to come!

The race to replace Oprah: "Anderson", "Ellen" benefit

 

Modern Family syndication sales reaches up to 50 percent of the U.S.

 

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution seems to benefitting the most thus far when it comes to replacing The Oprah Winfrey Show when it leaves this September, with Anderson Cooper and Ellen DeGeneres’ talk shows snapping up time slots soon-to-be formerly held by the queen of talk.

 

Anderson has hit the 82 percent clearance mark thanks to a CBS O&O deal which put the show on CBS stations in Philadelphia (KYW), Minneapolis-St. Paul (WCCO), and Miami (WFOR). Two of those stations (WCCO and WFOR) are Oprah incumbents; Anderson’s new show may be line to take her time periods on those stations. Meanwhile, 22 other stations have come on board including ABC station KDNL in St. Louis; CBS affiliate WOIO in Cleveland; Fox affiliate WRSP in Springfield, IL; and CBS affiliate WSBT in South Bend, Ind. (WSBT is also an Oprah incumbent.) Anderson is taking over for Oprah at CBS affiliate KFMB-TV in San Diego, ABC affiliate WATE in Knoxville, and CBS affiliate WKYT in Lexington, Ky. ABC affiliate WJLA in Washington, D.C. announced last month it was replacing Oprah at 4 p.m. with Anderson this fall.

 

Just up the road from D.C. is Baltimore, where NBC affiliate WBAL-TV announced yesterday it was replacing Oprah with Ellen, also effective in September at 4 p.m. Ellen is also scheduled to replace Oprah in the same time slot in Boston on ABC affiliate WCVB.

 

Earlier, Fox-owned WFLD here in Chicago has purchased Anderson for this fall, presumably to air in an afternoon slot.

 

Looking into the far future, Twentieth Television announced it has cleared hot off-network sitcom Modern Family in 50 percent of the country, scoring a nine-station Tribune Broadcasting deal. Tribune markets clearing the show for a fall 2013 start include Philadelphia (WPHL), Seattle, Indianapolis, and Grand Rapids, Mich. (WXMI). Other station groups clearing the series include Hearst and Sinclair, whose WSTR in Cincinnati was announced as one of the pickups.

MGM to make MeTV roar nationally

As have been speculated for the last few weeks, MGM announced today it will team up with Weigel Broadcasting to distribute MeTV nationally. MGM’s domestic television sales department will handle national distribution of the channel and national advertising sales.

MeTV airs product from CBS Television Distribution, Twentieth Television, Paul Brownstein Productions, and a few independent producers. Classic shows currently on MeTV include Cheers, M*A*S*H, The Dick Van Dyke Show, Twelve O’Clock High, Gunsmoke (1966-75 episodes only) and Marshal Dillon (the syndicated title of Gunsmoke’s half-hour episodes.)

MeTV of course, began here in Chicago by Weigel in 2005 on low-power WWME-TV, focusing on classic television programming and expanded to Milwaukee in March 2008. On December 15, Weigel created a national feed of the channel, while creating a local version on MeToo. The national feed is currently being carried on Weigel’s stations in Chicago (WWME, WCIU 26.3), Milwaukee (WBME), and South Bend, Ind. (WBND) as digital subchannels.

MGM already partners with Weigel to distribute This, a digital subchannel and has become the most widely-cleared digital network, with clearances covering 85 percent of the country including digital subs of WCIU in Chicago, WPIX in New York, and KTLA in Los Angeles. This launched in November 2008 and airs primarily movie programming from MGM’s library, but also some television series in off-peak hours, such as The Outer Limits and The Patty Duke Show.  Weigel and MGM officials believe MeTV and This are percent compliments of each other, and MGM plans to target stations who are carrying This and even the other classic TV digital network which recently launched (Antenna TV) to pair them up with MeTV.

The move comes as MGM’s financial picture has become clearer over the last several weeks. The studio recently exited Chapter 11, and restructured its management. MGM is hoping to return as a major player in Hollywood, which it hasn’t been over the last decade or so due to financial problems.

On tap for MeTV is a Green Hornet marathon to coincide with the release of the motion picture of the same name later this month. Starring Bruce Lee, The Green Hornet ran on ABC during the 1966-67, but reruns of  the series drew a loyal audience in syndication. Around Valentine’s Day, MeTV is brining back the classic anthology comedy Love, American Style, which hasn’t been seen in general syndication since the 1980s. Love originally aired as a one-hour prime-time program (with three or four segments) on ABC from 1969 to 1974, but was cut up into half-hours for an ABC daytime run and moved into off-network syndication in September 1975. Love briefly ran on MeTV and MeToo in 2008.

WFLD, other Fox O&Os renew “TMZ” through 2014

Thank you TMZ, for keeping former "Top Model" judge Janice Dickinson relevant.

If you visited either Broadcasting & Cable and/or TV News Check’s websites over the last two days (unless you have NoScript – and what a blessing that is), then you’ve probably seen those banner ads from Warner Bros. which screamed the news of TMZ’s renewal through 2014.

Well, here’s some more information on the deal (basically, not much more – the banner ad pretty much told it all) – the anti-celebrity syndicated magazine has been renewed by stations covering 75 percent of the country, including the entire Fox owned-and-operated station group. In Chicago. Fox-owned WFLD airs TMZ weekdays at 5:30 p.m. and again at 11 p.m. 

That means you’ll see Harvey Levin and his college intern-like staff continue to talk about what celebrity they can stalk at LAX or some celebrity whose been out of the spotlight for ten years and ask them some, um “interesting” questions.  The show also regularly parodies celebrities when they are in the news for better or for worse – and it usually worse.

The show is based on the wildly popular TMZ website, which has been instrumental in breaking news whenever celebrities (or semi-celebs) act badly.

So as long there is a Paris Hilton, Tiger Woods, or Lindsay Lohan behaving badly in the Thirty-Mile-Zone of Hollywood – and beyond, you can always count on Harvey Levin to give you the humorous scoop.

Judge Karen's Court to stay in session

Santa was great to Judge Karen Francis-Mills this holiday season as her courtroom strip Judge Karen's Court has been picked up for a sophomore season by Litton Entertainment with renewals from Chicago's WCIU and New York City's WPIX. In addition, WCIU upgraded Karen last month from an overnight slot to 9 and 9:30 a.m. on its weekday morning schedule, replacing Jerry Springer reruns, which moved to 3:30 a.m., at least for the moment (new Springer episodes still air at 11 a.m.)

Judge Karen's Court was initially syndicated by Sony Pictures Television (with the title Judge Karen) during the 2008-09 season, but hastily dropped the series after Sony decided the series no longer fit its programming portfolio (i.e. we got rid of all the courtroom shows so we can focus on hawking shows from Harpo Studios.) Despite the cancellation, Karen did decently well (for syndication daytime standards, at least) in households and key female demos. 

While the series has averaged a lowly 0.6 household rating, the series has actually been competitive with other higher-profile freshmen first-run series, including Sony's The Nate Berkus Show and Swift Justice with Nancy Grace, despite airing in fewer markets. The series is also doing better than Litton's failed court entry from last season, Street Court. Judge Karen's Court has been renewed on 60 stations, including Sinclair Broadcasting, which helped spearheaded the drive to get Karen back on the air. Sinclair renewals include include WCGV/Milwaukee and WUCW/Minneapolis-St. Paul.

The Toilet 10 of ‘10

And other misfires of note

What were the worst programs of 2010? They're all below - and most are future T Dog Media Blog TV Hall of Shame nominees (one is already a member.:) Just don't forget to flush twice...


1. The Marriage Ref (NBC). An “A-list project” from Jerry Seinfeld turned out to be one of those D-level programs you stumbled upon at 2 O’Clock in the afternoon in 2001 (remember Rende-View and Shipmates, anyone?) Only the idiots at NBC would green-light something so banal in primetime.

2. Jersey Shore. (MTV) Eight million viewers a week watch these guys drink, hook-up, and fight. Certainly not helping TV’s image as an idiot box – this just proves it. The M in MTV obviously now stands for moron.

3. Big Willie (WGN-TV/syndicated) WGN and a few other Tribune-owned stations tested this talk show for four days in June featuring Cincinnati radio talk show host Bill Cunningham. With bottom-of-the-barrel production values and idiotic topics, four episodes of this show were more than enough.

4. Scooby-Doo, Mystery Incorporated (Cartoon Network). The story arc isn’t bad, but Shaggy and Velma dating with Scooby jealous? Daphne trying to get Fred into the sack? Velma making Shaggy choose between his dog and her? Look, some plots in fan fiction should stay in fan fiction. This latest incarnation of the venerable franchise is nothing more than a dumb Gossip Girl/90210-like soap opera.

5. Minute to Win It. (NBC) Beat the Clock + Double Dare + Deal or No Deal + Millionaire = a really, really bland and unoriginal game show.

6. Monsters and Money in the Morning. (WBBM/CBS 2) The pairing of former sports radio talkers Mike North and Dan Jiggetts with financial experts Terry Savage and Dan Hedgeus was destined to fail since day one, not even meeting its low expectations.

7. The Decision (ESPN). Oh, LeBum James. You and The Worldwide Leader in BS concocted this one-hour primetime special last summer to announce you’re leaving the Cleveland Cavilers to join the Miami Heat, making this an “event”. Pathetic.

8. The Hasselhoffs (A&E) This monstrosity lasted all of two episodes before getting canned by A&E, making this the shortest-lived series in cable television history, premium or basic.

9.  Sons of Tucson (Fox.) Three children hire a low-level sporting goods store employee to be their “father”. Since he wasn’t up to the task, I’m certain the kids demoted him to “uncle”.

10. Are We There Yet? (TBS). Viewers who watched this crap sitcom usually ask this question in regards to when the laughs are coming.

DISHONORABLE MENTIONS: My Generation (ABC), Caprica (SyFy), The Defenders (CBS), Running Wilde (Fox), Skating With The Stars (ABC), and Jim Laski (WGN Radio). Yes, a radio program can make this list!


Scrubbing the toilets – other flushworthy items of 2010

PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU DO FOR A LIVING AND YOU CAN STILL LAND A TV SHOW: America, meet the Kardashians…

WE’RE SO USED TO THIS: This spring’s Bachelor dropped its 14th in a row when it comes to playing the game of trying to get a couple to marry. This time, it’s Jake and Vienna who became America’s new couple to hate for at least 20 minutes as their ugly breakup is now the stuff of legends.

THIS CUP MIGHT LEAK: The Chicago Cubs and Chicago White Sox played for the BP Cup during their interleague series this year. If the series had ended in a tie, the cup would have been awarded to the Los Angeles Clippers.

OPRAH MIGHT NOT HAVE THE MAGIC TOUCH AFTER ALL: Another Oprah protégé gets a talk show – this time its Nate Berkus, Ms. Winfrey’s interior designer. But with disappointing ratings thus far, maybe he needs to redesign his talk show.

TRIB EMBARRASSMENT ROLL CALL: During the Stanley Cup Finals, The Chicago Tribune’s sports section featured a front-page photo of Philadelphia Flyers’ Chris Pronger as “Crissy Pronger” and photoshopped him in a skirt. Just one of the many embarrassments under the now-defunct reign of Randy “Court Jester” Michaels, which included rowdy late-night poker parties at the Tribune Tower and Chief Innovation Officer Lee Abrams sending out racy e-mails to employees.

CENSORSHIP CENTRAL: After threats were made to Comedy Central regarding the appearance of Muhammad on the 200th and 201st episodes of South Park, Comedy Central heavily edited the conclusion of the two-part episode and then decided to shelve all future airings – and that includes the availability of the episodes online, iTunes, and DVDs. If you want to see 200 and 201, you’ll have to go the bootleg (Bit Torrent) route.

THE BALCONY IS CLOSED. Disney-ABC Domestic Television Distribution unceremoniously canceled At The Movies in August after a 35 year-run. The series started in 1975 as Coming Soon To A Theater Near You featuring film critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert on public television. The good news is Ebert is coming back with a new film-review show this January on PBS.

OFF-NETWORK HAVING AN OFF-SEASON: All four new off-network sitcoms in syndication this season – Curb Your Enthusiasm, Entourage, How I Met Your Mother, and The New Adventures of Old Christine – debuted to weak ratings in broadcast syndication, an unprecedented feat as since in the past, at least one off-net sitcom performed well in its freshmen  season In syndication.

VILLAIN OF THE YEAR: Gee, there are so many... but yours truly will pick NaOnka from the most recent edition of Survivor, who she and another contestant left the competition before its conclusion before causing so much aggravation. Her next ambition should be running for political office in Los Angeles or even here in Chicago - she certainly has the nastiness for it and she is no different from the idiot pols who already hold or plan on running for office. But she'll likely quit the race before the primaries are even held.

And we may have our first item for 2011's worst list: Bob's Burgers premieres January 9 on Fox. 

The Excellent 10 of ‘10

This trophy was well represented in the countdown of the best media items of 2010.

Here we go with the annual list of the best media-related items of 2010 – a list of not just the best shows (isn’t everyone doing those?) but the best events as well. If you notice (excluding sports), cable is well-represented in this countdown, with a total of six shows in the Top 10 and honorable mention categories. It’s a no-brainer where to go if you want quality, scripted programming.

And now… the Top 10 of 2010:

10. Family Guy (Fox). Mainly been a hit-or-miss show, but the hits have been spectacular – especially the season premiere (And Then There Were Fewer), which changed Family Guy forever (not to mention the upgrade to HD.)

9. Modern Family (ABC). You can’t overlook a show which won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series in its first year. A classic in the making.

8. The NFL. Record high ratings and close, exciting games for the most part – this is a winning combination which the NFL leaves other sport leagues in the ratings dust.

7. Chicago Bears’ Rollercoaster Ride.  Whether they won or lost – with QB Jay Cutler, you never know what you are going to get – but one thing you will get is great television (except when they played the Patriots.)

6. The Walking Dead (AMC). Non need to use a pun here – Walking Dead’s six-episode run brought in an average of nearly six million viewers a week and praised for its cinema-like presentation. Seriously, this is what the real purpose of high-definition was meant to be!

5. Futurama (Comedy Central). Matt Groening’s futuristic comedy set in the 30th Century made its triumphant return seven years after Fox canceled it. Welcome back!

4. The Lost finale (ABC). Alright, the finale didn’t answer all the questions humanoids wanted and had a controversial scene during the credits. So what? Isn’t what makes great art is leaving some questions go unanswered? (on the numbers side however, Lost’s final episode drew just 13.5 million viewers – certainly not a losing performance – but a disappointment given all the hype.)

3. Boardwalk Empire (HBO). Outstanding cinematography, great plots, interesting characters and storylines – Martin Scorsese knows what he’s doing. While the broadcast networks have to create programs just to lure audiences, Scorsese, HBO, and other cable nets (see #6) create programs to tell a story.

2. The Big Bang Theory (CBS). The sitcom moved from its Monday slot after Two And a Half Men to the lead-off position on Thursdays this season  and continued its 18-49 demo dominance. And Big Bang hasn’t lost a step in the funny department either: Seeing Sheldon actually steal an Indiana Jones from a movie theater has to be the most hilarious moment on television this year. Now that’s what I call piracy!

1. The Chicago Blackhawks Stanley Cup Clincher (NBC). Patrick Kane’s OT goal in Game 6 clinched the team’s first Stanley Cup in 49 years and capped an exciting playoff run, which set record hockey ratings in Chicago in the People Meter era. Way to go Hawks!

Honorable Mentions: Hawaii Five-0 (CBS), Mad Men (AMC), Hot in Cleveland (TV Land), Dexter (Showtime), The Vampire Diaries (CW)

Other great media items of note in 2010:

ROBERT FEDER’S COVERAGE ON THE TRIBUNE SAGA. Vocalo and soon- to-be Time Out Chicago blogger Robert Feder’s articles on the shenanigans at the Tribune Tower was truly phenomenal work.

THE SUCCESS OF J NIICE AND JULIAN. After approximately two years, WBBM-FM’s morning show featuring Jamar “J Niice” McNeil and Julian Nieh has become dominant in key young demos, pushing out rival WKSC-FM morning personality Kevin “Drex” Buchar in the process.

BETTY WHITE ON SNL. The veteran actress guest-hosted an episode of Saturday Night Live back in May thanks to a Facebook campaign and helped score the late night comedy’s best ratings of the season. Power to the people!

THE LATE SHIFT, PART 2. The year began with the removal of Jay Leno from NBC’s prime-time lineup – a move that was expected. But Leno returning to The Tonight Show – the gig Conan O’Brien held for only seven months - was unexpected. And the ongoing saga set the stage for O’Brien to move to basic cable (TBS.) What happened here was the most interesting look behind-the-scene scenarios since, well.. the last time this happened (remember when Letterman was passed over for The Tonight Show gig for Leno way back in 1992?)

WGN RADIO’S GOODWILL MISSION. After two long, frustrating years, WGN radio listeners got their wish and saw the exit of Jim “Don’t Drop the Soap” Laski and undone most of the damage done by Kevin “Pig Virus” Metheny and Friends. Moves include the return of David Kaplan to the evening slot and extensions of Milt Rosenberg’s and Steve King and Johnnie Putman’s programs.

A CHICAGOAN WINS AMERICAN IDOL. Mount Prospect native Lee DeWyze did something fellow Chicagoan Jennifer Hudson wasn't able to do: win American Idol and become the first from the Windy City to do so. Whether this will translate into increased viewership for Idol in Chicagoland (whose local ratings still trails most other metered markets in the country) remains to be seen, however.

BEST MOVES OF THE YEAR: BET reviving underrated sitcom The Game and former blog punching bag Steve Harvey becoming the latest (and hopefully permanent) host of Family Feud.

MAJOR USE OF THE EXEC REMOVAL SERVICE. Who do you call when bad execs are ruining media properties? Execbusters! Those guys zapped Jeff Zucker, Randy Michaels, Lee Abrams, Pig Virus, and Sam Zell all right out of jobs this year.

Happy New Year, everybody!

Updated on 2011-01-01 at 23:07 (correction made to Julian's name)

T Dog's Six Pack: The Santa Edition - Ho! Ho! Ho! And a bottle of rum!

Santa's been good to these guys: David Kaplan (left), with Chicago Blackhawk Johnathan Toews (Courtesy CSN)


Ho! Ho! Ho! Merry Everyone! Santa Dog here with presents for those who were nice and coal and maybe some cyanide for those who were naughty (NaOnka, Pig Virus, and Randy "Court Jester" Michaels - I'm looking at you!) Ho! Ho! Ho! Time to deliver the presents, you mutants!

Presents under the tree:

New deals for David Kaplan.  Santa has been very good for Chicago media personality David Kaplan: he just secured a new deal with CSN Chicago, which enables him to continue hosting the sports net's Chicago Tribune Live and Cubs' pre- and post-game shows - not to mention returning to WGN Radio as weeknight host for WGN Sports Night starting this Thursday. This guy has it going on!

The Sing Off. America seems to love groups of singers competing against each other in December for some reason - a 3.3 rating last week in adults18-49 isn't nothing to sneeze at (however, the finale Monday night drew only a 2.7, down 18% from last week.)

New digital nets for classic TV fans. With the recent national launch of MeTV and the January 1st debut of Antenna TV, it's the best presents fans of the genre can ask for.

Coal - and lots of it

Drex. After seven years, Chicago's WKSC bounced the morning personality out of a job - just like Santa does when one of his elves isn't performing up to par.

Survivor: Nicaragua. An incredibly lame season comes to a close with an outcome that'll make a Cubs fan cringe: a St. Louisan wins the title of Sole Survivor and a million dollars. And what was up with the crowd's lame reaction at the reunion show in Los Angeles when NaOnka's antics were screened (with many even cheering at one point?) Did they think they were at a Lakers game? Man, if only this program was held in Philly... and to top it off, the finale was the lowest-rated ever, buried opposite the Packers-Patriots game on Sunday Night Football. And props to Jimmy Johnson for being a class act. As for Dan... wow what a prick.

The New Hawaii Five-O. During an episode that aired last week, McGarett went into an underground vault to "borrow" $10 million to pay a ransomer. So when McGarrett drove to an undisclosed location and delivered the money to the extortionist, did you know what the extortionist did? He threw the the $10 million into a burning fire, then proclaimed "it's not about the money."  WTF? If this doesn't scream Jump the Shark, then I don't know what does. Goes to show you the criminals on the original Hawaii Five-O were a lot smarter back in the day - not to mention the writing staff.

Happy Holidays, everyone!

It's Brotha Fred's Show

The radio personality pictured above is about to trade in his fishin' pole and his 45 of the Andy Griffith Show theme for a snow shovel and some Kanye West CDs.

Two days after Clear Channel's WKSC-FM (Kiss) dropped morning personality Kevin "DreX" Buchar from its lineup, the station hired Christopher Frederick, a.k.a. "Brotha' Fred" from sister station WIHT-FM (Channel 96.1) to replace him.

Frederick held down morning drive at WIHT for four years, which like WKSC, is also a Contemporary Hit radio station. 

The new "A.M. Mayhem" debuts on January 17 in Chicago with sidekicks Angi Taylor (a holdover from Drex's morning show) and comedian David L. (and no, it's not "Squiggy" from Laverne & Shirley.) Two weeks prior to his Chicago premiere, Frederick will production of his show to WKSC.

His show will continue to be heard in Charlotte, although in customized form (meaning local material inserted in) and in two other markets - Greensboro/Winston-Salem/High Point, N.C. and Chattanooga, Tenn. and also on Sirius/XM's Kiss-FM channel.

For WKSC, the move was made to reverse a ratings slide the station has experienced in the key 18-34 morning time slot, usually the most important daypart in radio. Drex's ratings have eroded in the last two years, especially in the face of tougher competition from WBBM-FM's Jamar "J Niice" McNeil and Julian "Jumpin'" Perez.

While Frederick will no doubt have to prove himself to Chicagoans (like Drex did), he was a rising star in Charlotte. Frederick arrived at WIBT in 2006 from Austin, Tex.  He co-hosted on Fox News Edge at WCCB-TV, a Fox affiliate owned by Bahakel Communications, Inc., for the last four years, and received props from the Charlotte Observer as one of the market's highest-profile personalities.

And like every high-profile personality, he has his fair share of detractors if the comment section of a story in the Charlotte Observer about his departure from WIHT is any indication.

The Grab Bag: Feder's new home; syndie talk update; The Hoff gets the heave-ho

Hoffin' around in TV Hell. 



Notes and notables from the past week:

- One of Chicago's best media columnists has a new home: Robert Feder has joined Time Out Chicago as the magazine’s media blogger. Beginning next month, Feder will have a blog (just like the one he had at WBEZ under the Vocalo name) on the Time Out website. The longtime Sun-Times columnist was praised recently for his work on Vocalo uncovering the shenanigans involving Randy Michaels and the Tribune Co. in the past year.

- Anderson Cooper's new talk show continues to rack up clearances for his new fall 2011 daytime talk show, titled Anderson. Warner Bros. has now sold the show in 40 markets with Coop replacing The Oprah Winfrey Show at 4 p.m. in Washington D.C. at Allbrittion's WJLA (ABC) and Midwest Television's KFMB (CBS) in San Diego. Previously, WFLD here in Chicago cleared the series for a likely afternoon time slot.

- Also on the syndicated talk show beat, Sony's The Nate Berkus Show received a huge boost with upgrades from NBC affiliates in Detroit and Houston, with repeats of The Real Housewives the odd man - or in this case, the odd gal out  beginning Jan. 3. In the Motor City, Berkus is being upgraded to 2 p.m. on WDIV from its 3 a.m. time slot. In Houston, Berkus is shifting to the same time slot on KPRC, upgraded from a 8am time slot on its This TV digital subchannel. (the info provided in the link said 12 noon, but Housewives airs at 2 in Houston, and this is likely where Berkus will end up.)  Both WDIV and KPRC are owned by Post-Newsweek. The downgrades could likely spell the end of Housewives' as a syndicated strip as the program - a hit on Bravo in both first-run and reruns - is averaging only a 0.5 household rating so far this season.


- And we have what could be the shortest-lived program in cable television history. A&E canceled The Hasslehoffs after just two back-to-back half-hour episodes. The reality series featured David Hasslehoff's two daughters trying to pursue careers in entertainment (perhaps pushing brooms at NBC Universal's headquarters?)  The series' premiere episodes on Dec. 5 averaged only 718K and 505K viewers, respectively. And you all know what this means, don't you? That's right... a trip here.

WISN expands 10 p.m. newscast

In a first for a Midwest Big Three (ABC, CBS, NBC) affiliate, Hearst’s WISN-TV in Milwaukee is expanding its 10 p.m. newscast from 35 minutes to an hour beginning January 24. The move sends NBC Universal’s Access: Hollywood (the current 10:35 p.m. occupant) to 12:30 a.m., after Jimmy Kimmel Live. Nightline retains the 11:05 p.m. slot, but now gets to lead-out of WISN’s newscast.

WISN is one of the few remaining ABC affiliates who continue to delay Nightline past the network-scheduled time of 11:35 pm ET/10:35 pm CT time slot. In the past, WISN has delayed Nightline to air more profitable first-run and off-network programming, including The Golden Girls, Home Improvement, Love Connection, M*A*S*H, etc. Sister station KMBC-TV in Kansas City, Mo. (also owned by Hearst) also delays Nightline for syndicated fare, as it has done since 1980.

In November, WISN eked out a victory in the late news race over NBC affiliate WTMJ in households, with Weigel’s CBS affiliate (WDJT) finishing third and Local TV’s Fox affiliate (WITI) bringing up the rear.

The only other Big 3 network affiliate currently running a 10 p.m. newscast is a network-owned station –CBS’ KOVR-TV in Sacramento, with their prime-time schedule running from 7 to 10 p.m.  However, its two rivals – NBC affiliate KCRA-TV (owned by Hearst) and ABC affiliate KXTV run their late newscasts at 11 p.m., the typical time a Big 3 network affiliate runs local news in the Pacific Time Zone. KOVR switched to an early prime-time schedule after switching from ABC to CBS in March 1995 to run in tandem with fellow CBS-owned KPIX-TV in nearby San Francisco, which had a 7-10 prime schedule from 1992-98.

DreXed out

In a surprise move - or maybe not considering his ratings were declining, Clear Channel's Contemporary Hit WKSC-FM (103.5 FM, better known as Kiss FM) dropped its morning personality Drex (Kevin Buchar) after a seven-year run at the station.

Also out are his co-hosts Mel T and Angi Taylor, though they may be asked to stay if there is a new local morning effort - and remember, the key word is if. No replacement has been named.

Drex came to Chicago from San Antonio in 2003 after WKSC failed to snag Eddie Volkman and Joe Bohannon from rival WBBM-FM (Eddie and JoBo were released from B96 in 2008). Drex finally beat his former rivals in key female demos, but then started losing ground to Eddie and Jobo's replacements Jamar "J Niice" McNeil and Julian Nieh. Even worse, Drex was a constant no-show for the last several months, apparently accelerating his ratings decline. Despite this, the numbers were still respectable by Contemporary Hit radio standards (a.k.a. those young female demos.)

Even more odd, Drex received a contract extension just last year.

While Drex's exit did take a lot of people by surprise, keep in mind sister station WGCI-FM fired popular morning host Howard McGee  in 2007, despite his morning show placing in the top five overall and doing even better in key demos, and dropped Melissa Forman's popular morning show from WLIT - twice.

Figuring out Clear Channel's moves is like fumbling around with a box of chocolates -  you never know what you're going to get.

Weigel Broadcasting to switch around Chicago channels

MeTV goes national on December 15


Brace yourself “U” and “Me” viewers – you’re going to be in for a lot of changes.

Beginning on December 15 – a Wednesday (a rather odd day of the week to begin programming changes since Mondays are usually more ideal) – four of Weigel’s channels are ushering in new schedules with the launch of U Too and MeTV’s new national feed.

On this date, Weigel plans to move MeTV locally to over-the-air digital suubchannel 26.3 from 26.2, displacing MeToo, which moves to 26.4. In turn, This TV moves to 26.5 from 26.4 (got all that?)

WCIU stays on 26.1 over-the-air and the same cable and satellite position.

With the launch of MeTV’s national feed, Weigel is maintaining a local feed of Me on 26.4, which contains programming such as Stooge-A-Palooza, Roseanne, The Cosby Show, and much of the Sony and NBC Universal libraries which is no longer eligible to run on Me-TV’s, since Tribune (Antenna TV, which launches Jan. 1 on WGN-DT 9.2) and Luken (RTV) have national rights, respectfully.

The moves also puts an end to the comedy/drama genre split, which has been prevalent since September 2009 when MeTV started airing mostly classic comedies and MeToo started airing classic dramas.

Also on December 15, Weigel is launching U Too on 26.2, featuring syndicated programming which had been previously buried in late night on WCIU or MeTV. The lineup includes Judge Karen’s Court, Punk’d, America’s Court with Judge Ross (which received a two-year pickup from syndicator Entertainment Studios today), and additional runs of The Steve Wilkos Show, Jerry Springer, and Cheaters. The channel is also picking up Discovery Channel’s Cash Cab and Canadian talk show Steven & Chris. The channel is wonderful news for syndicators, which gives their shows more viable time periods and exposure not previously available in the nation’s third-largest market.

As to where to find these channels on your cable or satellite systems, click here for more information. Keep in mind neither UToo, MeToo, or This TV is available to DirectTV or Dish Network customers.

And here are those programming schedules effective December 15:
MeTV
MeToo
U Too

The move also creates some rather odd programming anomalies: MeToo and Antenna TV will now be airing much of the same Sony library fare, including The Three Stooges and All in the Family. And while Me-TV finally gets to run M*A*S*H, Fox-owned WFLD-TV continues to retain local rights to the classic sitcom – which has been a station staple since September 1979.

The Grab Bag: Mark, Mancow, Mr. Sunshine, and more

Another person has left Fox-owned WFLD’s news department: It’s Mark Saxenmeyer, who’s been with the station since 1993. The reporter’s contract with the station expires in a few weeks, and is not being renewed. Also likely on the way out is meteorologist Amy Freeze, whose contract expires in February. Sources say her replacement is Tammie Souza, whose was meteorologist at WFLD from 2006-08 and was at WMAQ for six years prior. Souza left WFLD to become meteorologist at Gannett-owned WTSP in Tampa-St. Petersburg, but announced her departure from the CBS affiliate last week to return to Chicago. If she returns to WFLD, she would the second new weather person to join the station in many weeks – earlier, WFLD hired Bill Bellis away from ABC affiliate KNXV in Phoenix (where the weather is much nicer right now.)

And here’s another person coming to WFLD – but as a talk show host. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper launches his new talk show next fall, and it has been cleared on WFLD and two other Fox stations – KTTV in Los Angeles and WFXT in Boston, with Tribune’s WPIX clearing the talk show in New York. Look for Cooper’s talk show to land in an afternoon slot either leading into or out of Dr. Oz. Good luck to Coop – he’ll need it – because outside of access and prime-time, WFLD (and sister station WPWR) are Chicago’s television versions of Siberia whose name isn’t Ion or WJYS.

Erich “Mancow” Mueller is changing the format of his syndicated radio show to focus more on entertainment than politics in a story posted at Chicagoland Radio and Media’s website Monday. The struggling program – lacking clearances in top markets (including Chicago) - is being renamed The Mancow Experience and expected to somewhat resemble his old show at WKQX-FM, where he was from 1998-2006. The program will features actors, musicians, and wrestlers (of course). TRN and Dial Global continue to handle station sales for Mancow’s show.

ABC has finally slated the much-talked about Matthew Perry sitcom project Mr. Sunshine, which debuts Feb. 9 at 8:30 p.m. (CT) after Modern Family, replacing Cougar Town until April 6. In Sunshine, Perry is a manager of a San Diego sports facility who can’t deal with turning 40. This program is not related to an earlier ABC sitcom of the same name, which replaced Diff’rent Strokes on the net’s Friday Night lineup in 1986 with Jeffrey Tambor (Arrested Development, The Larry Sanders Show) as a blind university professor. The series lasted exactly two months - about as long as this Mr. Sunshine is expected to last, if not sooner.

And oh yeah, speaking of Dr. Oz, his show is under fire from Nurses’ associations for what may be classified as a Jump the Shark moment. During a segment of his show in November, Oz featured a guest who lost weight by dancing (and no, she’s NOT Ellen DeGeneres.) So in order to demonstrate, Oz brought five dancers to the stage dressed in nurses’ costumes and performed **ahem**, a dance routine in front of the audience (guess that new health care bill is already paying dividends!) From their standpoint, Nurses organizations called the segment “demoralizing” and is demanding an apology from the show, which Dr. Oz did through a statement.

Boy, I can’t wait to get sick…

R.I.P. Al Masini, Founder of Television Program Enterprises

The industry is morning the death of prolific producer Al Masini, who passed away on Monday at his Honolulu home at the age of 80 due to cancer.

Masini was instrumental in creating successful first-run syndicated programming including Solid Gold, Entertainment Tonight, Star Search, Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, and a spin-off, Runaway with the Rich and Famous. He also spearheaded Operation Prime Time, which gave independent television stations an opportunity to air prime-time, first-run programming in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s. Programs in this consortium included Solid Gold, specials including 1980’s Yogi’s First Christmas, and numerous TV movies (The Girl, The Gold Watch, and Everything.)

In 1981, Entertainment Tonight was a pioneer as the first nationally syndicated first-run magazine strip to deliver its shows to stations five days a week via satellite instead of bicycling, which meant transporting videotapes to each station via courier – a common (and more expensive) practice for delivery of syndicated fare before the 1980’s. By 1985, almost every first-run syndicated program was delivered to stations via satellite.

In 1982, Masini formed Television Program Enterprises to sell the first-run  shows he created and launched, including Star Search, Lifestyles,  and Runaway. Unfortunately, Masini was unable to duplicate his success with the launches of You Write The Songs (1986) and first-run strip Preview: The Best of the New (1990), neither of which lasted a full season.

Cox Communications later became owner of TPE and merged the company with Rysher Entertainment in 1993, the independent distributor founded two years earlier by former Warner Bros. syndication executive Keith Samples. In 1999, Rysher TPE sold its entire domestic television library to Viacom (now CBS Television Distribution.)

Masini is survived by his wife Cherlyn, and his sister.