Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Real World Exploitation
Real World co-creator Jonathan Murray talks to Salon about charges that the show has descended into exploitation.
Comcast Latino Outreach
Comcast is making moves to increase Latino diversity in it corporate efforts, as part of its NBCU deal appeal.
Captive Audiences
Eric Felten writes about TV in public spaces, like offices, gyms, and bars: "The business of 'captive TV,' as it is called, is booming. According to Nielsen, the television audience-measurement people, we collectively viewed a quarter-billion video advertisements in the last four months of 2009." (And thanks to christhs for emailing this one to me.)
Party Down Done
Not a shocker, but still a bummer: Party Down won't return for a third season. More from Rick Porter. Co-creator Rob Thomas says he's sad but not surprised.
New URL
I've gone for the sleek look and dropped the "blogspot" from my URL. So we're straight www.newsfortvmajors.com now. Blogger will do the forwarding for you for some unknown period of time, but if you've got a sec, you can update your bookmarks and RSS accordingly.
Daily Show & Women
Irin Carmon writes of The Daily Show's women problem (and Jon Stewart's "joyless rage" problem).
Note: An additional link and a pair of great comments have been added to this post, so click the heading or comment link and check it out.
Related: the NYT profiles new correspondent Olivia Munn.
UPDATE: Jon Stewart made brief mention of this last night.
Note: An additional link and a pair of great comments have been added to this post, so click the heading or comment link and check it out.
Related: the NYT profiles new correspondent Olivia Munn.
UPDATE: Jon Stewart made brief mention of this last night.
CNN In-Fighting
As if things weren't going badly enough at CNN already, The Wrap reports that there's a bunch of internal discord, with Anderson Cooper frustrated with ratings and his executive producer and other anchors jealous that Cooper is given so many resources. The article also claims Cooper is entertaining new offers.
Cooper has denied The Wrap's claims in an email to colleagues.
Cooper has denied The Wrap's claims in an email to colleagues.
Franco on GH
James Franco renews his General Hospital stint starting today, and he tells Rick Porter about the artistic motivation behind it. And Dana Goodyear captures the production scene.
Hulu Plus
The "plus" is $9.95 a month (plus still some ads), as Hulu reveals its subscription service plan. Slogan: “More wherever. More whenever. Than ever.” The plan spans three screens. Hulu's CEO introduces the plan, and Peter Kafka assesses the plan. Ryan Lawler considers the plan in terms of Netflix as competitor, and Liz Shannon Miller compares Hulu and Netflix Instant content. Chad Catacchio wonders if this is a tactical error by Hulu.
More coverage: Dan Frommer says this is no threat to cable, in fact Hulu's CEO himself swears it's not a cable killer. paidContent looks at what you can access without a subscription. Will Richmond has seven quick reactions. Paul William Tenny isn't a fan of the Netflix comparisons, but says Hulu wins anyway because it's run by the content providers. Ryan Lawler wonders if this is another nail in the DVD coffin.
More coverage: Dan Frommer says this is no threat to cable, in fact Hulu's CEO himself swears it's not a cable killer. paidContent looks at what you can access without a subscription. Will Richmond has seven quick reactions. Paul William Tenny isn't a fan of the Netflix comparisons, but says Hulu wins anyway because it's run by the content providers. Ryan Lawler wonders if this is another nail in the DVD coffin.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Elderly Viewers
Chao Deng reports: "Researchers from the University of California, San Diego, have found that people over 65 watch three times more TV than younger adults. Yet older people enjoy their viewing far less. Younger people said watching TV helped them relieve stress, but that relaxing effect seemed to decrease with age."
USA Writers
The WGA West's magazine has informative profiles of the writer-creators of a group of USA Network shows: Covert Affairs, White Collar, Royal Pains, In Plain Sight, Psych, and Burn Notice.
King Ending Show
Larry King has announced the impending end of Larry King Live. Matea Gold has instant analysis.
Steve Krakauer interviews CNN's president about King and other issues, Salon has clips of Larry's weirdest celebrity interview moments and THR has some of his worst moments.
Steve Krakauer interviews CNN's president about King and other issues, Salon has clips of Larry's weirdest celebrity interview moments and THR has some of his worst moments.
Entourage & Class
Matt Zoller Seitz says Entourage is "TV's best depiction of working-class boys navigating wealth."
New Showtime Chief
Meg James profiles the new head of Showtime, David Nevins, and considers what changes he could bring to the pay cable outlet.
Proposed Emmy Ballot
TV critic Alan Sepinwall has completed his "If I had an Emmy ballot" series with his Outstanding Drama picks. Links to all of his previous entries are in the post.
Emotional Effect
Sharon Jayson explores the claim that television is encouraging emotional overreactions.
Story of a Writer
Jaime Weinman introduces us to the end of Earl Pomerantz's lengthy series of blog posts about his career as a sitcom TV writer.
Very Rich People
Forbes has released its updated list of the richest celebrities. In regard to TV people, Oprah Winfrey is #1 overall, Simon Cowell is #11, and Dr. Phil is #21.
Product Placement Down
Alex Ben Block reports on a decline in spending on product placement for TV and other media outlets.
Judging Success & Failure
Myles McNutt comments on Treme's critically mixed first season in regard to how we judge success and failure on television: "I would argue that Treme is flawed, as The Wire was at points within its run, but I would also argue that its willingness to go out on a narrative limb is bound to fail for some people, and that Simon has nothing to apologize for."
Glee & MF Deals
Deadline is reporting that Glee and Modern Family have already closed syndication deals; Glee reruns will air on Oxygen, while Modern Family will pop up on USA. The Glee deal will also include a related casting reality show. Cindy Wallis analyzes the logic of both deals.
Monday, June 28, 2010
Product Placement Regulation
The UK has agreed to allow product placement on commercial TV (except for news, religious and children's programs), but those programs with product placement must be identified with a symbol at the beginning and end.
Louis C.K. Interview
Joel Keller interviews comedian Louis C.K. about his new FX show (as well as his previous frustration at HBO), including the intriguing policies about which swear words you can and can't say on FX.
Also, Cristina Kinon reports on how Louie is part of FX's new comedy approach.
Also, Cristina Kinon reports on how Louie is part of FX's new comedy approach.
Koonin Profile
Lacey Rose profiles TBS head Steve Koonin, who's especially become recognized for luring Conan O'Brien to cable.
Local TV Tweeters
Another story, this one from B&C, on how local TV news personalities are using Twitter to attract followers and viewers.
MLB Network Status
The MLB Network isn't a ratings success yet, but by keeping carriage fees moderate, it's given itself a chance to find a lot of viewers.
J.R. Martinez Profile
Greg Braxton profiles J.R. Martinez, a disfigured Iraq war veteran now forging an acting career on the ABC soap All My Children.
Obama For/Against Broadband Plan
The White House supports the FCC's plan to reallocate spectrum for broadband servies, but it favors voluntary, not mandatory, reclamation from broadcasters. (I love how a senior White House official echoes Michael Scott in calling the voluntary approach a "win-win-win" solution.)
The Next Great Leader
A Malaysian cable channel is airing a reality TV show that will select a Muslim leader (no women need apply).
Daytime Emmys
The Daytime Emmys were held last night, with the canceled As the World Turns, The Bold and the Beautiful, General Hospital, Cash Cab, and Dr. Oz as the big winners.
Ratings Kick
The USA-Ghana World Cup match on Saturday drew big ratings, making it the most-watched men's soccer game in American history. Nielsen says an average of 14.9 million viewers tuned in to watch, though one wonders about the number of viewers in bars and public places, a traditional part of the World Cup ritual.
Update: Now Nielsen is reporting an audience of 19.4 million, surpassing all other matches, including the 1999 women's World Cup final.
Richard Sandomir interviews ESPN and Univision execs.
Update: Now Nielsen is reporting an audience of 19.4 million, surpassing all other matches, including the 1999 women's World Cup final.
Richard Sandomir interviews ESPN and Univision execs.
Sunday, June 27, 2010
Local Swapped for National
Fast food advertisers are shifting money away from local station spots and toward national cable slots.
Rates Up, Audiences Down
Brian Steinberg reports on how advertisers are paying more for network time, even as the audience is eroding.
Kids on Reality TV
Matea Gold and Richard Verrier report on the legal issues surrounding children performing on reality TV shows.
What the Beaver Gave Us
With the DVD release of the entire Leave It to Beaver series, Neil Genzlinger looks back on the show and its legacy.
The Look of HD
Virginia Heffernan assesses the impact of HDTV's level of visual detail on beauty standards.
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Party Down Interview
Another finale for a great show few people watch has aired, and another interview that contains info that will be compelling even to non-viewers of that show has been posted. This time around, it's the comedy Party Down (aired on Starz but also available via Netflix Instant Viewing) and Alan Sepinwall's interview with co-creator John Enbom, who among other revealing insights offers this about the challenge of writing for a show with an uncertain end date (it has run for two seasons and renewal is still up in the air): "Because our own fate is so uncertain, we don't get too far ahead of ourselves, because we have no idea idea what's going to happen to us. We tend not to go too far down the road until we know what the road's going to be."
Also, Jaime Weinman chimes in with an interesting review of Party Down in which he proposes that cable comedy narratives are more formula-bound than network ones, the reverse of drama circumstances.
Also, Jaime Weinman chimes in with an interesting review of Party Down in which he proposes that cable comedy narratives are more formula-bound than network ones, the reverse of drama circumstances.
CBS & ESPN Streaming Contest
CBS and ESPN are arguing over whose coverage, of the NCAA tourney and World Cup respectively, has engendered more unique streams online. The article, written by Richard Sandomir, contains this striking stat: "the size of the crowd that surfed to the United States-Algeria game...represented the equivalent of about 16 percent of the game’s TV audience."
Friday, June 25, 2010
Online Viewing
YouTube views are surging, and Hulu's are also up, but the latter's audience growth is flat. Meanwhile a beta test of Hulu's subscription service could arrive next week, and one of the places it might show up is on PlayStation. Finally, Peter Kafka notes that ABC's iPad app is free, but ABC's shows won't be free on Hulu.
Advertising Momentum
David B. Wilkerson says the ad market momentum started at the network upfronts will carry through the year.
Age Discrimination
Richard Huff reports on TV news anchors' concerns about their age being used against them.
Channel Controversy
News Corp.'s Farsi1 satellite channel,which broadcasts Persian language programming from Dubai, including dubbed US programming like 24 and telenovelas, is running into resistance in Iran and Afghanistan.
Comcast-NBCU Halted
The FCC has stopped the clock on their 180-day deadline for reviewing the Comcast-NBCU deal because the companies haven't provided all the information the Commission has asked for.
Thursday, June 24, 2010
We Want Interactivity
Todd Spangler reports on survey finding that Americans want more interactivity with their TV. My favorite stat: "Only 20% feel their TVs are 'personalized' to their own needs and tastes, compared with 81% who said their personal computers are." The notion of TV being personalized to needs and tastes is very striking.
It's News on Fox, Not Fox News
Some local news operations at Fox affiliates have to battle against the association with Fox News's conservative identity. (Worth noting: This story is from Media Matters, which is decidedly not a fan of Fox News.)
Social Media & TV Watching
Cool infographic from Mashable within a story about a study showing that heavy social media buzz for a TV show doesn't always equate with high Nielsen ratings and vice versa. (I wish studies like this would incorporate online viewing into the ratings analysis, as users of social media also seem likely to watch at least some TV online.)
A separate study found that social media discussion does drive new viewers to shows.
A separate study found that social media discussion does drive new viewers to shows.
Cable News Whiteness
Rachel Sklar laments the lack of diversity among cable news hosts: "Chris Matthews is white, like Bill O’Reilly is white and Keith Olbermann is white, like Wolf Blitzer is white and Megyn Kelly is white and John King is white and Ed Schultz, Greta Van Susteren, Jake Tapper, Joe Scarborough, Bob Schieffer, David Gregory, Chris Wallace, Rachel Maddow, and Dylan Ratigan are white, not unlike the lion’s share of their guests."
New Levi's Campaign
Levi's is launching an ad campaign tied to the recession and a struggling town in Pennsylvania.
Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Viacom Loses
Viacom has lost its suit against YouTube. James Poniewozik says this is good for all of us; conversely, the Progress & Freedom Foundation says we all lose. Reporting from the LA Times, New York Times, and the Wall Street Journal.
Death on Deadliest Catch
The final episodes of Deadliest Catch will chronicle the stroke and death of Captain Phil Harris. Update: Brian Moylan reviews the first episode, which reached a ratings record for the show.
Sports!
I haven't spent much time doing anything but sitting in front of my TV today, and James Poniewozik describes why.
Oscar Moving?
The Oscars might move to January; Lane Brown offers five reasons why that would be a good idea. Anne Thompson says it won't happen.
Kimmel on MacBook
Jimmy Kimmel taped a show on his MacBook due to a studio power outage; Ken Tucker praises the result.
Tuesday, June 22, 2010
Multi-Cam Dominance
Jaime Weinman explores why the multi-camera sitcom experienced such dominance from the 1970s through the 1990s.
Family Support
A consortium of advertisers is putting $10 million toward funding the sponsorship of "family entertainment" on the networks.
Cord Changing
Bill Gorman notes that while cord cutting may not be rising, changing cords from cable to satellite or telco providers is.
Real World Returns
The DC version of The Real World was the lowest-rated yet, and MTV apparently feels it erred in elevating the show above trashy behavior. That will be rectified with the upcoming New Orleans version.
True Satire
Matt Zoller Seitz argues that Jon Stewart's mockery of Obama shows him to be a true satirist.
Til Death Weirdness
Todd VanDerWerff chronicles the very bizarre fourth season of Til Death, which apparently purposely went off the rails because the figured no one was watching.
Treme Finale
If you watched Treme, you'll be interested in this great review from Myles McNutt and his summary of critical responses. And even if you're among the many who didn't watch it, you'll be interested in this Alan Sepinwall interview with David Simon, in which Simon says some very intriguing things about TV storytelling, such as that he doesn't appreciate it when people judge individual episodes before a season is over. Jaime Weinman responds to some of Simon's points.
Monday, June 21, 2010
History Site Overhaul
History (the channel, which used to conveniently be called History Channel, but now is just History, which is kind of a pain, because especially to start a sentence it looks like the ordinary noun, not a proper name) has overhauled its website.
Writing Advice
Alisa Perren interviews Burn Notice staff writer Michael Horowitz about advice for aspiring writers.
Franco Returns
James Franco is returning to General Hospital, and there will be a real-life (sort of) performance art tie-in this time. Elsewhere, Franco shares a few thoughts about control as an actor and soap acting. And Anne Thompson assesses his unique career path.
Originals
R. Thomas Umstead reports on the rise in original movies on cable networks. SyFy is even asking fans to help them create one.
TLC Branding
Scott Collins describes how TLC is pitching its programs at middle-class Middle America.
The Larry King Thing
David Carr says it's time for CNN to usher Larry King out, and Steve Krakauer responds by putting blame on CNN.
Spectrum Document
B&C reports on the FCC's quiet release of a pivotal document outlining the Commission's spectrum reallocation plan for broadband development.
Captions in Progress
Brian Stelter assesses captioning developments for online network TV, as not all sites have gotten on board.
BSkyB Plans
Eric Pfanner tries to figure out what Rupert Murdoch's got in mind with his plans to buy up all of British Sky Broadcasting.
Local Fears
Though they've largely kept it to themselves, local broadcasters are concerned about what the Comcast-NBCU union will mean for them. But Comcast is trying to respond to their concerns.
Update: Non-NBC affiliates approve.
Update: Non-NBC affiliates approve.
Health Reform Coverage
A Project for Excellence in Journalism study shows that MSNBC spent more time discussing health care reform than Fox News did.
Bottle Episodes
The AV Club has a great list of the best "bottle episodes," a term which refers to episodes confined to a single location, usually for budgetary reasons.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Cord-Cutting Survey
NewTeeVee's Liz Shannon Miller wants to know how many cord cutters are out there.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Gender in Televised Sports Report
A pair of university professors, Michael Messner and Cheryl Cooky, sponsored by USC's Center for Feminist Research, have released an updated study of the coverage of women’s sports on television news and highlights shows from 1989-2009. They conclude: "Clearly, change has happened, but not in the direction of increased coverage of women’s sports. In recent years, sports news and highlights shows have evidenced a retrenchment, expressed through a narrowed focus on a few commercially‐central men’s sports." Or, as they put it in chart form:
Changing TV Culture
Noel Murray and Scott Tobias have a conversation about how TV culture and TV watching have changed in recent years. Great piece here.
Kids Kable Koncludes
(Sorry...couldn't resist that subject heading.) The kids cable upfront is almost wrapped up, 4-5% up over last year.
Surfing While Watching
A Nielsen study says people don't change their internet usage habits much while they're watching TV.
New Flow Issue
- "Pedaling through the Transnational Public Screen" by Esteban del Rio: Cyclists have taken to the Internet to spread their message: the bicycle can stand as part of the solution to a whole range of problems, including climate change, obesity, traffic, pollution, depression, petrol politics, and even oil spills.
- "Dudes Come Clean: Negotiating a Space for Men in Household Cleaner Commercials" by Caroline Leader: Commercials are showing men in the domestic space as participants in maintaining a clean home.
- "'Fight for the Futures We Want': FlashForward, Temporality and Queer Possibilities" by Melanie Kohnen: FlashForward breaks with the linearity of straight time to offer moments of unknowability that challenge the script of life, presenting an opportunity to think about multiple ways of interpreting the place of non-straight representations in ideas of the future.
- "Bend it Like Shuster: Broadcasting Curling's Accessibility" by Daren C. Brabham: A discussion of the strange appeal of curling to American spectators.
- "Lost at the Movies" by Robert C. Sickels: An exploration of the intertextual references underscoring the narrative of ABC's Lost.
Scatter Market
With the upfronts sales over, Wayne Friedman considers what the scatter market might bring.
Arab Soaps
Michael Kimmelman looks at soap operas in Turkey and the Arab world: "Through the small screen, Turkey has begun to exercise a big influence at Arab dinner tables, in boardrooms and bedrooms from Morocco to Iraq of a sort that the United States can only dream about."
Too Narrow
Wayne Friedman reports on advertiser concerns that they're targeting too narrow an audience.
Thursday, June 17, 2010
Golden Betty
Everything Betty White touches turns to gold; her Hot in Cleveland sitcom on TV Land brought the channel its best ratings ever (if not good critical reviews). But James Poniewozik points out that this still doesn't mean TV is interested in older actors and viewers.
Syndication Upfronts Done
John Consoli reports on the syndication deals completed for this upfronts period.
Why TV's Better
Joseph Childers delineates reasons why TV is creatively superior to the movies right now, in his view.
Cord Cutting Trends
Nielsen seems on a mission lately to convince us that people aren't dropping TV and cable for the internet as much as everyone thinks. But Ryan Lawler looks at the same evidence in a different way: "Just because the trend hasn’t happened yet, doesn’t mean it won’t."
Cable Expansion
Gary Strauss describes how cable channels are expanding beyond their initial niches with a wider range of programming: "Once defined by clear content niches, many cable TV networks are scrambling to broaden their audiences by reaching beyond their original mission. Some are shedding entire identities, others are overhauling formats, and many are sprinkling traditional lineups with reality, food, dramas and comedies — popular genres that viewers are accustomed to seeing on rival cable and broadcast networks."
TV Twitterers
Neil Shurley highlights how some local news personalities and national TV execs are using Twitter to connect with audiences.
If you're looking for TV creatives to follow on Twitter, I recommend the following: @danharmon, @ShawnRyanTV, @AliAdler, @HartHanson, @JaneEspenson, @KenTremendous, @MattNixTV, @OKGJBM, @paulfeig, @sutterink, @timcarvell, @SteveLevitan, @skeeterosenbaum, @maskedscheduler, @SyFy, @JoshSchwartz76, @mindykaling, @noahhawley
If you're looking for TV creatives to follow on Twitter, I recommend the following: @danharmon, @ShawnRyanTV, @AliAdler, @HartHanson, @JaneEspenson, @KenTremendous, @MattNixTV, @OKGJBM, @paulfeig, @sutterink, @timcarvell, @SteveLevitan, @skeeterosenbaum, @maskedscheduler, @SyFy, @JoshSchwartz76, @mindykaling, @noahhawley
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
Generational Viewing
A new Nielsen study says that young generations are less likely to watch TV in traditional ways, but that changes as those viewers age. Carol Phillips also analyzes the results.
Football Sells
Monday Night Football ads for next season are nearly sold out, and NCAA football telecasts are also selling well.
Glee's Impact
Myles McNutt speculates on what Glee's impact could be in terms of new show development.