Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Second Screen Startup
Janko Roettgers introduces us to tBone TV, a startup working on integrating TV viewing and iPad use.
Olympics Uncertainty
With Dick Ebersol no longer at NBC to give his all for Olympics rights, there's uncertainty over next week's bidding process.
Spectrum Issues
The FCC continues to investigate reallocating TV spectrum space for broadband use, and the NAB continues to insist that this will unduly harm broadcasting.
TV's Agenda
Ben Shaprio talks to The Independent about his new book, which argues that the content of television shows is driven by the liberal agendas of their creators, and Jaime Weinman responds to that argument. Shapiro will also be releasing video clips of Hollywood liberals discussing political agendas and bias against conservatives.
PBS Interruptions
PBS plans to break in during fall shows with promo and underwriting breaks. Elizabeth Jensen also reports, as does James Poniewozik. And Joanne Ostrow sees this as dangerous.
Monday, May 30, 2011
New In Media Res
Theme: American Idol 10 Postmortem
Monday May 30, 2011 – Katherine Meizel (Oberlin Conservatory of Music) presents: God and Country and Scotty McCreery
Tuesday May 31, 2011 – Christopher Bell (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) presents: Too HAWT To Win
Wednesday May 1, 2011 – Natalie Wilson (Cal State San Marcos) presents: Is Jennifer Lopez a Simon/Paula hybrid?
Thursday May 2, 2011 – Alex Wagner-Trugman & Suellen Wagner (American Idol Season 8 Semi-Finalist, University of Miami; Writer, Producer, Antioch University) present: AI10: How a Pop Phenomenon Grew Up Without Growing Old
Friday May 3, 2011 – Tricia Clausen (University of Wisconsin-Rock County) presents: From Paternal to Patronizing: The Declining Credibility of Female Contestants
Monday May 30, 2011 – Katherine Meizel (Oberlin Conservatory of Music) presents: God and Country and Scotty McCreery
Tuesday May 31, 2011 – Christopher Bell (University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) presents: Too HAWT To Win
Wednesday May 1, 2011 – Natalie Wilson (Cal State San Marcos) presents: Is Jennifer Lopez a Simon/Paula hybrid?
Thursday May 2, 2011 – Alex Wagner-Trugman & Suellen Wagner (American Idol Season 8 Semi-Finalist, University of Miami; Writer, Producer, Antioch University) present: AI10: How a Pop Phenomenon Grew Up Without Growing Old
Friday May 3, 2011 – Tricia Clausen (University of Wisconsin-Rock County) presents: From Paternal to Patronizing: The Declining Credibility of Female Contestants
More Ads on Hulu?
Brian Steinberg reports that you might soon see more ads on Hulu during Fox programming.
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Live Possibilities
Peter Kafka describes a new service that offers you live broadcast network streaming to your iPad, and possibly even legally.
Goodbye to 33
Alan Sepinwall and Daniel Fienberg bid adieu to the past season's 33 freshman shows that won't see a sophomore year.
Weatherman Emotion
David Bauder highlights the repetitious airing of weatherman Mike Bettes' emotional reaction to the disaster in Joplin.
Deadly Season
Mary McNamara notes just how much death there was on TV this finale season, which has now become rote and calculated.
truTV Growing
Greg Braxton profiles truTV (which I've just learned doesn't capitalize "tru." Or spell it right, but that's another matter), which is growing in popularity.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Nielsen & Brain Waves
Nielsen has purchased a company that researches brain wave activity as it relates to consumer behavior.
The Mentalist Finale
Jaime Weinman weighs in about the season finale of The Mentalist, which offered a surprising narrative turn for the show's hero.
Conaway & Reality TV
In light of Jeff Conaway's death, Drew Grant argues Celebrity Rehab should end.
Friday, May 27, 2011
SeeSaw Fails
The UK online VOD aggregator SeeSaw is closing up shop; Robert Andrews explores why. Bobbie Johnson also offers reasons.
FL Public Media Loses
Florida's governor is drastically cutting funding to public radio and TV in the state, which stands too deeply hurt smaller stations.
Comcast Heat
Comcast is getting heat from Bloomberg over channel placement and from a non-profit group for a VP's rash response to its Meredith Atwell Baker criticism.
Audience Erosion
Sam Schechner reports (from behind a paywall) on the decline of 18-49s watching network TV; Emma Bazilian also reports (from not behind a paywall).
Fox Deals First
Fox has cut its first upfronts deals, with low double digit rate increases being reported.
Branded Integration
Steve McClellan discusses how marketers are increasingly turning to multiplatform branding concepts to overcome perceived insufficiencies with traditional TV advertising.
OK Coverage
The AP reports on how local TV helped keep Oklahomans informed during the recent tornado outbreak.
Ads & Memories
Wired reports on a study which finds that vivid advertisements can stick in our brains and act as memories, making us feel like we've experienced something we haven't.
Leave Retrans Alone
The NAB insists that the FCC shouldn't mess with retransmission negotiations. Conversely, Cablevision wants FCC help.
Reality Downplayed
Brian Lowry notes that the networks downplayed their reality TV programming during upfronts, even though there's plenty of it.
Glee PSAs
A PSA featuring two Glee characters has drummed up controversy, as it asks people to stop using the word "retarded" by featuring taboo ethnic slurs.
PBS at Peabodys
PBS cleaned up at the Peabody awards, where Patrick Stewart offered a passionate defense of CPB funding.
Mobile Future
Max Dawson has posted an essay-in-progress about the mobile phone and the future of television: Parts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
Back in Business
I've have problems logging in the past 24 hours -- Blogger is seriously testing my patience lately-- but everything appears to be working now, so here come some catch-up posts.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Carriage Complaints Denied
The FCC has backed a judge's denial of complaints by Wealth TV that major cable operators denied them fair carriage treatment.
Season Ratings
James Hibberd has compiled a list of how all 2010-11 network shows did in the 18-49 ratings. (Sorry, Shedding for the Wedding, you're dead last.) Andy Dehnart has isolated out the reality shows.
Also, Jace Lacob picks out the winners and losers of the '10-'11 season.
Also, Jace Lacob picks out the winners and losers of the '10-'11 season.
Digital Value
The African-American targeting Bounce TV will find its way into homes thanks to digital spectrum use.
Retrans Fees
An SNL Kagan report predicts that retransmission revenue for networks and stations will reach $3.6 billion by 2017, a big number but less than cable carriage revenue.
Modern Problem
Mark Blankenship questions why Modern Family's Cam and Mitchell don't seem to really like each other.
CBS & Fox Take Season Crowns
CBS topped the 2010-11 ratings season in total viewers, Fox in 18-49 viewers.
Recall & Distractions
A study shows that people have better recall from online ads than TV ads and that smartphones distract us from watching TV ad content more than DVRs. Message to TV advertisers: we're not really watching.
Quality & Complexity
Jason Mittell offers some thoughts about quality television and narrative complexity.
Station Problems
George Winslow reports on a study finding that local stations are not fully prepared for the coming challenge of online and mobile demands.
Oprah's End
Coverage of Oprah Winfrey's network farewell from James Poniewozik and him again, and again after the broadcast, Brian Stelter, and Mary McNamara.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
Tornado Coverage
As I sit here watching live local news coverage of the ongoing Oklahoma tornadoes, I've got two Joplin links, one on how local stations are covering the disaster and another on how the pain of covering the tragedy is showing on screen.
Soap Protests
ABC soap opera fans are now targeting affiliate stations in trying to save their shows.
Retrans
NBC has a new retrans deal with affiliates but the FCC may have something to say about it, while CBS is looking to double retrans revenue in five years.
TV Apps Popular
Samsung says that more than 5 million apps have been downloaded from its store in just over a year, as connected TVs become more popular.
The Killing Defended
The Killing has been critically lambasted for plot problems in the last few episodes, but Kelli Marshall says the refreshing depiction of the female detective at the center of the narrative redeems the show
Glee's Brittana
Robert Ito discusses the depiction of Glee's Santana as a lesbian with portrayer Naya Rivera.
Lionsgate Exec Leaves
The Lionsgate EVP who helped bring shows like Mad Men and Weeds to TV is stepping down.
Online Video Success
Kiefer Sutherland's web video The Confession on Hulu has been profitable, and isn't done yet.
Screen Ad Syncing
A company called Second Screen has developed technology to recognize when ads are airing during programming you're watching on a TV screen and give you yet more, but related, ads on a tablet, phone, or laptop screen at that time. More from Janko Roettgers.
USA is also rolling out a second screen experience.
USA is also rolling out a second screen experience.
Monday, May 23, 2011
"Mary Sue" Interview
Cynthia Walker interviews Paula Smith, who coined the phrase "Mary Sue" for wish-fulfillment fan fiction, about how she came up with it and how it proliferated.
C4 Rebuilding
The Guardian investigates how Britain's Channel 4 is rebuilding itself to be more relevant in the era of connected television and online viewing.
Cable Operators & Disasters
In light of the Joplin tornado, Todd Spangler looks at how local cable operators respond to community disasters.
Netflix Effect
Netflix is changing how we consume television and might even someday replace the TV syndication business altogether.
Univison Growing Fast
As regular readers probably already know, Univision is the fastest-growing American network.
Upfronts Summaries
Stuart Elliot highlights best and worst scenes from the week, Eric Deggans names winners and losers, Spotted checks out scheduling match-ups, Jaime Weinman compares ABC & CBS, Scott Collins notes the rise in female comedy leads (if not female empowerment), James Poniewozik covers what we learned, Michael Schneider glosses the top fall trends, Deadline pinpoints the upfronts' overachievers, Rick Porter learned things, THR identifies winners and losers, Bloomberg notes the high volume of new shows, which it attributes to the "Netflix Effect" (which Bill Gorman thinks is nonsense), Stuart Elliot notes that the paranormal is a popular fall topic, Claire Atkinson sees a drama revival as good for studios, John Consoli says now the haggling commences and covers what media buyers think of the new shows, Joe Flint says networks are still obsessed with youth, and for cable, reality TV shows are key, Nellie Andreeva has final thoughts, Jonathan Gray reports on the new shows.
Online Series Recording
BBC's iPlayer now has a series record function that will enable automatic series downloading to its desktop app, thus allowing you to watch even if you're offline, with the shows available for up to 30 days. Will Richmond notes that this puts the iPlayer in the vanguard of online video use.
Buzz Before Ads
Emma Bazilian reports that marketers are checking into social media buzz before deciding which shows to get behind. More from the WSJ but behind a paywall.
Studio 60 Reborn
Long ago-cancelled Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip has been reborn via Twitter, as anonymous people tweet under the guise of the show's characters.
Oprah Ending
Brian Stelter takes us into the last days of Oprah Winfrey's talk show, which ends Wednesday. Sam Schechner and Lauren Schuker look at how daytime will be affected by her absence.
Stations Questioning PBS Value
Many PBS affiliates are questioning the value of remaining tied to the public broadcasting outlet given what they see as a problematic business model.
GoT & HBO Go
Myles McNutt considers the implications of HBO premiering the seventh episode of Game of Thrones early via its HBO Go online access service.
British Scheduling
During my time in London, I'll be blogging about British TV each week for Antenna; my first post considers British scheduling practices.
New In Media Res
Theme: Media Representations of Brain Injuries in Sports
Monday May 23, 2011 – Bryce McNeil (Georgia State University) presents: Legitimizing the Feminine?: Regulation and the Politics of Cheerleading Injuries
Tuesday May 24, 2011 – David Epstein (Sports Illustrated) presents: Aaron Rodgers’s Magic Floating Helmet
Wednesday May 25, 2011 – Todd Martin (Los Angeles Times) presents: The Disincentives to Combat Concussions in Professional Sports
Thursday May 26, 2011 – Steve Granelli (SUNY Oswego) presents: Uninformed Outrage: When Steroids Were Blamed in Place of CTE
Friday May 27, 2011 – Stephen Brauer (St. John Fisher College) presents: Smashed in the Head with a Sledgehammer
Saturday May 28, 2011 – David Castillo (HeadKickLegend.com) presents: From Axon to Action: The Devil of Brain Trauma Is in the Details
Monday May 23, 2011 – Bryce McNeil (Georgia State University) presents: Legitimizing the Feminine?: Regulation and the Politics of Cheerleading Injuries
Tuesday May 24, 2011 – David Epstein (Sports Illustrated) presents: Aaron Rodgers’s Magic Floating Helmet
Wednesday May 25, 2011 – Todd Martin (Los Angeles Times) presents: The Disincentives to Combat Concussions in Professional Sports
Thursday May 26, 2011 – Steve Granelli (SUNY Oswego) presents: Uninformed Outrage: When Steroids Were Blamed in Place of CTE
Friday May 27, 2011 – Stephen Brauer (St. John Fisher College) presents: Smashed in the Head with a Sledgehammer
Saturday May 28, 2011 – David Castillo (HeadKickLegend.com) presents: From Axon to Action: The Devil of Brain Trauma Is in the Details
Bafta Winners
Sherlock and The Only Way is Essex were notable winners at the Bafta awards in Britain, while Doctor Who and Downton Abbey went home empty-handed.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Ailes & Fox News
New York Magazine's Gabriel Sherman looks at what Roger Ailes has created at Fox News. Fox News is now disputing some aspects of this piece.
Now Rolling Stone too offers an Ailes profile (or takedown, as Fox News execs will likely view it).
Now Rolling Stone too offers an Ailes profile (or takedown, as Fox News execs will likely view it).
Baker's Move
Some have questioned the ethics of Meredith Attwell Baker's jump from FCC commissioner to Comcast lobbyist, and now Congress will be looking into it. Joe Flint pinpoints this as a rare PR misstep for Comcast.
Network Notes
Dave Itzkoff dug through Paddy Chayefsky's archived notes on his script for Network and reveals some of the ideas behind the prescient film.
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Multicultural Multimedia
Nielsen has released a study into ethnic diversity and consumerism, which includes coverage of media use such as online video consumption.
Ebersol & Couric
Richard Sandomir notes that Dick Ebersol's Olympics legacy comes to an end with his NBC departure, and Joe Flint puts his exit in a Comcast context, while Gail Collins considers Katie Couric's legacy as a female news anchor.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Tablets for TV
A Nielsen study found that a dominant use of tablet devices is watching TV, and they're also changing our TV viewing habits.
Content Power
Media Life interviews Greg Kahn, a media research exec, about his company's Content Power Ratings report, which ranks shows based on social media buzz.
Young & Old Shows
In discussing the season finales of Parks & Rec and The Office (so, spoiler alert), Matt Zoller Seitz considers the role of our emotional reactions to newer, fresher shows versus long-running ones.
Hart Retires
Mary Hart, the matriarch of TV's celebrity gossip coverage, is retiring, and Brooks Barnes wonders if her soft-touch approach to celebrities is leaving us too.
Friday Fun
To honor my current location, here are very lovely pictures of British TV stars, photographed to highlight their BAFTA nominations.
Fox News Boycott
Media Matters has launched an organized attempt to get advertisers to boycott Fox News, targeting specific advertisers and starting with Orbitz.
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Gore v. News Corp
Al Gore believes Rupert Murdoch is responsible for taking Current off the lineup of Sky Italia, News Corp.'s satellite service in Italy, as a political objection to the incoming Keith Olbermann.
The CW's Upfronts
The CW's fall schedule is out; analysis from Daniel Fienberg, Gary Levin, Todd VanDerWerff, Tim Goodman, Josef Adalian, James Poniewozik. Also, The CW will announce a new interactive commercial app deal; Cory Bergman has more.
Colbert's PAC
Stephen Colbert's attempt to start a Super PAC in order to bring awareness to campaign finance law problems constitutes a bold and subversive move that could stir up trouble for Fox News if his filing is denied by the FEC, though the FEC seems likely to take into account Colbert's motives in its deliberations.
WGA Report
The Writers Guild has released its latest Hollywood Writers Report, which "provides an update on the progress of women, minority, and older writers on the employment and earnings fronts." The results are not heartening.
Glee Crooner
Allison McCracken closes her excellent series on Glee's male singers with a profile of Blaine.
Upfront & Online
Brian Stelter and BIll Carter report on how the networks are touting social media at the upfronts, while Ryan Lawler highlights how NBC and Fox differ on their online TV philosophies.
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Cord Cutting Positive
Will Richmond says cord cutting might not be the worst thing for cable operators, at least for those that have robust broadband infrastructures.
CBS Upfronts
Coverage of CBS's schedule from James Poniewozik (and again), Alan Sepinwall, Willa Paskin, Andrea Morabito, Tim Milloy, and Todd VanDerWerff. Watch CBS's new show trailers.
The Networks Are...
So this just happened on Twitter and demanded to be saved for future generations to observe:
Eurovision Effect
Azerbaijan won this year's Eurovision contest, which means it becomes next year's host. Aslam Amani wonders if that might force the country's repressive dictatorship into more openness.
Couric Analysis
James Rainey analyzes what went wrong for Katie Couric and CBS, whose relationship ends Thursday.
Other Upfronts
Multichannel has coverage of the ESPN and the Fox Hispanic Media upfronts, and Stuart Elliot previews the Spanish-language outlet upfronts. More on Telemundo from D.M. Levine, plus news that Univision is launching three new cable channels and airing its own Biggest Loser take.
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
ABC's Lineup
ABC's fall constitutes an outright revamp; James Poniewozik (and again), Alan Sepinwall, Todd VanDerWerff, and Ken Tucker analyze, and you can watch preview clips. Apparently ABC is getting more manly. Willa Paskin has characteristically astute analysis.
NYMag Features
New York Magazine has a great line-up of features for upfronts, including showrunner interviews, Emily Nussbaum on the interactive showrunner, AMC surviving its own success, the uniqueness of Louis CK's show, and a full list of scripts pitched during development season.
Monday, May 16, 2011
Upfronts Coverage
Some notable upfronts coverage: Willa Paskin reviews NBC's strategies, Alan Sepinwall covers NBC's '11-'12 schedule, as does James Poniewozik, Futon Critic has full-length trailers of NBC's new shows, Bill Carter and Brian Stelter discuss how the networks are seeking fresh ideas to revitalize their schedules, Josef Adalian talks strategy with Fox's scheduling chief, Poniewozik lists Fox's schedule, and John Doyle points out how inefficient and costly the development system is.
And more: Meg James previews ABC's upfronts, Willa Paskin review's Fox's strategies, Ken Tucker analyzes Fox's fall schedule, and a TVOTI podcast discusses Fox and NBC. Watch Fox preview clips.
And more: Meg James previews ABC's upfronts, Willa Paskin review's Fox's strategies, Ken Tucker analyzes Fox's fall schedule, and a TVOTI podcast discusses Fox and NBC. Watch Fox preview clips.
New In Media Res
Theme: TV Season Finales
Monday May 16, 2011 – Kelly Kessler (DePaul University) presents: "Do Season Finales Even Matter Anymore?" or "Season Finales, Schmeason Finale. I Don’t Even Know When It’s On!"
Tuesday May 17, 2011 – Steve Herro (College of Southern Nevada) presents: The Biggest Loser: The Television Show that Never Ends?
Wednesday May 18, 2011 – Kim Akass (Royal Holloway, University of London) presents: "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" - Sex and the City: The Ending(s)
Thursday May 19, 2011 – Kristen Heflin (University of Alabama) presents: Season? Finale?
Friday May 20, 2011 – Eleanor Seitz (University of Wisconsin, Madison) presents: A Sendoff to Obscurity: I Married Dora and The Anti-Cliffhanger Season Finale
Monday May 16, 2011 – Kelly Kessler (DePaul University) presents: "Do Season Finales Even Matter Anymore?" or "Season Finales, Schmeason Finale. I Don’t Even Know When It’s On!"
Tuesday May 17, 2011 – Steve Herro (College of Southern Nevada) presents: The Biggest Loser: The Television Show that Never Ends?
Wednesday May 18, 2011 – Kim Akass (Royal Holloway, University of London) presents: "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" - Sex and the City: The Ending(s)
Thursday May 19, 2011 – Kristen Heflin (University of Alabama) presents: Season? Finale?
Friday May 20, 2011 – Eleanor Seitz (University of Wisconsin, Madison) presents: A Sendoff to Obscurity: I Married Dora and The Anti-Cliffhanger Season Finale
Sunday, May 15, 2011
This Week
This will be a crazy week both for TV, as the major players display next season's wares at the upfronts, and for me, as I'm flying over to London to start teaching a summer class on British TV. I plan to keep the blog under normal operation throughout the summer, but I don't expect to be able to blog too much this week as I get settled into my new endeavor (and get used to waking up five hours earlier).
It's probably just as well that this coincides with the upfronts, because they get covered fifty times over everywhere. I might post some summary links here and there across the week (and NBC has already made its scheduling announcement), but if you want to keep up with all the news as it comes along, I suggest you follow a Twitter list I made of the critics likely to be tweeting upfronts news, and check out the following websites for coverage: Hitfix, B&C, Futon Critic, THR, Daily Beast, Tuned In, TV Squad, Variety, and Vulture.
It's probably just as well that this coincides with the upfronts, because they get covered fifty times over everywhere. I might post some summary links here and there across the week (and NBC has already made its scheduling announcement), but if you want to keep up with all the news as it comes along, I suggest you follow a Twitter list I made of the critics likely to be tweeting upfronts news, and check out the following websites for coverage: Hitfix, B&C, Futon Critic, THR, Daily Beast, Tuned In, TV Squad, Variety, and Vulture.
Saturday, May 14, 2011
Targeting Over-55
Bill Carter and Tanzina Vega report on the TV industry's realization that maybe older viewers do matter.
Prime-Time Ratings: Friday
Fast nationals: CBS won the night; Smallville's series final helped The CW push NBC down to fifth.
Fave TV Brands
ABC won a survey of respondent's favorite TV brands, with ESPN as the top cable choice.
Drama Attention
Joe Flint discusses the challenge dramas have today with maintaining viewer attention.