BC Beat
Commentary, analysis and observations on the business of television from the staff of Broadcasting & Cable. Edited by Senior Editor Joel Topcik.
Seinfeld’s Superhuman ‘Ref’ Producer
If her resume and tireless work ethic isn’t enough to illustrate why Jerry Seinfeld calls this week’s Fifth Estater Ellen Rakieten “superhuman,” how about the fact that the woman is seemingly immune to jetlag? Rakieten regularly shuttles back and forth from Chicago, where she lives, to New York, where the show films. “She’s an amazing traveler,” Se ...... Read More
Comments (1)MLBAM: More In-Market Baseball Streaming Coming In 2010
Looking to stream your hometown baseball team’s games online in-market this season? You might be in luck. In my cover story this week (Sports Streaming’s Big Play), and in B&C editor Ben Grossman’s Left Coast Bias column (Go Ahead, Kill Your Business) the topic of streaming sports online gets a thorough examination. As we both mention, Major League Baseball Advanced Media ...... Read More
Comments (0)Rosie O'Donnell throwing her hat in Oprah ring
Rosie O’Donnell has formed a production company with former Warner Bros.’ big-wigs Dick Robertson and Scott Carlin to develop and produce a new daytime talk show intended to bow in 2011, just in time for Oprah Winfrey to depart the air. “Come fall 2011, there is going to be a major shift in television. For better or worse, a void will be there. Something is going to move in to ...... Read More
Comments (0)The pros of twittering TV
Big TV events – the Super Bowl, the Oscars, the annual American Idol finale – aren’t just good for the networks that air them, they’re also good for the Internet. The number of viewers who are simultaneously online is increasing every year, reports Nielsen Wire. On average, 10% of TV viewers are also visiting social networks such as Facebook or Twitter or browsing the W ...... Read More
Comments (0)Shaking up Sunday Morning TV
If Christiane Amanpour accepts a reported offer from ABC News to be the new permanent host of Sunday public affairs program This Week, she will bring plenty of gravitas and capital-J journalism experience with her. But she will not necessarily bring the inside-the-beltway status of the rest of the Sunday political show class. This could be a plus - or a minus. If you are a political candidate, it ...... Read More
Comments (0)‘Maury’ Resonating With Demos…And That’s No Lie
Paternity tests and out of control teens are part of Maury’s DNA, and the NBCU talk show has had its share of those tried-and-true topics in its 12th season. Yet ratings for Maury have risen significantly due to what its host calls a kind of accidental “perfect storm.” The show’s new Stamford, Conn. facility has re-energized Povich and his in-studio audiences, he says. ...... Read More
Comments (0)End This Tiger Charade Already
It’s hard to say Tiger Woods’ imminent return at the Masters is good news for CBS, because the term “news” would indicate it wasn’t premeditated.From the start, the entire situation has been a sham, and one I can’t wait to see end. Woods was never - ever - going to miss a major in his rabid quest to win more than anyone else. So now the batch of “n ...... Read More
Comments (0)“Biebermania” At Nick Upfront
Nickelodeon’s upfront presentation Thursday, March 11, featured network research, and a strong sales pitch from network president Cyma Zarghami, but for many in the crowd, it was all about the Bieber. Justin Bieber, that is. The 16 year-old Canadian pop singer (who has appeared on Nick’s True Jackson, VP) was the grand finale at the presentation, and he had many attendees– ...... Read More
Comments (0)Bravo Brings the "Bravolebrities"
As Bravo moves toward programming originals five nights a week, including scripted fare, the NBC Universal-owned channel brought out its big guns to impress the jaded media buying crowd with the upfront season’s most opulent presentation yet. The channel wrangled 65 stars of its shows, or “Bravolebrities,” to add some wattage and mingle with the young-skewing crowd (or “ ...... Read More
Comments (0)BC Beat: TiVo Weighs In On Best Picture Nominees
‘Up in the Air’ and ‘Up’ deemed most likely ‘to avoid the fast-forward button’ According to data from TiVo, TV ads for Oscar best picture contenders Up in the Air and Up were the most popular across all demos on both broadcasting and cable… with one caveat. Based on viewership of the commercials, which TiVo allows folks to skip, Up in The Air was th ...... Read More
Comments (0)The Agony and the Ecstasy of NBC's Olympics Coverage
The Vancouver Winter Olympics are providing plenty of compelling television. And Bob Costas’ interviews with the athletes in those easy chairs in front of a roaring fire have made for some crackling moments. Evan Lysacek serenely and graciously responding to criticism from the losing camp (i.e. the Russian media and silver medalist Yegeni Plushenko) that Lysacek didn’t deserve the go ...... Read More
Comments (0)Will Negative PR Kill 'Our Little Genius'?
The news that the FCC received a complaint and is looking into whether there was something amiss on the set of the proposed Fox game show Our Little Genius may not exactly be a smoking gun. The FCC is obligated to follow up on all complaints. But it does not help a program already damaged by the whiff of a Quiz Show-esque scandal. “The problem here is there’s smoke. And they hav ...... Read More
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