What Will Cabler's Ownership OF NBC Mean For Local Affiliates?
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 20, 12:00 PM
NBC Universal President/CEO Jeff Zucker expects a Comcast-NBC Universal-General Electric deal by Thanksgiving. That's the day someone usually delivers a turkey. But NBC's local affiliates are also part of the deal. This will mean Comcast will now have a closer association with TV stations, and not just in business partnerships like retransmission deals.
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How To Revive NBC? Comcast Actually Knows The Way
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 19, 10:07 AM
If Comcast is really serious about avoiding future derogatory adjectives -- like "dumber" pipe -- it should take a page out of a business it has long been associated with: Build NBC up as a cable network. Forget about all the digital/online distribution of content for the moment -- and even the issue about whether Jeff Zucker should hang around after the deal is completed. Holding onto the NBC network and giving it a new financial model is the real key.
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'Polarizing' TV -- Political Or Otherwise -- Really Means 'Engaging' TV
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 18, 10:08 AM
Fractionalized TV -- some may call it polarizing TV -- makes sense for everyone. Some say the aim of the Obama administration is to transform those in the minority (in this case those who voted for McCain, the losing Republican candidate) into a fringe-like group. If some seem like they are on the periphery, that's good for the White House. For Fox, it's also a benefit. "Fringe" status also means more engaged viewers. That means they'll have higher recall when it comes to advertisers' ads.
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Kids' TV Advertisers: The Message In And Out Of Your Mouth
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 17, 12:54 PM
You may believe that poor people are the thinnest people around, especially when little money equals less food. For the really indigent -- especially in non-developed countries -- this can still be the case. But for those richer countries (especially the U.S.), the modern developed world yields heavier humans. That's what 21h century food manufacturing can do for you: fast-food is cash-easy. The downside is always about health -- especially among our younger citizens. In this regard, a couple of Congressional representatives want to start up more legislation to curtail food marketing to kids on TV shows.
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Balloon Boy's Parents Still Pursuing Deals? Will Marketers Buy In?
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 16, 12:45 PM
The parents of "balloon boy" have pleaded guilty to a massive hoax costing Colorado-area state and federal officials some $70,000 -- and huge embarrassment for all. There could be fines and jail time -- but it won't end there. Now we know that Richard Heene, who led his family into a couple of appearances in "Wife Swap" and was the mastermind behind the hoax featuring his son and a balloon, is looking for an "employment opportunity" in New York or California.
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Internet Might Still Change TV Language
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 13, 10:35 AM
Many stand-up comedians have a "blue" act -- profane-laced bits, targeted for adult humor -- to go along with their clean TV acts. Now comes the popular "Shit My Dad Says" Twitter page - in which the title, as well as virtually all posts, contain hefty amounts of profanity. CBS is looking to make a TV show from this blue Internet content.
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YouTube Tests Ad-Skipping Option
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 12, 5:35 PM
The Internet is too "open" for its own good sometimes. Now some video content providers want to give users the option of skipping TV-like commercial messages. Actually, that's one big video content provider: YouTube.
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Bewkes: Broadcast Nets Need Carriage Fees -- The CW, Too
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 11, 2:00 PM
Time Warner's Jeff Bewkes can feel pretty good about not buying a big broadcast network like NBC. But there's more to this big broadcast TV story. "The broadcast networks have fewer people watching, for shorter times of day, lower and declining ratings... So therefore their business model is becoming increasingly not viable," he says. "If you look at broadcast networks, which are the only ones in TV that have 'free' aspect, if they don't get some form of carriage fee, they may not survive."
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Flood Of DVDs Yields Cheaper Prices: Can TV Learn From This?
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 10, 11:12 AM
An expanding array of media and entertainment choices should mean lower prices for consumers, though some TV networks and cable operators might have you think otherwise. But if you are the DVD market, the laws of supply and demand still work
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Oprah Leaving? Then Where Is Syndication Going?
Posted by Wayne Friedman on Nov 6, 10:34 AM
Oprah Winfrey leaving her roots among TV stations could be the last move in a quick triple play gone wrong for the industry.
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- Wayne Friedman is West Coast Editor of MediaPost.
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