by Wayne Friedman on Oct 31, 4:00 PM
Presidential candidate Barack Obama left his uneaten fish sandwich behind after his interview with MSNBC's Rachel Maddow. Wherever Obama goes, in this last week of the campaign, he leaves a lot behind. And cable networks want more of it.
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 30, 11:00 AM
The real news about the weakening TV ad market should hit on Thursday, when CBS Corp. -- the most vulnerable media company in terms of percentage of revenue coming from ad dollars -- tells all to industry analysts.
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 29, 10:00 AM
Groping for a longer-lasting, more valuable TV identity, one of New York City's noted TV stations, WPIX, is going back to its roots. But can it grow a better tree?
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 28, 10:15 AM
The Internet finally has a chance to show its rock-solid strength by lifting "30 Rock," a mediocre-performing NBC show, to new heights. With 40 million streams of her almost-too perfect impersonation of vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, "30 Rock" creator and star Tiny Fey is about to find out whether her NBC show will now rock the TV world.
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 27, 11:15 AM
The World Series is here, and soon the Presidential election -- TV events with questionable viewership ratings in the recent past, but plenty of viewer loyalty for those who stick around.
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 24, 11:00 AM
What's up with German TV? Now, not only can't you see a good bike race, but you can't hear any good English-language jokes. MTV Networks Germany is closing down its Comedy Central. It seems shows like "Seinfeld" and "Sarah Silverman" didn't kill -- in comedy lingo. Critics actually said the channel "killed" the jokes by possible bad dubbing. Early this month big German broadcasters ARD and ZDF said they were not going to broadcast the Tour de France next year because of continued doping among athletes.
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 23, 9:30 AM
To some TV pressure groups, we are a society growing indecent, filled with raw images of stripper clubs, foul language, and whipped cream over strategic body parts. Yet why do TV ratings keep falling for specific TV shows? Perhaps people are tuning out anyway. At the same time, there is growing dissatisfaction , not the least of which is how TV is delivered. The majority of TV viewers, who get their TV stations and network through local cable systems, are increasingly dissatisfied with the service.
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 22, 12:00 PM
A slowdown for media companies will seemingly start in a matter of days -- maybe in time for the World Series, as weary TV viewers aren't projected to show up in droves. Some of this is just plain math; some, just plain bad luck.
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 21, 4:15 PM
The 30-second commercial spot business indeed may be in critical condition, according to Tom Rogers, CEO of TiVo. TV marketers do have an alternative: buy into TiVo for its helpful marketing and/or research tools. "In the next two to three years, the television industry is going to face a crisis more severe for it than our current financial crisis," Rogers reportedly said during the recent Association of National Advertisers conference last week. The biggest irony doesn't need much explaining here. TiVo has been the poster child of the business that has put TV marketers into this quandary in the first …
by Wayne Friedman on Oct 20, 1:01 PM
In the midst of a terrible economy, with TV ad revenues trending down, and media stocks getting hammered, what do we have to look forward to? More drama, but not more answers.