Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE by Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

Jeff Bewkes, Time Warner’s future CEO, is said to have “much sharper elbows” than Dick Parsons. But will he break up the media giant? Time Inc. has “few clear synergies” with the rest of the company. And some observers question whether AOL has the know-how to compete with Google. (http://money.cnn.com/2007/09/17/news/companies/twx_bewkes.fortune/index.htm 9/17) 

The Emmy telecast on Fox attracted 13.1 million viewers, the fewest since 1990, as the television industry’s annual awards show faced competition from football, baseball and reality programs. The three-hour show rotates each year among the four broadcast networks. (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=ajlTg.AWdzvA 9/17)

CBS is setting up screenings of “Kid Nation,” its controversial reality show debuting Wednesday, at elementary schools around the country. Copies of the first episode are not being made available to critics. The network aims to bypass traditional media in an effort to build buzz. (http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117972162.html?categoryid=2554&cs=1 9/17)

Kid Nation Teaser

This is the most intriguing reality show idea that I have come across in quite a while.  The show follows a group of children, aged 8 through 15, who set up a working town without the aid of any adults.  Left to their devices, the children carry out town meetings, elect a council, farm the land, and compete for $20K towards their future college funds.  It’s amazing to see what these kids say and do when left on their own to maintain the inner workings of the town.   

HBO has struck deals with Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore to star in an adaptation of “Grey Gardens,” the story of the eccentric Long Island aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. It’s unclear whether the movie will be released by HBO Films first in theaters or debut on HBO. (The New York Times/Reuters/Hollywood Reporter 9/18)

TNT has signed Annie Potts to play opposite William H. Macy in an upcoming drama titled “Family Man.” A pilot for the show, about a respected member of the community who also leads a gang of bank robbers, is in development for 2008. (Variety 9/17) 

TNT’s The Closer occupied the top 5 spots in Tivo’s latest Stop||Watch DVR ratings, ranking Tivo users’ most watched shows. The show topped out with a 10.4 rating on July 23, the first time a cable network made the top ten but far below the 25.6 ratings of the highest-rated show during the May ratings period. Amazingly Tivo favorite Studio 60 remained in the top 10 when it finished its single season run on June 28.

Comcast Chairman Brian Roberts, who also is chairman of CableLabs, says the group is developing an advertising platform that will track viewers’ responses to commercials, similar to the way an online advertiser can measure a user’s reaction to an ad. Roberts says the new interactive platform will help cable companies attract a larger percentage of TV ad dollars. (Reuters 9/17) 

Cablevision’s Dolan family wants to take the Bethpage, N.Y., cable company private, and it is willing to sell assets or close money-losing business units to make that happen, according to an SEC filing. The company has scheduled an Oct. 24 meeting, at which shareholders will vote on the $10.6 billion proposal to take Cablevision private. (Multichannel News 9/17)

The Jewish Channel is the latest video-on-demand offering from Cablevision. The channel, which includes Jewish-themed films, documentaries and talk shows, will be made available for Cablevision’s iO TV digital-cable subscribers. (Broadcasting & Cable 9/17)

3 Comments so far
Leave a comment