Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

VH1’s 90-minute season finale of Rock of Love 2 with Bret Michaels on Sunday (9p) delivered a 3.5 rating and 3.9 million viewers among A18-49. The episode also drew in 5 million total viewers. (Cynopsis 4/16)

Episodes IV, V and VI of the “Star Wars” epic delivered an average 3.37 million viewers for Spike TV during the week ended April 13, according to Nielsen. The performance propelled the channel to second place among ad-supported cable channels, with 2.21 million total prime-time viewers during the week. (Mediaweek 4/15)

The NFL announced its 17-week, 256 game regular season schedule for this year which opens September 4 at 7p on NBC with a match between Super Bowl XLII champs New York Giants at home against the Washington Redskins. A couple of highlights of the season include two international games: October 26 at Wembley Stadium in London when the New Orleans Saints take on the San Diego Chargers; and December 7 in Toronto with a game between the Buffalo Bills and the Dolphins. (Cynopsis 4/16)

(Below) I have to agree with the television networks on this.  In essence, the package approach subsidizes the cost of a wide variety of programming.  Once the a la carte option is offered, many TV networks aimed at more niche interests would struggle, hence creating an environment where creativity and innovation would suffer.  The internet offers a la carte episode purchasing and this is where this model should stay.  That said, the cable package offerings as they stand today are completely unsuitable to the consumer.  In this day and age filled with recommendation engines, it seems a no-brainer for a cable network to customize packages based on consumer interest.  This would be an innovation I think many cable customers would rejoice to.  Yes, I’m sure there are many engineering issues on the cable side. . .but aren’t there always?  If the cable affiliates don’t learn to innovate soon, the internet will continue to divert eyeballs as quality and user interfaces improve.  Discuss.

Executives from five major cable groups sent a letter of protest Tuesday to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, saying that government-mandated a la carte programming would give consumers fewer options and cost more money. The letter told Martin that “if your plan is ever adopted, consumers would be outraged.” (Multichannel News 4/15)

Bravo, which will debut the fifth season of “Project Runway” in July before the show moves to Lifetime, staged its upfront presentation for ad agencies Tuesday morning. Lauren Zalaznick, the president of Bravo Media/Oxygen Media, said the NBC-owned network would bring 45% more original programming to the table in the 2008-09 season. (Mediaweek 4/15)

For the second season of Bravo’s Top Design from Magical Elves, model and designer India Hicks joins as host. Continuing on the show will be Todd Oldham as the contestant’s mentor and judges Jonathan Adler, Margaret Russell and Kelly Wearstler. The interior design competition series, which is currently in production and scheduled to air in third quarter, will also sport a new look as it will be produced in hi-def. (Cynopsis 4/16)

News Corp.’s board proposes making chief Rupert Murdoch and other board members stand for re-election every year rather than every few years. The company also has eliminated the “poison pill” it had put in place in 2004 when Liberty Media acquired a sizable voting stake. (Iwantmedia 4/16, http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/business/news/e3i721645931ea9e846a5e11d4ea827430d 4/15)

CNN is apologizing after a news commentator Jack Cafferty called the Chinese as a “bunch of goons and thugs.” The Chinese Foreign Ministry had demanded an apology for the “ignorance and hostility.” In a statement, CNN says that it provides “robust opinions” as part of its coverage. (Iwantmedia 4/16, http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article3756437.ece 4/16)

Jack Cafferty was forced to apologize for his comments towards China.

HBO this summer will create a Monday-night documentary franchise, beginning June 9 with “Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired.” The series will wrap up Aug. 25 and include topics such as competitive high school debates, the education system, international drug trafficking and influential black Americans. (The Hollywood Reporter 4/15)

The Black Television News Channel, set to launch in 2009, has secured a carriage deal with Comcast in several urban markets. The Washington-based channel is being created by former U.S. Rep. J.C. Watts Jr., who applauded Comcast for its record of supporting independent programmers. (Multichannel News 4/15)

Verizon has filed for a video franchise that would cover all of New York’s five boroughs and their 3.1 million homes for the next 12 years. The move potentially pits the company’s FiOS service against the area’s current cable providers, Time Warner Cable and Cablevision. (OneTRAK 4/15)

Time Warner Cable is allowed to keep running ads critical of Verizon’s FiOS service after the telecom failed to get a restraining order to block the cable company’s ad campaign. (Light Reading 4/15)