Daily Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE by Marauder

BROADCAST/CABLE

AMC attracted 1.75 million viewers last Sunday for the initial showing of its season finale of “Mad Men.” According to Nielsen’s fast national ratings, the show about advertising executives in the 1960s scored a cumulative audience of 2.9 million that night, running the finale during three separate telecasts that evening. Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter (10/28) , Broadcasting & Cable (10/27)

Comcast on Monday night on its video-on-demand platform began offering a sneak peek at the upcoming “iCarly” movie, which won’t run on Nickelodeon until Nov. 8. Besides “iCarly iGo to Japan,” the cable provider served up four “iCarly” episodes as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Multichannel News (10/27)

A&E Network renewed its scripted drama series The Cleaner for a second season. Starring Benjamin Bratt and produced by CBS Paramount Television in association with Once A Frog Productions, the series will begin production on 13 new episodes scheduled to debut in 2009. (Cynopsis 10/28)

Jay Leno’s boss says NBC Universal is still trying to convince the top-rated late-night host to stay with the network after he hands off “The Tonight Show” to Conan O’Brien” June 1. “We’ve made him lots of offers. He’s weighing his options,” says NBC exec Rick Ludwin. (http://news.cincinnati.com/article/20081028/ENT/810280334 10/28)

One month into the 2008-09 television season, CBS is U.S. television’s top-rated network in viewers, adults 25 to 54, as well as adults 18 to 49. “It’s still about the programming,” says CBS boss Les Moonves. Even in an age of video streaming and DVRs, “scheduling does matter.” (Iwantmedia 10/28, http://www.tvweek.com/news/2008/10/moonves_tradition_serves_cbs.php 10/26)

ABC finally offered Barack Obama‘s camp the 8 p.m. half-hour on Wednesday for his campaign program, which will air at that time on the other broadcast networks. However, the U.S. presidential candidate’s team passed on the offer, saying it has allocated the funds elsewhere. (Iwantmedia 10/28, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/27/AR2008102702774.html 10/28)

ABC Family has greenlighted a pilot for a drama series titled “Perfect 10.” The potential series, which will begin production later this fall, focuses on a group of outstanding teen gymnasts who are battling to represent the country in the Olympics. Reuters/The Hollywood Reporter (10/27)

As the FCC heads toward what will be a highly watched vote next Tuesday on the use of “white spaces” in the broadcast spectrum by portable TV band devices, the National Cable and Telecommunication Association sent a letter to the commission officially asking that the vote be put off to allow more study. “We urge the commission not to rush to a decision that would ignore the unique and proven hazards of such devices to cable television viewers,” the letter said. TVNEWSDAY (free registration) (10/27)

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