Fox renews
second-year drama 'Fringe'
Other shorts: Journalism ethicists mad over 'Alice' ad
By Louisa Ada Seltzer
Mar 8, 2010
Programming notes: Fox renews 'Fringe'
"Fringe" saw its ratings plunge last fall when it moved from a cushy post-"House" and "American Idol" slot to Thursdays at 9 p.m., where it faced "Grey's Anatomy," "CSI" and "The Office." But its numbers have since rebounded a bit, and creatively it's having a solid season, which was enough to convince Fox to renew the show. "Fringe" will return for a third season next year, presumably in the same timeslot, where it has combined with "Bones" to help Fox improve its Thursday numbers. Meanwhile, in other programming, NBC has given early pickups to "The Office" and "30 Rock," not a surprising move, as well as "Community," the first-year bubble show that has had low but consistent ratings leading off Thursday night. That likely means the network's entire Thursday comedy lineup will return as-is next season; the fourth show on the night, "Parks and Recreation," had already been renewed. CNN will launch "John King, USA" two weeks from today in the 7 p.m. weekday slot.
Journalism ethicists not mad for Times' 'Alice' ad
Front-page newspaper ads are no longer the taboo they used to be in these times of dwindling ad revenue. But turning your entire front page over to an advertiser? That's apparently still debatable, judging from the tempest that's blown up following the Los Angeles' Times decision to sell a front-page wrap for the new movie "Alice in Wonderland." The page shows actual recent front-page stories from the paper along with the Times masthead, both of which are partially blocked by a large color picture of Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter. The wrap appeared Friday, and while a Times spokesperson compared it to a roll-over ad on the web that temporarily obscures editorial content, it immediately got journalism ethicists buzzing. "What offends my traditional sensibilities is the notion that you would be willing to deceive the reader into thinking that this was the actual front page," Poynter Institute scholar Roy Peter Clark told CNN. The New York Times also printed a story on the ad controversy. The LA Times, which has been battered by layoffs, top-editor turnover and parent company Tribune's bankruptcy over recent years, has tried similarly bold front-page experiments over the past year with mixed results. Last year HBO bought a cover wrap for "True Blood," though it did not have the Times masthead. And last spring a front-page "Southland" ad was made to look like a news article.
Friday overnights: 'Who' helps NBC to first-place tie
By the relatively low standards of Friday-night television, NBC's new genealogy series was neither a hit nor a miss.
The premiere of “Who Do You Think You Are?” on Friday night averaged a 1.6 rating among viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, helping the network tie for first for the night in the demo.
“Who’s” 1.6 was a 45 percent timeslot boost for NBC versus its last non-Olympic Friday 8 p.m. hour, a 1.1 for a repeat of “Law & Order” on Feb. 5. “Who” finished second among English-language networks in the time period, just behind CBS’s “Ghost Whisperer,” which posted a 1.7.
NBC and CBS each averaged a 1.7 overnight rating and 6 share for the night among 18-49s, with ABC third at 1.4/5, Univision fourth at 1.3/4, Fox fifth at 1.2/4 and CW sixth at 0.6/2.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-six percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 8 p.m. CBS co-led with its 1.7 for “Whisperer,” and Univision also posted a 1.7 for “Hasta que el Dinero Nos Separe.” NBC was third with the 1.6 for “Who,” ABC fourth with a 1.2 for “Supernanny,” Fox fifth with a 1.0 for a repeat of “House” and CW sixth with a 0.7 for a “Smallville” rerun.
CBS was first again at 9 p.m. with a 1.9 for “Medium,” with ABC, NBC and Fox all tied for second at 1.4, ABC for “20/20,” NBC for “Dateline” and Fox for a repeat of “Kitchen Nightmares.” Univision was fifth with a 1.3 for “Corazon Salvaje” and CW sixth with a 0.5 for another “Smallville” repeat.
NBC took the lead at 10 p.m. with a 1.9 for more “Dateline,” followed by CBS with a 1.7 for “Numb3rs.” ABC was third with a 1.6 for more “20/20” and Univision fourth with a 0.9 for “Ellas Son… la Alegria del Hogar.”
CBS was first for the night among households with a 4.9 average overnight rating and a 9 share. NBC was second at 4.7/9, ABC third at 3.9/7, Fox fourth at 2.1/4, Univision fifth at 1.6/3 and CW sixth at 0.9/2.
Saturday overnights: 'Cops' paces Fox to win
On Saturday night Fox’s law enforcement lineup, including an interview with President Barack Obama on "America's Most Wanted," led the network to first place among viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen overnights, with a 1.9 average overnight rating and a 7 share.
CBS was second at 1.2/4, NBC third at 1.1/4, Univision fourth at 0.9/3 and ABC fifth at 0.7/2.
As a reminder, all ratings are based on live-plus-same-day DVR playback. Seven-day DVR data won’t be available for several weeks. Thirty-six percent of Nielsen households have DVRs.
At 8 p.m. Fox led with a 2.0 for “Cops,” the night's highest-rated show, followed by CBS with a 1.0 for a repeat of “NCIS.” NBC and Univision tied for third at 0.8, NBC for a repeat of “Parenthood” and Univision for the first of three hours of “Sabado Gigante,” with ABC fifth with a 0.7 for a special edition of “20/20.”
Fox was first again at 9 p.m. with a 1.8 for Obama on “Wanted,” slightly above its season-to-date 1.7 average. CBS placed second with a 1.1 for a “CSI: Miami” rerun. NBC was third with a 1.0 for a repeat of “Law & Order,” Univision fourth with a 0.9 for “Sabado” and ABC fifth with a 0.7 for a re-airing of an Oprah Winfrey Oscars special.
At 10 p.m. CBS and NBC tied for first at 1.4, CBS for “48 Hours Mystery” and NBC for a repeat of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Univision was third with a 0.9 for the final hour of “Sabado” and ABC fourth with a 0.7 for a repeat of “Castle.”
CBS was first for the night among households with a 4.1 average overnight rating and an 8 share. Fox was second at 3.5/6, NBC third at 2.9/5, ABC fourth at 2.6/5 and Univision fifth at 1.4/3.
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