|
|
| Here & there | |
|
|
|
| Here & there | |
co-host: Who will it be? Other shorts: Herald publisher: A pay wall is looming Oct 21, 2009 Speculation grows over Sawyer's 'GMA' successor George Stephanopoulos has helped ABC close the gap with NBC on Sunday mornings. Could he do the same on weekday mornings? As Diane Sawyer's departure date from "Good Morning America" draws nearer, there's speculation that Stephanopoulos leads the short list to replace her -- and it is indeed a very short list. ABC has not been grooming a replacement for Sawyer, who will take over for former "GMA" co-host Charles Gibson as anchor of "World News" come January. Co-host Robin Roberts is expected to stay. The Stephanopoulos rumor, first reported by Broadcasting & Cable, seems feasible, though ABC has not confirmed or denied it. Stephanopoulos, a former aide to Bill Clinton who joined the network in 1997, has sat in as a substitute on "GMA," which is hardly a stranger to hard-news reporters -- Sawyer and Gibson co-hosted the program for years. Still, removing Stephanopoulos from "This Week," which beat "Meet the Press" over the summer for the first time in years, at a time when the show is gathering momentum may seem unwise. Some are wondering why ABC did not have a contingency plan in place for "GMA" in case of Sawyer's departure. Other potential replacements include "GMA" news anchor Chris Cuomo, weekend anchor Kate Snow and virtually anyone from another network without a long-term contract. Herald publisher: A pay wall is looming As far as the Boston Herald goes, you can pick the cliché: Second time's the charm, get by with a little help from my friends, or jumping on the bandwagon. Pat Purcell, the owner and publisher of the paper, told business leaders at special breakfast this week that his paper will have to start charging for access to its web site, perhaps by next year, if the paper wants to "support the journalism that is so important to the community." Purcell later expanded on the matter, telling a reporter that in order for the move to succeed, its competitor, the Boston Globe will also need to adopt a pay wall, something it is considering. This is hardly a new undertaking for the Herald. Eight years ago, when newspapers were still experimenting with the web, the Herald tried charging for its content, but it quickly abandoned that plan after reader protests. The falloff in newspaper ad revenue over the past two years has forced publishers to take another look at pay walls, though as Purcell points out, it can only work if everyone in the market does it, forcing consumers to open their pocketbooks. He's not the only newspaperman considering this plan. News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch has said all his news sites will be walled in coming years, and some smaller papers across the country have already adopted the approach. Programming notes: 'Castle' gets full-season order ABC is king of “Castle.” The network has picked up a full season of the Monday 10 p.m. drama, adding nine more episodes to its original order of 13. This week’s episode of the Nathan Fillion series about a novel writer and a pretty female cop averaged a 2.4 rating among viewers 18-49, according to Nielsen, No. 2 in its timeslot behind CBS’s “CSI: Miami.” Meanwhile, in other programming, ABC Family is close to ordering a pilot of the drama “Pretty Little Liars,” based on the young-adult novels. Lucy Hale from “Privileged” would star in the show. The Weather Channel is airing movies for the first time in its history, and not surprisingly “The Perfect Storm” will be first up. The George Clooney and Mark Wahlberg film will air on the network on Oct. 30. Comedy Central has picked up the syndication rights to FX’s comedy “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” with a limited run to begin next summer. The show will then begin a multi-year run in January 2011. And Scott Sternberg Productions and Weinberger Media are working on “Legal Ease,” a reality show following the exploits of New York law firm Tacopina Siegel & Turano. The idea is being shopped as a cable or syndicated series. The Jordan Rules: Air's son disses adidas As families around the country struggle to obtain adequate healthcare or pay their bills during this recession, the Jordan family, as in basketball great Michael Jordan, is struggling over basketball shoes. Jordan’s son Marcus, a freshman on the University of Central Florida basketball team, said last week that he plans to wear Nike Jordan Brand shoes during his games. That’s not much of a surprise, given the iconic soaring image of his father is the shoes’ logo, but it has caused a potential uproar because UCF has a deal with adidas to provide gear for the men’s team. Jordan has said he would wear all adidas apparel outside of the shoes, and UCF athletic director Keith Tribble has made exceptions before. A UCF football player wore a different brand of shoes because the fit of adidas was not comfortable for his kicking style. But the situation could lead to breach-of-contract issues between adidas and Central Florida. An adidas spokesperson told CNBC, “We are in negotiations for a future relationship regarding the broader UCF athletic program. What I can say is that these relationships are based upon agreed deliverables for both parties.” So far no compromise has been reached.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
© 2009 Media Life Privacy Statement |
