Monday, January 30, 2012

Overnights
Fox's 'Dynamite' implodes in second week
New animated comedy averages a 2.1 in adults 18-49, less than half its debut, which was buoyed by big ratings for an NFL playoff game

Market profile
Tampa: Pricier even before political surge
Demand was already up, led by auto and finance, even before the lowest unit-rate political window opened for the Florida primary

Here & there
Tab scandal spreads: Four Sun editors arrested
Other shorts: Study: Animals are effective in Super Bowl ads - HBO leads with five trophies at SAG Awards - Friday and Saturday overnights

TV Reviews
'The Amandas,' the fun side of OCD
The boss on this Style Network series is super organized with a neat-freak streak but still an endearing creature for all her flaws

Webinars
How to leverage LinkedIn, and at no cost
Bill DeRosa of Talking Finger explains how to get the most out of this important social media site by using free tools available to all

TV This Week
On 'Gossip Girl,' a very grownup event
Blair weds a prince wearing a Vera Wang dress, signaling a maturing of the signature CW show and the network

Overnights
Big gains for Fox's new drama 'The Finder'
'Bones' spinoff jumps 32 percent to a 2.9 in 18-49s for its third episode, airing behind 'Idol,' which slid 4 percent from last week

This week in out of home
Your client at mixed martial arts events
It attracts the most brutal fighters around, with few holds barred, but also an audience very desirable to advertisers: Young males

What's new in alternative media
Just like hard time: A night on the Rock
Living small: Life on a subway platform
A Mary with a very different message
Whoa! Come slide with Donald Duck.

People
'Seinfeld' actor Ian Abercrombie dies at 77
Diego Panich becomes commercial editor at Wild(child)
The word: Lex Fenwick in talks to become Dow Jones CEO
Bruce Seidel becomes CEO at Electus online food channel
Dan Fletcher becomes managing editor at Facebook
Bill Hamilton becomes national security editor at The New York Times
Thomas Tillman rises to deputy Washington bureau chief at CBS News
Shawnee Smith joins FX's 'Anger Management'
David Arquette guesting on ABC's 'Cougar Town'
Kevin Weisman joins NBC's 'Awake'
TV director John Rich dies at age 86
Cuba Gooding Jr. starring in ABC's 'Firelight'
Eddie Marsan and Dash Mihok join Showtime's 'Ray Donovan'

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Overnights
'Alcatraz' slides but Fox still wins Monday
New drama averages a 2.7 in 18-49s, down 10 percent from last week and 18 percent from its debut. Fox takes the night with a 2.8.

New media
Facebook sees a huge jump in advertising
Now accounts for 27.9 percent of all online display ads, up from 21 percent in 2010, with forecasters seeing even more growth

Sports TV
Buyers: Sunday's game will set a record
Majority think Super Bowl XLVI will top last year's 111 million viewers, thanks to the popularity of the Giants and Patriots

Sports TV
A media buyer's primer to Super Bowl
The facts and numbers you need to know for Sunday's game, as well as who's advertising and what this year's spats are about

Sports TV
The great Super Bowl ad buzz machine
Nowadays the push to build awareness for spots begins weeks before the game. Speaking with SpotBowl's Michael Pavone.

Here & there
Super Bowl abortion ad stokes controversy
Other shorts: Patriots score Twitter touchdown - NFL's most marketable player: Rodgers - 'X Factor' boots Jones and Scherzinger - Programming notes

TV Reviews
'Key & Peele,' playing the race card
The comics in this Comedy Central show are biracial, and they play off that, but the humor is in the quality of the sketches

TV This Week
Celebrating Hollywood's leading man
The timing could not be better, heading into the Oscars, for a sitdown with George Clooney on Bravo's 'Inside the Actors Studio'

People
Julian Assange guesting on 'The Simpsons'
Patrick Syms becomes group planning director at Euro RSCG
Susan McPherson rises to director of global marketing at Fenton
Monica Lovett becomes associate director of media at Mercury Media
News Corp. SVP of communications Teri Everett exiting
Ida Chacon becomes VP of marketing at Latinum Network
Sasha Emmons and Jennifer Allen Kay rise at Bonnier's Parenting Group
Georgia Galanoudis rises at Meredith Xcelerated Marketing
Betsy Rella becomes VP of ad sales research at The Weather Channel
Regina Thomas rises to VP of programming at BET
Dan Arnall becomes EP at Bloomberg Television
Shirley MacLaine joins 'Downton Abbey'
Ryan Murray becomes director of sales at StrikeAd

Wednesday, February 01, 2012

Overnights
Stronger tune for Fox's musical comedy 'Glee'
Michael Jackson tribute episode averages a 3.6 in 18-49s, best rating since October and leading the network to an easy nightly win

Television
'X Factor': Bloodied but still a contender
Fox talent show undergoes a major makeover, shedding three from cast, after failing to pull boffo ratings. But a stinker it's not.

Here & there
Nielsen: Auto leads in Super Bowl ad buys
Other shorts: Monthly cable ratings: Football scores for ESPN - Fox News Channel hits 10 years at No. 1 - Programming notes: ABC picks up Cherry pilot

Broadcast recap
In faceoff, 'Big Bang' tops 'American Idol'
CBS sitcom takes a 12 percent lead in 18-49s over Fox hit in half hour they compete, and it also outpaces in viewers (charts)

Cable recap
For HBO's 'Luck,' a jump start of sorts
Network renews the racehorse drama after just one airing and poor ratings, largely based on positive reviews by critics (charts)

TV Reviews
'Beast Tracker,' full of good information
Discovery series is one of those rare reality shows that actually informs, teaching us lots about alligators and tiger sharks

Webinars
How to leverage LinkedIn, and at no cost
Bill DeRosa of Talking Finger explains how to get the most out of this important social media site by using free tools available to all

TV This Week
Ahead of Super Bowl, a peek at the ads
CBS airs 'Super Bowl's Greatest Commercials 2012,' a look at great game ads of the past and some that will air Sunday

People
Justin Bieber appearing on 'SNL'
Natalie Ravitz becomes chief of staff at News Corp.
Gabe Vehovsky becomes EVP of digital strategy at Discovery
Jane Wooldridge becomes cruise editor at Travel + Leisure
Adam Deutsch becomes senior director of product development at ESPN
Michael Blauner, Becky Allegra and Renee Hartman rise at Christal
Sandra Dewey rises to EVP at Turner
T.C. McCarthy rises to social media coordinator at Newsday
Ted Hong becomes CMO at M-GO
Christy Benson rises at and Russell Cooper joins Outdoor Channel
Michael Breedlove rises to digital media director at Inspiration Networks
Jeff Rossen becomes national investigative correspondent at NBC's 'Today'
Stephen Amell joins CW's drama pilot 'Arrow'

Thursday, February 02, 2012

Overnights
'Idol' slides 9 percent as Fox wins the night
Hit singing show averages a 5.9 in 18-49s, down from a 6.5 last week, but Fox earns an easy victory with a 4.4 for the night

Television
For 'American Idol,' the bloom's finally off
Ratings for the hit Fox show are down a quarter this season, its eleventh, and on Thursdays it's finishing in second place

Sports TV
This Super Bowl's going social big time
Advertisers are integrating social media into their own game plans in ways that will engage viewers as they watch the game

Here & there
The lessons from Facebook's IPO
Other shorts: Hearst intern sues over lack of pay - News Corp.'s case of the deleted email - Programming notes - Newspaper sites draw 111M users

Sports TV
When a Super Bowl ad makes sense
Some big brands may see a return on investment, but not all. For niche brands, it's a waste. Talking with Baylor's Kirk Wakefield.

TV Reviews
'How to Rock,' better to hide under one
Nick tween series copycats the worst elements of the genre, from the stock characters and plots to the ham acting and lazy writing

Media economy
The next wave: Spots face the challenge
In the first internet wave, print took a beating as readers and advertisers moved online. Now TV and radio are feeling the heat.

TV This Week
Aging yet still spry: 'Grey's Anatomy'
ABC drama excels at the art of integrating new characters, and that's helped it hold a devoted audience after all these years

People
Networks remember Don Cornelius
John O'Hea joins DOJO San Francisco
Rocky Sisson rises at Clear Channel Outdoor
Michelle Lee becomes SVP of content at Hollywood.com
Nancy Lane becomes executive producer at CBSNews.com
Eric Czechowski becomes head of insight at Ink
Germaine Deagan Sweet rises at National Geographic Channels
Olivier Knox becomes White House correspondent at Yahoo News
Kelly Evans becomes on-air reporter at CNBC
Andrew Beaujon becomes senior online reporter at The Poynter Institute
Kevin Bacon joins Fox drama pilot
Alexis Clark becomes editor at Charity & Social Datebook
Chris Klein guesting on TNT's 'Franklin & Bash'

Friday, February 03, 2012

Overnights
'Bang' beats 'Idol' in shared timeslot again
CBS sitcom averages a 5.4 to Fox reality show's 5.0 during the 8 p.m. half hour. But 'Idol' grows to a 5.8 in second half of show.

Media economy
Early upfront outlook: A merry May
Forecast: Big Four broadcast networks will see 8 percent CPM gains over last year, with total sales coming in flat to last year

Sports TV
Super Bowl ads getting the most buzz
Tops on the list is VW's 'Little Darth' sequel, 'The Dog Strikes Back.' Also in the top 10: Ads from Acura, Century, Audi and H&M.

Alternative media
Madonna, Madonna, all across the skies
Talk about timing: Pop star's new video will debut on seven Clear Channel digital billboards leading up to her Sunday Super Bowl gig

Here & there
Study: Second screens big this Super Bowl
Other shorts: Super Bowl ad targets distressed Green Bay fans - More new shows to pump Nick ratings - Kodak wants out of theater sponsorship

TV Reviews
'Napoleon Dynamite,' more like a bomb
Fox animated series mangles the 2004 feature film from which it's adapted, substituting mindless action for the original's satire
Rachel speaks

Rachel, I need to mend some fences
The writer is estranged from someone she worked for at the beginning of her career and wants advice on how to reconnect with her

TV This Week
Best tube bets this weekend
Friday: Knicks vs. Celtics on ESPN; Saturday: Super Bowl Fan Jam on CMT; Sunday: Super Bowl and 'The Voice' on NBC

People
Lex Fenwick becomes Dow Jones CEO
Ramond Romero becomes VP of digital media activation at Horizon
Jourdan Laik becomes lead developer at Bader Rutter
Turner EVP of operations Jim McCaffrey exiting
Sean Cocchia rises to SVP and GM at Disney Channels Worldwide
Chris Mohney becomes editor in chief at Tumblr
Randy Suchy becomes project manager at Cannella Response TV
Jon Lovett becomes a correspondent at The Atlantic
Liza McGuirk becomes EP at CNN International's 'Amanpour'
Jim Avila rises and Reena Ninan joins at ABC News
The word: Cowell wants Beyonce for 'X Factor'
Jonathan Hills becomes general manager at AllYou.com
Timothy Boell becomes group head of distribution at Asia TV USA