'Geraldo' discharged: Back to Fox News for Rivera
Geraldo Rivera fans will have to be cable subscribers if they want to keep watching their favorite moustache. After months of insistence by News Corp. that the company was standing behind its man, Twentieth Television canceled the syndicated Geraldo at Large yesterday, with production scheduled to stop sometime this month. Rivera will remain within the Fox family, however, with a new version of his show similarly titled At Large with Geraldo Rivera to air on Fox News Channel on Saturdays and Sundays (no timeslot has been determined). The syndicated show, which replaced the relaunched A Current Affair last year, averaged just a 1.6 household rating season-to-date. News Corp. obviously kept the long-anticipated cancellation secret close to the vest. As recently as Tuesday, the News Corp.-owned New York Post was raving that Geraldos numbers were quite strong. Meanwhile, yesterday media people speculated that will prompt Warner Bros. to go ahead with a new syndicated entertainment magazine spinoff of its web site TMZ.com that it could take Geraldos timeslots.

CBS finds only 56 percent aware of TV shows on web
It may at first seem almost counterintuitive, but a new report from CBS Research suggests that the more connected a person is to digital media, the more engaged they become in primetime programming. CBS found consumers who have embraced new media, for instance, by having broadband internet and a digital TV connection at home, are the heaviest viewers of primetime TV. The research showed that in fall 2006, some 30 percent of the population was, as they term it, fully connected, with broadband and digital TV connections. That was up from 22 percent during the same period the year before. It was these folks, who are likely to be upscale and better educated, who were the most likely to watch the top broadcast network programs. They also visit the network TV web sites and stream clips of TV programs on the internet. However, it seems that there is still more work to be done to get the message out about streaming over the internet. Only 56 percent of all of those surveyed were aware it was possible to stream network TV programs. When those who were not aware of this option were told about it, 62 percent selected at least one program that they would be likely to watch by streaming. Of those that were already aware of streaming, 46 percent had done so at least once.

When it comes to product placement, reality rules
ABCs short-lived lift-me-up reality series Miracle Workers was a flop with viewers, but there was one area where it excelled: product placement. According to a new report from IAG Research, based on online surveys of 350,000 viewers, CVS Pharmacy's giveaway of patients' post-surgery medicine on "Miracle" was the most effective TV brand integration last year with a score of 330. The average product placement score was 100. GMC scored second with 325 for the use of its sport utility vehicles driven by "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy" Fab Five members on Bravo. Sears came in third with 304 points for giving tools, appliances, furniture and other supplies to remodel homes on ABC's "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition." All of the top five were reality shows, also including NBC's "The Apprentice" and Bravo's "Project Runway." The most effective product integrations were ones where the brands appeared organically as part of the greater action, rather than obvious and less-meaningful moments like a judge sipping a Coke on a reality show.

Time for a change: Newsweekly makes Friday debut
Earlier this week the Wall Street Journal unveiled its redesigned newspaper amid much fanfare. Today, Time begins its new Friday publishing schedule after five decades publishing on Mondays. The magazine said earlier this year when it announced the switch that it was prompted by a desire to do more forward-thinking stories and also cited research that subscribers often didn't read the magazine until the weekend anyway. The change coincides with a redesign of Time.com that will debut on Monday. Times switch to Friday publication comes at a time of great change at parent Time Inc. According to the New York Posts Keith Kelly, the company may lay off up to 150 more people across its publications, including Time and Sports Illustrated, over the next two weeks. Just before Christmas 30 Time Inc. employees got the axe.

Programming notes: 'Chappelle' enters syndication
Dave Chappelles impromptu exit from his tremendously popular "Chappelle's Show" meant the Comedy Central show ended after just two and a half seasons, resulting in a mere handful of episodes. But Comedy Central is making sure that it will capitalize on the ones that do exist. The network said yesterday that "Chappelle's Show," along with "Reno 911," will be available for syndication starting next fall via a deal with MGM and New Line. Reno, a Cops-esque farce, has been picked up for a fifth season. Comedy Central aired the partially finished third season of Chappelle last year, though ratings were much lower than the previous two seasons. In other programming, ESPN and Little League Baseball have extended their contract through 2014. Beginning this year, at least 49 Little League World Series games will be seen across the ESPN networks. Fox Soccer Channel has changed "Fox Sports World Report" to "Fox Soccer Report," starting Monday at 10 p.m. The 60-minute weeknight show will now focus solely on soccer. And MTV is set to debut "Maui Fever," a reality drama series that focuses on the lives of seven young locals, Jan. 17 at 10:30 p.m.