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Wildcard
playoffs dominate weekend
Football
boosted ABC to No. 1 among young adults on Friday and Saturday
nights, with no other network coming close. Saturday’s NFL playoff
game between the Dallas Cowboys and Carolina Panthers boosted ABC to
an 8.4 average 18-49 rating and 23 share. Fox was second at 2.6/7
for its “COPS” and “America’s Most Wanted” lineup. NBC,
with the movie “Heartbreakers,” placed third with a 2.2/6. CBS
was fourth at 1.9/5. Among households ABC also dominated, averaging
a 13.6/23. NBC was second at 5.1/8, Fox third at 4.6/8 and CBS
fourth at 4.2/7. Friday night ABC also finished first with the
Fiesta Bowl, averaging a 4.4/13 among 18-49s. The game peaked with a
4.9 rating at 10:30 p.m. NBC was second with a 3.1/9, CBS third at
2.6/7, Fox fourth at 2.1/6, the WB fifth at 1.5/4 and UPN sixth at
.8/2. Among households ABC finished just ahead of NBC with a 7.9/14
to NBC’s 7.2/12. CBS was third at 5.7/10, Fox fourth at 2.8/5, the
WB fifth at 2.3/4 and UPN sixth at 1.7/3.
Out at In Touch: LeGrice
and Bender
In Touch, Bauer Publishing’s year-old Us
Weekly knockoff, has fired two of its top editorial staffers. Executive
editor Steve LeGrice and photo editor Donna Bender were let go on New Year’s
Eve, according to the New York Post’s Keith Kelly. Sarah Pyper, a
British journalist who served as co-executive editor alongside LeGrice,
will now have the job to herself. She reports to editor Richard Spencer,
who will stay on for the time being. The firings are oddly timed, coming
as In Touch is just about to face a major new challenge in the form of
American Media’s revamped Star, which debuts on newsstands this week.
Clark disses shoot-'em-up
games
Some
video games are more violent than U.S. military training simulations.
That’s according to retired four-star general and Democratic
presidential candidate Wesley Clark. Clark criticized the video game
industry and the media for promoting violence, especially to children,
over the weekend, saying that ratings systems need to be better enforced. As he campaigned
in New Hampshire leading up to the Jan. 27 primary, Clark also says the
continued consolidation of media companies is threatening the independence
of local media and is limiting diversity of opinion and public discourse.
Howard Dean made similar remarks on a recent campaign appearance before
backing away from them.
Judge orders gag for Martha
jury
Dashing
the hopes of tabloid reporters everywhere, Judge Miriam Cederbaum, who
will preside over the trial of Martha Stewart, has ordered jurors in the
case not to have any contact with members of the press or read any
coverage of it. The ban also extends to jurors’ families. A jury for the
trial will be empanelled beginning tomorrow, with arguments set to begin
Jan. 20. Stewart faces charges of securities fraud, obstruction of
justice, conspiracy and making false statements in connection with a stock
sale. The charges carry a maximum penalty of up to 30 years in prison.
NPR hosts debate for Dem
hopefuls
The
2004 Democratic presidential candidates are ready to party like it’s
1948. Tomorrow afternoon NPR News and the WOI Radio Group will co-sponsor
the only radio debate of the primary season. It will take place at the
Iowa State University Extension campus in Des Moines from 1-3 p.m. (CT)
and will be moderated by Neal Conan of NPR’s “Talk of the Nation.”
More than 243 public radio stations as well as NPR’s web site (npr.org)
will air the debate, but not a single television camera, photographer or
audience member will be present. NPR claims that a radio-only debate among
presidential candidates has not taken place in 56 years.
It's
official: TNT top cable net of 2003
While
2003 was not the media comeback year many had hoped, several cable
networks actually managed to thrive. Through Dec. 14, TNT finished the year as the
No. 1 network among
total viewers, adults 18-49 and adults 25-54 during primetime. The network
grew more than 10 percent in each category and delivered 2.3 million total
viewers. The Disney Channel, which is not ad-supported, and Nickelodeon
tied for second place among total viewers with 1.9 million. Several other
smaller networks enjoyed viewership gains as well, including HGTV and
Hallmark Channel, which grew 20 percent and 45 percent in total viewers.
Cable news networks drew more viewers in a year of war and scandals. Fox
News Channel placed among the top 10 most-watched networks of the year
with 46 percent growth in total viewers. CNN and MSNBC also bettered the
previous year, with 23 and 24 percent growth respectively, while CNBC fell
26 percent with 188,000 viewers.
Correction:
'Twas the Globe, not Star
In the Dec. 22 article "Bonnie's
Star: Little Dirt'll Do It," it was incorrectly stated that the Star
identified Kobe Bryant's rape accuser. In fact, she was identified in the
Globe, another American Media title also overseen by Bonnie Fuller. Media Life regrets the error, as does the
writer who made the mistake, Jeff Bercovici.
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