Monday, Jan. 30, 2006

Overnights
Sinking 'Jordan:' NBC show in a fade
Suffering opposite ABC's surging 'Grey's,' down 27 percent from last year to a 3.3 in adults 18-49. The question: Will it return?

Television
ABC's big worry: Woodruff's injuries
No saying when the co-anchor might return after his wounding in Iraq yesterday. Network: We're not even thinking about that yet.

Overnights
Most starry night for ABC's 'Dancing'
Results show boosts network 17 percent on Friday with 18-49s, with 3.5 average. Also tops among total viewers with 14 million.

Sports TV
For Super Bowl, the score's the thing
Ratings will be way up if it's a close matchup, never mind that the teams are not biggies. Unlike baseball, it's all about the game.

Popcult
Monk's tale: The picture story as art
Geez, we may think of them as comic books but graphic novels are a lot more. Sales soar with bookstores now carrying them.

Out of Home
Your client doing good by Super Bowl
Building local ties through community outreach by sponsoring NFL-related events through the week leading up to the game

News shorts
Moonves: CBS looking for some good deals
Finally some actual football for NFL Network
Programming notes: ABC bumping 'Chief'
Canadians cite Imus over Palestine slurs
Almost famous? Faux-star wins 'Celebrity'

Web shorts
Google set for showdown over users' records
Shocker: Record company battles the RIAA
Cool for school: Apple endows new iTunes U
LA files suit over Grand Theft Auto naughties

People
Gerry Frascione becomes CEO of BBDO North America
Stephen M. Lacy becomes president and CEO of Meredith Corp.
Jennifer Matthews becomes publisher of Western Interiors and Design
Michael Anderson rises to VP of project development at Razor & Tie
Doug Turner rises to associate publisher at Stuff magazine
Debbie Yu joins ABC Radio as account director
Charlie Holmes rises to VP and director of sales at NCC
Matthew Lillard joins Fox’s pilot ‘13 Graves’
Elfyn Morris named head of international sales at DLT Entertainment
America Ferrera cast as ABC’s ‘Ugly Betty’
Kyle Chandler joins the cast of NBC's ‘Friday Night Lights’
Columnist Beth Fallon dies at age 64
’60 Minutes’ co-founder Arthur Bloom dies at 63

Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2006

Overnights
So way way cool: 'Skating with celebs'
New Fox reality show up 183 percent in timeslot, winning period against 'Wife Swap' and CBS. Adios 'Arrested Development.'

Television
ABC's big Oscar bummer: 'Brokeback'
Expect low viewer turnout for the awards show with gay cowboy movie leading in nominations for best picture, announced today

Magazines
Chop, chop: Time Inc. lops more jobs
More than 100 positions are eliminated in what the company says is a shift away from print toward other media, led by the internet

New media
Dead Body Guy: The artist as corpse
He wanted to land that movie part to die for, literally, playing stiffs in the flicks. So he turned to viral marketing to promote his career.

TV This Week
Big Ten showdown: Illini vs. Badgers
Illinois travels to suddenly shaky Wisconsin for a matchup of two of the conference's best, both with something to prove on ESPN

News shorts
Kidnapped journalist surfaces in new video
Study: Two thirds want to leave their jobs
ABC's Woodruff & Vogt show improvement
Fox's new magazine: For Hispanic sports fans
Maxim exposure: Actress angered by photos

Web shorts
AOL teams with reality grandfather Burnett 
Brotherly hub: Earthlink sends Philly wireless 
Spanish police unplug pedophile chatrooms
Online survey: Alba is the ideal girlfriend

People
Joe Maggio rises to VP and national sales manager at ABC Regional Sports Sales
Ex-Viacom CEO Frank J. Biondi Jr. joining Time Warner board?
Rick Sands becomes COO of MGM
Three personnel moves at Buena Vista
Angela Moore becomes consumer editor at MarketWatch
Maria Shollenbarger joins Travel + Leisure as senior editor
Thom Kennon becomes client services director at iCrossing
Bill Harper becomes publisher of Yoga Journal
Don Macleod becomes senior marketing executive at Greater Media
Dave Chappelle's big TV return will be with Oprah
Victoria Quoss rises to VP of programming at OLN
Patrick Schult becomes managing director of Fremantle Productions Asia
Longtime Ohio broadcaster Richard Klaus dies at age 86  

Wednesday, Feb. 1, 2006

Overnights
Slight bump for the State of the Union
Bush's speech draws 27 million total viewers, up 4 percent over last year. 'Idol' spillover puts Fox at No. 1 for chat and the night.

Research
Time-wise, internet is now TV's equal
Way ahead of other media at 14 hours a week on average, with many online users saying they spend less time with the others

Television
Big beef: Super Bowl ads ignore mom
Yet women make up nearly half the audience. Talking with Maria Bailey, CEO of Marketing to Moms, on how to better target them.

Television
Que bueno, 'Bailando por un Sueno'
Univision's dance show beats NBC and CBS in adults 18-34 by combining two potent standbys of reality TV: Stars and tears

Cable
Truthiness factor: 'Colbert' kicks up
Best week ever for Comedy Central spinoff of the 'Daily Show,' averaging 1.2 million viewers, a 38 percent boost for the timeslot

TV This Week
TV Land asks: Wither black television?
Three-part series on African American culture begins tonight with a look at black TV, a timely topic with UPN's fate tick-tocking.

News shorts
Report: Gibson & Sawyer filling in for ABC
Record crowd for A&E 9/11 film 'Flight 93'
Boston bummer: Papers reveal credit info
Psst! A place to see Super Bowl's outlaw ads
The WB spices up midseason with 'Pepper' 

Web shorts
Google: Nope, we're not acquiring Napster
Newspaper group protesting search engines
iTunes via cell, take II: Motorola tries again
'Brokeback' leads nominees in web queries

People
Michelle Guglielmelli becomes senior partner of Mediaedge:cia
Sheila F. Kirby rises to president of strategic sales at Interep
'Will & Grace's' big get: New momma Britney Spears
Connie Nielsen steps in for 'SVU's' pregnant Mariska Hargitay
Amy A. Simmons becomes associate publisher of Jane magazine
Donna Sapolin rises to VP of Hachette Filipacchi Media
Cathy E. Smith becomes marketing director of Metropolitan Home
Samantha Voisin becomes VP of media solutions at comScore
Thomas A. Stevens rises to SVP of regional sales at Turner Broadcasting
Eric V. Romero becomes southeast region manager at ABC Radio
Jeff Mayzurk and Frank Albano rise at E! Networks
Three promotions and three new hires at CSTV
Kelly Butler rises to head of programming at Setanta Sports

Thursday, Feb 2, 2006

Overnights
Hanging by a limb: WB's 'One Tree'
Pulls a 1.5 in target 18-34s, down 12 percent from its average, hurting its chances to scramble onto the lineup of the new CW

Television
Echostar to Lifetime: You're a turn-on
Two abruptly settle their bitter pricing squabble, allowing women's network to return to the satellite service under a new carriage deal

London
Hollywood's hurt: DVD boom is ending
Sales are down in Europe and slowing in the U.S., as well as in Japan, and that could prove a real revenue pain for media outlets

Research
Buyers: We're taking a pass on DVRs
Say new data is too sketchy to put a price on. Still don't know how many watching recorded shows skip through ads. Let's talk later.

Dayparts update
ABC News: Yes, it's Gibson & Sawyer
'GMA' duo will sub while Woodruff recovers, alternating as co-anchors of 'World News' with Vargas. Two seasoned pros at bat.

TV This Week
A chillier February for CBS's 'Survivor'
Reality show will take the first night of sweeps, starting tonight, but going forth it doesn't look so good. Credit tougher competition.

News shorts
ABC's spring strategy: Back to reality
CBS veteran Roberts jumps to CNN
Post doodle sparks ire of Joint Chiefs
Kentucky Fried Derby? Its new sponsor
Truckers: Coke Super Bowl ad too flip

Web shorts
Kama Sutra worm gets ready to wriggle
Amazon connects authors with readers
CBS starts selling 'Survivor' downloads
Adios Aibo! Sony puts down robot dog

People
James Sullivan becomes president of CBS TV national sales
Joan FitzGerald rises to VP of PPM sales at Arbitron
Greg Harrigan rises to SVP of ad sales at Outdoor Channel
Keith Fletcher becomes CIO at CurtCo Media
Marybeth Strobel and Michael Connors named CNN digital sales manager
Liz Fischer rises to VP of media relations at NBC Universal
Madeleine Brand joins NPR as co-host of ‘Day to Day’
Kathy Davidov becomes VP of series at National Geographic
Margaret Cronan rises to VP and GM of TV at Traffic.com
Steve Turney becomes director of sales for Fox TV Distribution Europe
Scott Rowe becomes SVP of corporate communications at Warner Bros.
Mark Kang rises to VP of affiliate relations at Court TV
‘Shield’ baddie Anthony Anderson signs a deal with Fox

Overnights
Mixed message for returning 'Survivor'
Season debut averages a 7 rating in 18-49s, up from last fall, but ABC's 'Dancing With the Stars' is on its heels in total viewers

Sports TV
Rising doubts over Super Bowl's value
Larger share of readers say ads are too pricey, responding to a survey about Sunday's big game. They're picking the Steelers.

Sports TV
Making the most of Super Bowl buys
What's the best placement, the riskiest? Is it worth all that money? Talking with Ray Warren, head of Carat Media Group Americas.

Younger viewers
Youthful turn for 'Dancing with Stars'
Teen viewership is up 9 percent this season for the ABC reality show, thanks to the addition of younger celebs to the competition

Rachel speaks!
Rachel, help me find health insurance
What options are available to freelancers? A media director who works part-time needs to find a plan for when her Cobra expires.

TV This Week
Best tube bets this weekend
Friday: Dave Chappelle on 'Oprah;' Saturday: Steve Martin hosts 'SNL;' Sunday: Pittsburgh versus Seattle in the Super Bowl

News shorts
ABC Super Bowl ad sales head into overtime
Go daddy! Web company finally gets ad OK
Lawsuit: Martha's daughter is aping my show
'W&G' crucifixion pun angers Christian group
Programming notes: Cowell's Vegas talent show

Web shorts
ComScore: Budweiser is most anticipated ad
Police investigate alleged MySpace assaults
iPod earache: Man files suit against Apple
Mobile ESPN puts scores at your ringtertips

People
Maclean Jackson rises to executive editor of Mass Appeal magazine
Jacqui Hartnett becomes COO of Starmark International
‘That ‘70s Show’ producer Gregg Mettler joins NBCU TV
Heather Locklear files for divorce from Richie Sambora
'Elf's' Jon Favreau directing comedy pilot for ABC
Jessica Samet becomes SVP of reality programming at Lifetime
Donald Trump pumping 'Apprentice' on ‘Deal or No Deal’
Jody Fennell becomes VP of broadband at Weather Channel
Amorette Jones becomes EVP of marketing at IDT Entertainment
Jim Axelrod becomes CBS News’ chief White House correspondent
Jeff Pryor becomes EVP of corporate communications at MGM
Dean Sicoli becomes executive producer of CNN’s 'Nancy Grace'
Lynn Pitts becomes executive producer of NBC’s weekend 'Today'