Programming

John Skipper cited “substance addiction” as the reason for abruptly stepping down in December, but both his actions before the announcement and Disney’s incentives to push him out suggest a different narrative, writes the author of an oral history of ESPN.

Brian Dollenmayer, EVP of marketing and promotions for WGN America, has taken on expanded responsibilities and the title of EVP and chief marketing officer.   In his new capacity, Dollenmayer will […]

Ratings for The Bachelor took a walloping in its 22nd-season premiere Monday night, facing the Sugar Bowl and generally fatigued TV audiences on New Year’s Day. ABC’s latest entry in the dating franchise, which wrapped the last broadcast season as the No. 1 reality show on TV (not counting summer months’ effort America’s Got Talent on NBC), returned with an average 1.5 rating among adults 18-49 and 5.5 million viewers. In the key demo, that represented a disheartening 29% drop from the comparable premiere last year — one that aired Jan. 2.

The broadcast group promotes him to SVP of programming. “Emerson has been instrumental in the growth and stewardship of Hearst Television’s best-in-class programming assets,” said Hearst Television President Jordan Wertlieb

Decisions made in courtrooms and boardrooms alike are poised to have lasting implications on the long-term direction of the cable industry. Here’s a look back at some of the biggest cable/media stories of 2017 (in no particular order) and their impact heading into 2018.

Cord-cutting is not just for millennials anymore. Fed up with high prices and bloated packages, millions of Americans cut the cord on cable TV in 2017, finding refuge with a growing number of streaming services, which deliver lower prices and a competitive channel lineup over the internet.

Two New York Times media reporters analyze why 2017, despite powerful foes like Netflix and the fallout of harassment scandals, was the year TV roared back.

NEW YORK (AP) — Reese Witherspoon, Shonda Rhimes and Jennifer Aniston are among hundreds of Hollywood women who have formed an anti-harassment coalition called Time’s Up. The initiative (www.timesupnow.com ) was […]

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. (AP) — Former Fox News Channel anchor and 1989 Miss America Gretchen Carlson was named chairwoman of the Miss America Organization’s board of directors Monday, and three […]

Rupert Murdoch’s decision to sell most of 21st Century Fox has many wondering what the future holds for him and the two sons who seemed on the cusp of taking over his vast empire.

Last-minute negotiations over carriage rights for Starz and Encore on the Altice USA cable systems failed, resulting in the channels going dark as of the new year.

ABC led the evening with its lineup and scored its strongest non-sports Sunday since the 2017 Oscars in February. Leading in with repeats of AFV, it was the first part of Dick Clark’s Primetime New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest (8-10 p.m. — 10.5 million and 3.1/13 in 18-49s) that attracted impressive numbers, dominating its two-hour time slot. The broadcast saw strong double digits from last year’s telecast with total viewers (+59% — 10.5 million vs. 6.6 million) and 18-49s (+63%- 3.1/13 vs. 1.9/7). ABC’s New Year’s celebration went head-to-head and beat out Fox’s New Year’s Eve with Steve Harvey (5.8 million and 1.8/6) by 81% in total viewers and by 72% in adults 18-49.

TVNewsCheck reported the deaths of outstanding men and women who shaped television as actors, lawmakers, producers, business people, journalists and on-air personalities. Here’s a look back at some of those influencers.

Against the Orange Bowl on ESPN, which clocked a metered-market 6.6 household rating, broadcasters experienced a slow Saturday. NBC’s 8-10 p.m. Dateline repeat episode about a murdered mother, “A Cold December Morning,” was broadcast’s biggest scorer of the night, with a 0.8 demo rating and 4.4 million viewers, Dateline‘s biggest Saturday crowd in nearly a year.

NBC’s Dateline repeat was Friday night’s most popular program on a slow evening kicking off New Year’s weekend. The 9-11 p.m. newsmag won both metrics, with a 0.9 demo rating and 5.01  million total viewers.

Like the DNA test you gave your dog to learn how many noble breeds came together to create one dumb mutt, the spit test on this year’s wide variety of TV controversies seem to all lead back to Donald Trump. Attacks on TV news? NFL ratings slump? Relentless march of powerful TV industry men accused of grabbing, groping, sexual assault and harassment? Trump, Trump, and Trump. Here’s a look at some of the big TV controversies of 2017.

Daytime host Phil McGraw has fired back at a report alleging that staffers on his show “Dr. Phil” helped guests with addiction problems acquire drugs and alcohol in an effort to drive onscreen drama. A joint investigation by The Boston Globe and the website Stat found multiple alleged incidents in which the show endangered guests.

How 2017 paved the way for the next gilded age of television in which you will see a procession of useless revivals, featureless comedies about totally unbelievable assholes, blood and thunder, mayhem, violence, sadism, murder, Ryan Murphy miniseries, Game of Thrones knockoffs, Reddit-made science fictions posing as “serious” dramas, Marvel bad men, Marvel good men, criminal profilers, serial killers, more violence and cartoons.

CBS dominated Thursday night with robust repeats of comedies The Big Bang Theory and Young Sheldon. The comedies each fetched a 1.4 rating among adults 18-49 during the 8 o’clock hour before an additional Big Bang encore ticked up to a 1.5 rating in the key demo. NBC opted to plunk down a new episode of comedy Great News at 9:30. Surrounded by repeats, it pulled just a 0.4 rating among adults 18-49.

On the scripted series cable/streaming front, the big news for midseason is the rebranding of Spike TV as The Paramount Network, which happens Jan. 18. Elsewhere, plenty of returning and new series have yet to receive an exact premiere date, including Starz’s new miniseries version of Howards End, which is due sometime in April. Here’s a roundup.