Category: media

Aric Sigman says that all TV is bad for young kids. “The phrase ‘educational television’ was, of course, invented by people who make television. To me it’s an oxymoron.”

The bigger picture has yet to come into focus, but industry insiders say a foreshortened development season for next year’s shows may cause major changes in how the industry’s production calendar works.

“Emboldened by the strike, the studios severed existing contracts with writers, successfully turned over more of their prime-time schedules to reality programming and vowed to hold the line on filming new shows for next season.”

“There is plenty of opportunity to start fresh in the post-strike era, particularly in the areas where agency executives would most like to see change. For one, they would welcome the adoption of a year-round television season rather than the September-to-May schedule now followed by the broadcasters.”

“Successful shows are all going to jump back and figure out how many they can do — at most they can do five or six and air them this season.”

The London-based Tolkien Trust said in its complaint that under a 1969 contract with the studio that held the original rights to the work, the trust and other plaintiffs were entitled to 7.5% of gross receipts, “less certain expenses,” from the films and related products. According to the suit, worldwide grosses from the trilogy have reached nearly $6 billion.

“The deal may transform the use of content on the Web, making writers rich and changing the entire power structure of Hollywood. Or maybe it won’t.”

“CBS’ 3 1/2 -hour Grammys delivered an average of 17.5 million total viewers, a 12% decline compared with last year, according to early figures from Nielsen Media Research. Grammy ratings tend to fluctuate depending on the popularity of the nominees and the level of competition from other shows, ranging from a recent low of 17 million (2006) to a high of 29.9 million (1993).”

“The U.S. demand for British imports has been accelerated recently by a combination of the Writers Guild of America strike and the shifting face of domestic television, which is moving away from rigid scheduling and expensive scripted series.”

On Sunday, guild leaders recommended a tentative three-year contract to members and asked them to vote separately on a quick end to the walkout. Work could resume as early as Wednesday.