Category: media

So few people are watching TV on Saturday nights, the program schedule has become a wasteland. “Saturday has become the forgotten night for broadcasters, who aren’t entirely sure what to do there anymore. They just know it’s not worth spending much to seek an audience that clearly has other plans. The state of network television on Saturday nights has become so dire that ABC has essentially put a prime-time slot up for auction to anyone who has a compelling idea — as long as it’s done very cheaply.”

In Canada, pay TV languished for years. But it’s become quite profitable recently, and now other players want in…

CBC boss Tony Burman welcomed his troops back last week after a prolonged lockout. He kindly sent all employees a note. But what was he really thinking, behind all the bonhomie? “Have a great week. It’s wonderful you are back where you belong. (At least until the next strike.)

A perhaps not surprising number of actors have aspirations to make their own movies. And some of them do. “These filmmakers may be actors with longtime careers and considerable name recognition, but that’s not much help within the blockbuster mentality that dominates the film industry, where even stars with high wattage have had difficultly getting pet projects made. So how did these just-regular thespians pull off making their movies?”

The Lifetime Channel is the most-watched network among women. “In recent years Lifetime has promoted its issue-oriented programming by tying it to direct appeals to viewers to improve their lives. In April, for instance, after the broadcast of “Terror at Home,” a documentary about domestic abuse, the National Domestic Violence Hotline had a 7,000 percent increase in calls. But Lifetime’s most surprising experiment has taken place off screen. Through its public affairs office, it has become a political lobbying force – and quite an effective one at that – rallying its audience to back laws about a broad slate of women’s issues.”

Apple’s announcement of a video iPod has people excited that they’ll be able to watch TV on their handhelds. But it’s not as easy as that. “The future for watching video on a portable player is uncertain, with the latest iPod offering the industry a chance to gauge interest. So the question for the big companies will be asking themselves is how much should they invest in a technology if the demand for the product is not yet proven?”

“We, too, remember when MTV used to be all about the issues — subversive and usually liberal. Now the network is all gab about the glam lifestyles, love triangles, mean girls and staged cat fights on these impossible-to-ignore unreality shows starring spoiled simpletons. We don’t mean to make like the Rev. James Dobson, but we’re certain that the MTV execs who green-lighted these docudramas about socioeconomic excess are headed straight for hell.”

Radio giant Clear Channel has fired employees involved in two payola scandals. “Clear Channel said an internal investigation found two cases with evidence of wrongdoing, and those involved have been fired. The statement did not specify how many people were fired in the two incidents.”

Apple’s new video iPod will show downloads of TV shows the day after they air. “The newest member of the popular iPod line will feature a 2-1/2 inch wide color screen and the capacity to store up to 150 hours of video in addition to music and photos. The rollout of the product will coincide with the expansion of Apple’s iTunes online store, which is selling 2,000 music videos, television shows and other short films that can be watched on the iPod or a personal computer.”

The CBC is finally back up and running at something approaching normal speed, following a nearly two-month lockout by the corporation’s management, which was seeking more flexible hiring practices. And though most of the returning staff are just happy to be back at work, “there [is] a sense that the decisions of upper management will now be watched much more closely by staff. Guild officials have also said that they will police the new agreement, while also saying that political pressure will continue to be put on Ottawa to hold management accountable for the lockout and to conduct an audit to find out how money was spent.”