MagneticMediaFed

One year ago I spent the entire upfronts week feverishly clicking my refresh button looking for the latest information on the coming fall television season. What a difference a year makes. After the 100-day writer’s strike left most of the network’s schedules flopping on the dock like a hooked but forgotten flounder, no one (not the advertisers, not the networks, and certainly not the audience) seems particularly thrilled about the network announcements (or lack of announcements) for their future plans. This week is, after all, FOR the advertisers, and since network television is no longer viewed as being all that lucrative those advertising dollars are looking for something more than the typical slate of potential prime-time disasters. Take ABC, for example. The network plans on adding a whopping TWO new programs to its fall prime-time line-up, choosing instead to bring back almost all of it’s fall ‘08 slate (minus, Carpoolers, Cavemen and October Road). But who cares, especially this early in the process? More after the jump…

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This post is basically an excuse to use this awesome picture of Letterman that The Post ran on Friday, as well as to say that various sources are reporting that all of the big-four late-night hosts have been talking about coming back on the air at the same time (presumably early January) as to avoid generating Ellen-esque animosity from the union.

Update: The NYTimes just posted this story about talks between Letterman and the WGA that would allow him to come back in January WITH writers.

Photo via Flickr

Last Friday the AMPTP released a statement saying:

The AMPTP today unveiled a New Economic Partnership to the WGA, which includes groundbreaking moves in several areas of new media, including streaming, content made for new media and programming delivered over digital broadcast channels.  The entire value of the New Economic Partnership will deliver more than $130 million in additional compensation above and beyond the more than $1.3 billion writers already receive each year.

The WGA then lifted their media blackout and said:

Among the rumors was the assertion that the AMPTP had a groundbreaking proposal that would make this negotiation a “done deal.” In fact, for the first three days of this week, the companies presented in essence their November 4 package with not an iota of movement on any of the issues that matter to writers.

Thursday morning, the first new proposal was finally presented to us. It dealt only with streaming and made-for-Internet jurisdiction, and it amounts to a massive rollback.
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Talks are scheduled to resume on Tuesday. Given the current tone it doesn’t sound like a deal is close. More stuff after the jump…

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Better to burn out or to fade away?

This thing is killing me. We all knew the writers’ strike was going to be a major inconvenience, but I never suspected it would have the effect it’s currently having on my psyche. Ever since the writers took to the picket line three weeks ago, television has kind of sucked, and not just because my beloved late-night shows immediately went into reruns. Despite the fact that we’ve still been getting new scripted episodes these past few weeks, the strike has, in a way, highlighted just how solidly mediocre this fall has been. The new series, while marked by very few cancellations (honestly, who would have thought Cavemen would still be airing new episodes three weeks into November?), have generated no significant hits (with the exception of Samantha Who?, but it’s hard to say if it is the show that is successful or its Dancing With the Stars lead-in) while our favorite returning series from years past have either been wildly inconsistent (How I Met Your Mother), shockingly awful (Weeds) or just kind of a mess (Friday Night Lights). To top it all off the two series that have been consistantly good and occasionally great in The Office and 30 Rock are the first to run out of episodes. The whole mess can put your average television viewer into something of an existential conundrum: if interesting stories can vanish as quickly as they appear, what’s the point of it all? More after the jump…

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Pic via Flickr

I’m going to forgo the usual episode recaps today as I 1) haven’t actually watched anything from last night and 2) feel like dedicating some space to the WGA strike as tomorrow night will mark the first significant casualty of the work-stoppage. Thursday’s episode of The Office entitle “The Deposition” will be the last new episode we can expect from the show until the strike ends. The Office was one of the first series to close up shop due in large part to the fact that a good chunk of the cast happens to also write for the show.

The Futon Critic has a really handy guide with the amount of episodes each show has left to air before going dark. Most of the networks biggest series will have trouble making it past the first week in December (which, luckily for them, is traditionally dark). We should expect little (if any) scripted programming come 2008.

In the meantime, treat yourself to the endless supply of strike blogs popping up on the internet, the most informative being the guild’s official blog United Hollywood. Here are some others:

Late Show Writers on Strike
Scribe Vibe (Variety)
Show Tracker (LA Times)

One last note: since the major sticking point for this strike is writer’s compensation for ad-supported material posted on the web, I would encourage everyone to avoid using the networks’ video services until a deal is made.

For the nine people that care (eight besides myself), Damages has been extended for TWO (2!) more seasons. I haven’t the slightest idea how they’ll keep up the good thing they had going this past summer or if the show can possibly succeed without Danson (assuming he doesn’t come back… hopefully he will) but its welcome news nonetheless. If anything it’s an excuse for everyone to catch up when the DVD comes out in a couple months. It’ll be well worth your time.

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Hey-hey, ho-ho!

I don’t puport to being a television insider. I’m much more of a television front-sider. I watch it. I like it. I try to read about it as much as possible. So while I may not have Les Moonves’ e-mail address (perhaps lmoonves@cbs.com?) I do, at the very least, keep myself abreast of those industry things that directly affect what I’m going to be watching. It is because of this that we now begin MagneticMediaFed’s coverage of the as-of-right-now imminent writers strike in Hollywood.

Here’s what we know as of right now: Tuesday the WGA and the studios will meet at the barganing table (which I imagine to have a granite top) and try to make a deal (with or without Howie Mandel). The sticking point is how writers will be compensated for DVDs, downloads, and whatever other crazy technology we have yet to invent (I’m hoping for something that lets me watch a series instantly through my brain).

More importantly, here’s what this means for us… the watchers: Wednesday at midnight if no deal reached the guild will go on strike (the last time this happened was 1988 and it lasted for 5 months). This will not affect us on Thursday (nor will it affect us on Friday or for the foreseeable future). Knowing this date is approached the studios have been stockpiling scripts and have several weeks worth of shows all ready in production or in the can. Once these episodes run out, which will likely be sometime in January as much of December is no-man’s land on broadcast television anyway. At this point we will be slammed with excessive quantities of reality programs, game-shows, Dateline incarnations, reruns and other such noble fare that doesn’t require writers. This is problematic for fans of serialized television. Personally, I fear for my beloved Lost, which isn’t even suppose to come back until February 6th, right in the middle of the strike’s blast-zone.

In short, ‘08 could be a very bleak year for good TV.

Read more here and here

I don’t think we need to pretend that any of the readers of this website actually care about what The CW is planning on doing this fall, with a few notable exceptions. Because of this, I’m going to forego the usual massive breakdown of the networks proposed lineup complete with sociological analysis, opinions and recipes. In this case it just seems like overkill.

When the network launched last fall I was a strong supporter as it meant the two relatively insignificant networks (The WB and UPN) could pool together their best shows and really make a run at those younger viewers and present themselves as a sreious contender. Nine months later, The CW has proven to be a bust, and may have sunk shows that otherwise might have had a little more life. Now that they’ve presented their first original schedule (not comprised of the syphoning of two previously established networks) we can see exactly the type of network The CW has become: the broadcast version of MTV — which sounds like a compliment until you remember what it’s actually like to watch MTV. A brief runthrough of what’s important after the jump…

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About a week ago, I went on a rant about the depressing nature of the CBS network. For a company so comfortable in first place, it seemed to refuse any risk-taking whatsoever. This was, of course, especially true as rumors about the cancellation of How I Met Your Mother began to circulate. Well here we are a short time later, HIMYM is safe and CBS’s fall schedule adds the most ambitious (if smallest number of) new shows of any network.

While I wouldn’t by any means say I’m going to become a regular viewer of CBS programming come the fall (look, I don’t like police procedurals), I’ll certainly be checking out more of their new programming than the other guys. Why? Because they took some risks and that’s about all you can (or should) ask from broadcast television. I have the CBS vitals after this break…

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ABC is a funny network. In the early 90s it was the epicenter of the lousy-but-popular sitcom boom. NBC eventually edged it out with quality, but that period of time after The Cosby Show lost relevance and before Seinfeld and Friends exploded, ABC is what people watched when they wanted to laugh. Home Improvement was the Emmy favorite (as well as a favorite in the Pecoraro household), but as an 11 year old in 1991, it seemed that TGIF and its crop of non-threatening family comedies was all anyone ever talked about (I ran with a pretty hip crowd).

Those years are obviously long gone. Audiences want drama instead of comedy on their television sets, which is why I wasn’t shocked yesterday when NBC announced only one new comedy was being greenlit (as of now it doesn’t even have a home on the network). ABC seems to be holding out hope that audiences will eventually want to laugh again, explaining why the network has picked up four new comedies (of course it only renewed one of its existing crop, and no, it wasn’t According to Jim). The full breakdown is available after the jump…

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I can’t say for certain if this is one-hundred percent true, but it seems that in the history of modern television slow and steady has never won the race. This automatically makes me respect NBC a little more than the other networks. For a place that refused to believe television would ever change, they’ve certainly done a good job of transforming themselves into a home for innovative programming and as an alternate to cable over these past two seasons. If only audiences were actually watching. The FULL rundown of NBC’s 2007 fall lineup after the break…

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Vincent Pastore quits this season’s Dancing with the Stars saying he “didn’t realize just how physically demanding it would be.”

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It’s 1pm on a Wednesday so far the only television I’ve watched this week was Monday’s How I Met Your Mother. This is problematic for reasons two. 1) Watching television is kinda sorta necessary for me post on this site (something I enjoy doing). 2) With each day that goes by the list gets longer and the likelihood for watching these programs gets slimmer and slimmer.

The problem is (in addition to having been sick for what seems like weeks and just wanting to go to sleep) we’re at that part of the TV season when things are starting to drag. Let’s think about this. Since September we’ve all ready seen eighteen episodes of The Office. Heroes has aired seventeen episodes. That, my friends, is a lot of television, but the season isn’t even close to ending. Isn’t that right — month of May?

I think we can all agree that 13 is the right number of episodes for any television season. It’s long. It allows time for significant character development and the development of complex plot lines. When you start getting longer than thirteen, you run the risk is losing your audience — not because the audience can’t take it (history has shown us they can), but because people can grow restless. People like me.

The fact of the matter is while I enjoy watching television during this time of the year (it is cold as hell outside), its starting to get a little harder to press that PLAY button. It doesn’t help that February sweeps (which ends today) is absolutely unrelenting (American Idol thrice weekly!).

Look, I’ll watch the programming (natch), but network television really needs to cut down the orders on some of these shows.

Ten days ago (or so) I posted about how Nielsen Media Research was finally going to start monitoring college dorm rooms. I found this news amazing as I was under the impression that kids in dorm room actually liked watching television. But what do I know? I don’t work for Nielsen Media Research.

Well the first wave of numbers are in, and guess what? The ratings for several “on the bubble” shows 50% increase in viewers in the 18-24 demographic. Obviously this is great news, but its also like trying to treat a severed limb with a band-aid. The television ratings system is so arcane and inaccurate its frightening that these numbers are affecting board room decisions.

I have an interesting solution to the problem. The idea initially came to me while reading the cover story in this week’s New York Magazine. It’s about the new generation gap that exists between those people who are just older than me and those who are just younger than me and their desire or lack of desire for privacy. Basically, the average plugged-in high school student is blogging their life and posting Flickr streams and a are, in a way, archiving their existence. Privacy isn’t a concern.

I understand this lifestyle and embrace it. Some would argue that the more personal information you give out the more advertisers will try to target you. Well, good. We’re going to be slammed by advertising one way or another, so why not have it targeted.

Here’s an example. Last.fm allows users to track everything they play through their iTunes and then creates a personalized radio station based on the types of songs of which you like to listen. This could be perceived of as being kind of creepy, and that’s really the whole point of the NYMag piece. Those who use technology like this get it, love it and wouldn’t have it any other way. Those who don’t see it as a breech of privacy.

Well, what if you could voluntarily have your cable box or computer logged by Nielsen in exchange for, say, a break on your broadband bill? I’d imagine they’d end up with a pretty decent sample size (and one obviously comprised of those viewers who are more likely to watch content away from the typical appointment television framework.

The problem, as I see it, is in trying to collect data from people who don’t want to give it up. Web 2.0 works* because the users are submitting the content, and those who are submitting the most content are reaping the biggest rewards. In the world of television, those people who allow their patterns to be tracked could be rewarded with higher ratings for their favorite shows (even if the country, as a whole isn’t watching those shows). Shouldn’t the people who are giving the data, the people who are basically saying, “Find a better way to advertise to me,” be the ones who control what is actually ON television?

I’m ready to sign up.

Web 2.0 might not actually work

One of the big stories in television today was that four members of the current SNL cast are about to be fired. They know who they are, but we don’t. This is according to a New York Post article in which interviews with executive producer Lorne Michaels suggest that the jobs that are safe include Seth Myers (who is now the head writer), Amy Poehler, and *GASP* Darrell Hammond. He also suggests that the four featured members of last year’s cast will be sticking around and basically carrying the show. “I think everything that was strong last season is back,” Michaels says.

Here is who I predict got the ax:

1) Chris Parnell
2) Maya Rudolph
3) Will Forte
4) Finesse Mitchell

I was thinking about this and I realized that what SNL should really do is go back to their original formula of seven players. Based on Tom Shales’ Live From New York it seems most of the drama in the modern era of SNL has come from cast member worrying whether they’ll be on the show or not. If you only have seven cast members, then you’re guaranteed screen time and everyone can just mellow the hell out a little bit. Really, what’s the point of having a cast of thousands? No one is ever on the screen enough to get a real fan base, and those that are will either become exceptionally grating (Parnell) or will become a crutch (Will Ferrell).

ANYWAY. What is most telling in this whole story is the quote from Lorne Michaels that appears at the very end of The Post story. He says, “For me, the most important thing is keeping the show on the air.”

OK.

You read that quote and you initially think that it makes perfect sense. SNL is an institution. It’s like Meet The Press. No one should want to live in a world where either program no longer exists. But then you reread the statement and you think, “Huh, that’s an odd thing to say.”

Keeping the show on the air is more important than making sure the show is, um, good? When the show’s good people watch it, and when they watch it NBC makes money and the show stays on the air. I’d like to think that is precisely the logic the Mr. Michaels used before making his statement, but why do I feel it isn’t? Why do I feel he’s trying to build a bridge out of toothpicks, shaving-cream and straws?

UPDATE 8.24.06 (18:13)

Well, as of right now it appears that no one is really sure just what the hell is going on over at studio 8H. Zap2It now reports that Horatio Sanz had no idea he was getting the ax until he read about it (I’d like to think that he found out about it here at MagneticMediaFed).

There was also some speculation that Will Forte and Maya Rudolph were going to be thrown into the mix, but at this point we just have to retreat to the original information (the obvious information) that only Tina Fey and Rachel Dratch are leaving the show. I guess we can assume that Jason Sudeikis is still getting Weekend Update.

And while we’re all spreading gossip, I’d like to add that I’ll be a castmember on Saturday Night Live next season. My signature character is “Wesley, the boring twenty-something who sits in his chair on Saturday nights and complains SNL isn’t Funnier.”

Picture via the AV Club