Welcome Back, KSL!

While Jenny's busy for a while, the hard-working staff at KSL-TV will be relying upon my skills with NBC Inventory and Estimates.

I'm not as nice as Jenny or Jayna, but you can depend upon me.

Mercy's Out of Wednesday Night; Replaced by Minute To Win It

A mix of original and encore episodes of MINUTE TO WIN IT will replace repeat episodes of MERCY on the next 3 Wednesdays at 8PM ET/PT. This should improve the time period over drama repeats and provide MINUTE TO WIN IT with additional opportunities for new sampling. Note that original episodes of MINUTE TO WIN IT will continue to air on Sundays.

Also, due to its initial success, we're extending the run of WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? for another week. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS will now have its season premiere on Friday, May 7th.

The following will be booked:

Wednesday, March 31st, April 7th and 14th
8:00-9:00 MINUTE TO WIN IT

Friday, April 30th
8:00-9:00 WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (Original)

Friday, May 7th
8:00-9:00 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (Season premiere - moves from April 30th)

Consider The Source

http://houseoftvratings.blogspot.com/2009/03/sam-walton-and-me.html

Shameless self-promotion, or qualifying the source who makes audience composition decisions on your station's behalf?

You decide.

2011 Golden Globe Date Announced

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association is announcing the date for next year's Golden Globe Awards. They will be held on Sunday, January 16th from 8-11PM ET, and NBC will broadcast them live across the country. NBC affiliates on the West Coast will also have an opportunity to air an encore of the Globes in prime time in addition to the live broadcast, as they did this year.

The following will be booked:

Sunday, January 16th
8:00-11:00 THE 68TH ANNUAL GOLDEN GLOBE AWARDS (Original) (Live across the country)

NBC RDRx clients already have this show, along with the expected Red Carpet show lead-in, in Specials inventory and they've had them since January.

NBC Sports Inventory Updated

As we all wait for the Feb book data, it was the perfect time to update the more than 300 different NBC Sports inventory lines contained in each NBC RDRx client system.

I'm be tweaking the audience estimates again when the Feb data arrives, but as of now, NBC Sports is a 100% match for current info from 30 Rock and APT.

Women of SNL Replaced; Office Repeats Added; Tuesday Losing It in June

The following will be booked:

Thursday, April 1st
8:00-9:00 THE OFFICE (Repeat)
9:00-10:00 THE OFFICE (Repeat)

Thursday, April 15th
8:00-8:30 THE OFFICE (Repeat)
8:30-9:00 THE OFFICE (Repeat)
9:00-11:00 SNL IN THE 2000's (Original)

Monday, May 31st
8:00-10:00 SNL IN THE 2000's (Repeat)

Tuesday, June 1st
10:00-11:00 LOSING IT WITH JILLIAN MICHAELS (Original)

Tuesday, June 8th
8:00-9:00 LOSING IT WITH JILLIAN MICHAELS (Original) (through September 14th)


11:25am Update: All RDRx NBC Clients have been updated within an hour of the above announcement from NBC. These program changes do not yet appear in any version of APT.

Parenthood Repeats Saturdays Extended Thru April 10

Air Date: 03/20/2010 Saturday
Start Time: 08:00:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: PARENTHOOD
Duration: 01:00:00
Type: New Booking
Message: Effective 3/20-4/10: PARENTHOOD is booked.

Let me translate for the nice folks at NBC.
Parenthood repeats had been scheduled to end Saturday the 13th in this time period, with Biggest Loser repeat summaries filling the hour through May. However, they've extended Parenthood's Saturday run through mid-April. Who knows what may actually air after?

Insomniacs: Sunday Dateline All Night Goes HD

Posted: 03/15/2010 12:32:00 PM
Air Date: 03/28/2010 Sunday
Start Time: 12:00:00 AM [ET]
Show Name: DATELINE NBC AN
Duration: 00:58:00
Type: Announcements
Message: Effective 3/28/10-UFN: Dateline-AN will be HD.

Update: You'll have to wait until April 4th for HD. NBC pushed back HD in an APT note of 3/19/10.

Betty White Hosts SNL in May Sweeps

[03.11.10 - 10:13 AM]
LEGENDARY EMMY WINNER BETTY WHITE HOSTS NBC'S 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' ON MAY 8
Released by NBC

NEW YORK, NY - March 11, 2010 - Legendary and multiple Emmy Award winner Betty White will take her long-anticipated turn at hosting NBC's "Saturday Night Live" on May 8. White will make her first appearance in Studio 8H.

The six-time Emmy winner and cultural icon will host "SNL" for the first time in her illustrious seven-decade-long career. White is best known for her performance as Rose Nylund on NBC's "The Golden Girls," the beloved comedy series that aired from 1985 to 1992. Previously, she co-starred as Sue Ann Nivens in the classic comedy series "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

In January, White was the proud recipient of the 2010 SAG Lifetime Achievement Award. White appeared in the 2009 romantic-comedy feature film "The Proposal," alongside Ryan Reynolds and Oscar winner Sandra Bullock, and can be seen again this fall in the film "You Again," starring Kristin Bell.

"I can't think of a better way to spend Mother's Day weekend than with Betty White said Lorne Michaels, Creator and Executive Producer of SNL.

"Saturday Night Live" is from SNL Studios in association with Broadway Video. The creator and executive producer is Lorne Michaels. Steve Higgins and Marci Klein are producers. Ken Aymong is supervising producer. Seth Meyers is head writer. Don Roy King directs.

My note: Someone in Password Heaven is smiling today.

http://www.museum.tv/eotvsection.php?entrycode=whitebetty

NBC Sport Specials Changes Continue

Mostly, NBC is tweaking time periods. However, many of the changes are title only, including sponsor names, which I'm sure matter a great deal to the sponsoring companies providing paid programming run as NBC Sports Specials. However, it's just a pain in the ASCII to local stations. That's why the smart ones have a Research Director.. or use RDRx from ODI.

Scores of Sports Changes Coming

Ok, I intended the pun. NBC has updated/changed/modified 2010 sports four times in the past 24 hours, but there are a lot of tiny changes to come in the next day or so for my NBC RDRx clients.

My clients can count on finding a Sports 2010 Planner saved as an Avail in the Public area to be used as a template for salesperson use once I've completed the update.

"Sevens" Explained

Air Date: 06/05/2010 Saturday
Start Time: 04:30:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NBC SPORTS SPECIALS
Duration: 01:30:00
Type: Show Name
Message: PROGRAM TITLE CHANGE:'Rugby Sevens Collegiate Championship' (was 'SEVENS'). Please see updated contingencies.

Summer Prime In System; 3rd Quarter Sports Announced

I'll be tweaking hiatus dates and filling in all of the TBAs for the summer for the rest of the day, then confirming client Sports schedules.

NBC's Summer LineUp Announced

Tons of changes, including adding 100 Questions, Persons Unknown, America's Got Talent and Last Comic Standing, plus specials including fireworks, a Harry Potter themed special, Emmy Awards and The Jensen Project.

All NBC RDRx clients will be totally updated today. I've been hard at work since very early this morning, as I saw the new information late last night in a rare Thursday evening email from Judi.

Later this afternoon, clients will find a Summer 2010 Master Planner saved as an Avail in the Public Area, which users can see if they check the box marked "View Public" when they go to open a saved avail. Managers, this is perfect for rate card tweaking as you'll see my Selling Book estimates of rating points expected by each summer program.

No Changes to Sat Morning Kids Line-Up in 2Q

The Saturday morning kids line-up will remain the same in the second quarter -

10-10:30AM ET / 8-8:30AM PT TURBO DOGS
10:30-11AM ET / 8:30-9AM PT SHELLDON
11-11:30AM ET / 9-9:30AM PT 3-2-1 PENGUINS!
11:30AM-12N ET / 9:30-10AM PT BABAR
12N-12:30PM ET / 10-10:30AM PT WILLA'S WILD LIFE
12:30-1PM ET / 10:30-11AM PT JANE AND THE DRAGON

NHL Teams for 3/14

Posted: 02/26/2010 11:05:20 AM
Air Date: 03/14/2010 Sunday
Start Time: 12:30:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Duration: 02:30:00
Type: Announcements
Message: NHL teams announced for Sunday March 14, 2010: Washington @ Chicago. Please see updated contingencies

USA Hockey Live on NBC Friday 3p ET

Posted: 02/24/2010 06:24:40 PM
Type: Announcements
Message: Friday, February 26: The USA Hockey Game will be LIVE to ALL STATIONS at 3pm ET/ 12pm PT. Details for all other programming to follow.

3/7 NHL: Redwings @ Blackhawks

Air Date: 03/07/2010 Sunday
Start Time: 12:30:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Duration: 02:30:00
Type: Announcements
Message: NHL teams announced for Sunday March 7, 2010: Detroit @ Chicago

Leno's Guest List Next Week: Olympians & Sarah Palin

From The New York Times:

February 22, 2010, 1:20 pm
Leno’s Guest List to Include Palin, Vonn and ‘Jersey Shore’ Cast
By BILL CARTER

Jay Leno will return to “The Tonight Show” next Monday with a guest list loaded with names intended to bring back the kind of audience lead he enjoyed on the NBC show before his ill-fated side trip to prime time.

Sarah Palin, the former Alaska governor, will appear on Mr. Leno’s second night back. It will be her first interview on a late-night talk show, and it will be on the one that happens to compete with David Letterman, with whom she has engaged in a long-standing feud.

Mr. Leno will have the skiing star Lindsey Vonn on his first night back, followed by the cast of “Jersey Shore” on Wednesday. His second-week guests include Simon Cowell and Kim Kardashian.

The full list for the first two weeks:

Monday, March 1 – Guests include Jamie Foxx, the Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn and a musical performance by Brad Paisley

Tuesday, March 2 – Guests include Sarah Palin, the Olympic snowboarder Shaun White

Wednesday, March 3 – “Jaywalk All-Stars” with the cast of “Jersey Shore,” Chelsea Handler, speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno and a musical performance by Avril Lavigne

Thursday, March 4 – Guests include Matthew McConaughey and Jason Reitman

Friday, March 5 – Guests include Morgan Freeman and Meredith Vieira

Monday, March 8 – Guests include Simon Cowell

Tuesday, March 9 – Guests include Christoph Waltz, the animal expert Dave Salmoni and a musical performance by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts

Wednesday, March 10 – Guests include Kristen Stewart and Guy Fieri

Thursday, March 11 – Guests include Dana Carvey and Kim Kardashian, with a musical performance by Colbie Caillat

Friday, March 12 – Guests include Dakota Fanning and Judd Apatow

2 Hour SVU Next Wednesday Night

Posted: 02/22/2010 02:23:09 PM
Air Date: 03/03/2010 Wednesday
Start Time: 09:00:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT
Duration: 01:59:30
Type: Program Change
Message: LAW & ORDER: SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT is booked (was prev sked as (2) 1-hr episodes). Please note: This booking overrides all previously issued bookings, formats, and details. Please see individual air date for updated information.

Inventory and Estimates for RDRx NBC clients have been updated already. :)

SpotsNDots: NBC Using Arbitron PPM for Olympic Audience Measurement

NBC RESEARCHING OLYMPICS AUDIENCE
NBC has hired six different research firms, including
Nielsen, Arbitron and Integrated Media Marketing
(IMMI) to keep tabs on the many different ways that
audiences can view the Winter Olympics from Vancouver
and follow the action online and on their mobile devices. It
has also purchased the services of Keller Fay, which
specializes in word-of-mouth, to monitor conversations on
social networking sites and in real life.

Each day, the network intends to release a “total
audience measurement index” (TAMi) to tally how many
people watched the Games on the various platforms. That
information will also be supplemented by interviews with
about 500 viewers each day to understand why a particular
platform was chosen.

Arbitron’s Portable People Meter will be part of the
measurement technology, carried by about 2,000 persons.
Another 40 will be outfitted with a IMMI app that does
essentially the same thing as the PPM, read ambient noise
and identify the programming that the holder is exposed
to.

In March, all this info will be compiled in a report available
to advertisers, to help them better target their audience in
future live events.

Minute To Win It Premiere on 3/14 Now 2 Hours

NBC EXTENDS PREMIERE OF NEW PRIMETIME GAME SHOW 'MINUTE TO WIN IT' TO TWO HOURS ON SUNDAY, MARCH 14 (7-9 P.M. ET)

All-American Chef and Popular Television Personality Guy Fieri to Host

UNIVERSAL CITY, CALIF. - February 16, 2010 - NBC adds more family fun to its upcoming Sunday night line-up by extending the premiere episode of its new primetime game show "Minute To Win It" to two hours on the previously announced date of Sunday, March 14 (7-9 p.m. ET).

The two-hour premiere episode of the third season of "The Celebrity Apprentice" will immediately follow from 9-11 p.m. ET.

NBC Offices Closed Monday

I've gotten an email from NBC reminding us Monday is President's Day and they won't be working. My guess is some high-ranking NBC folks will be traveling to Vancouver as well, so don't expect too much in the way of programming changes in the next two weeks.

Both the Birmingham and Las Vegas offices of ODI will be open on Monday, but my "mobile office" on Tuesday (and for up to 3 days after) will be in a jury pool room in a courthouse in lovely downtown Sin City, as per the posting below.

SNOW!! Birmingham Office Closed Early Today

HQ in Alabama is closing early today, at 2:30pm CST, due to "heavy" snowfall.

Heck, I've seen how people drive in Las Vegas when it RAINS.. I can imagine "Good Ol' Boys On Ice."

Need help this afternoon? Call me.

Tuesday, Feb 16th.. Jury Duty!!!

Let's see just how more corrupt market-driven the Las Vegas legal system has gotten since I last did jury duty in December 2006 during the release of November sweeps data.

Tuesday, I join the cattle stampede at the Courthouse. Because there are no income taxes in Nevada, this state uses drivers license information to draw potential jurors. So, folks who never register their vehicles or get licenses (a huge number in this market) are never called. Those of us left get called every three years. My first summons was for December 22nd, 2009 but I got it delayed this time.

I'll have access to my email, the web, and your servers by bringing two 3G laptops and my cell. I'll be able to work from the holding pen the jury pool waiting room. However, it will be tough to get me via voice.

So remember... email!

French Open Booked in APT.. but..

It was already in RDRx NBC client inventories, as is Wimbledon.

If we waited for NBC APT bookings to sell sports... well, you know.

Parenthood Repeats Saturdays in March & Sappy Stuff

The following will be booked:

Saturday, March 6th and 13th
8:00-9:00 PARENTHOOD (Repeat)

Sunday, March 7th
7:00-8:30 DATELINE (Repeat)
8:30-11:08 MOVIE: BAD BOYS II (Original)


These will be updated this afternoon. On any other day, I would stop what I'm doing and update my NBC clients right now. However, as today is my 10th anniversary of sobriety, I'll be joining a "Group Of Drunks" for lunch, thanking them for helping me stay alcohol-free during this past decade. I'm still suffering from the "genius is first cousin to madness" bug, but that's not all bad. :)

A personal word here: Thank you, Gene Greenberg and Dick Hollister, formerly of KVBC, Las Vegas. You saved my life in 2000.

Jay Leno Show's Finale: "End of an Error"

February 9, 2010, 1:05 pm
Without Fanfare, Leno’s Prime-Time Show Ends
By BRIAN STELTER of NewYorkTimes.com

“The Jay Leno Show” ends quietly on Tuesday night, only five months after it had its premiere in prime time to great fanfare on NBC.

Mr. Leno’s guests will be Ashton Kutcher, Gabourey Sidibe and Bob Costas.

Next month Mr. Leno is returning to “The Tonight Show” at 11:35 p.m.

Last year NBC positioned the 10 p.m. comedy show as a transformative move for broadcast television, but the ratings were mediocre, hurting the local affiliates who make money from their 11 p.m. newscasts.

On Tuesday’s finale, according to Variety, “the pomp and circumstance will be nil. That’s intentional, as NBC is trying to rehab the images of both Leno and ‘The Tonight Show.’”

“It’ll be workmanlike and efficient — the Jay Leno way,” MTV.com predicts.

NBC had planned to end Mr. Leno’s show on Thursday, but it moved up the finale by two days, most likely to capitalize on Tuesday’s big lead-in, “The Biggest Loser.”

In the place of “The Jay Leno Show,” NBC has scheduled reruns of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” on Wednesday and “The Office” on Thursday. The Winter Olympics begin on Friday.

It is the “end of an error,” the TV Guide Magazine critic Matt Roush tweeted Tuesday afternoon.

NBC Finale Dates Announced

Following is a partial list of NBC 2009-2010 season finale dates and times:
MONDAY
HEROES (2/8 9-10P)
TRAUMA (5/10 9-10P)
CHUCK (5/24 8-10P) (2-hour)
LAW & ORDER (5/24 10-11P)

TUESDAY
BIGGEST LOSER (5/25 8-10P)

WEDNESDAY
MERCY (5/12 8-9P)
LAW & ORDER SVU (5/19 10-11P)

THURSDAY
COMMUNITY (5/20 8-8:30P)
PARKS AND RECREATION (5/20 8:30-9P)
THE OFFICE (5/20 9-9:30P)
30 ROCK (5/20 9:30-10P)

SUNDAY
CELEBRITY APPRENTICE (5/23 9-11P)

All RDRx NBC clients already have all finale dates as shown, with customized estimates, less than an hour after NBC's announcement.

Office Baby Drops in One Hour on March 4th

[02.08.10 - 09:26 AM]
NBC TO DELIVER SPECIAL ONE-HOUR BABY EPISODE OF 'THE OFFICE' ON MARCH 4 (9-10 P.M. ET)
Released by NBC

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - February 8, 2010 - NBC will broadcast the highly anticipated baby episode of "The Office" as a special one-hour show on Thursday, March 4 (9-10 p.m. ET) rather than as two separate half-hour episodes over two weeks as previously announced.

In the special hour-long episode of "The Office" titled "The Delivery Part 1 and 2," Pam's (Jenna Fischer) contractions begin but she and Jim (John Krasinski) are determined to wait it out as long as possible so they can have more time at the hospital. Meanwhile the rest of the office tries to distract Pam from the pain with food and entertainment.

In the second half hour, Michael (Golden Globe winner Steve Carell) anxiously waits for Pam and Jim's baby to be born. Back at the office, Erin (Ellie Kemper) makes Andy (Ed Helms) jealous when she has lunch with Kevin (Brian Baumgartner).

From Deedle-Dee Productions, Reveille and Universal Media Studios comes the hilarious documentary-style look into the humorous and sometimes poignant foolishness that plagues the world of 9-to-5 in the half-hour comedy "The Office," based on the award-winning BBC hit.

Since its premiere on NBC in March 2005, "The Office" has established itself as a genuine hit, earning prestigious television honors such as the 2006 Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, 2006 Peabody Award, 2006 and 2008 AFI Honor, Producers Guild Award, Writers Guild Award, SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy, Ace Eddie Award for editing and a Television Critic's Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Comedy.

"The Office" is executive-produced by Ben Silverman, Greg Daniels, who developed the series for American audiences, Ricky Gervais, Stephen Merchant, Howard Klein and Paul Lieberstein.

Bad Boyz II scheduled to air against Oscars

After a 1 hour Dateline, there's a 3 hour and 8 minute showing of Bad Boys II.

RDRx NBC clients already have this in their specials folder.

(On Feb 10th, this was changed to be a 90 minute Dateline and movie will run from 8:30-11:08p ET.)

Golf Changes, too

Global Golf gets moved to the US Open weekend.

See inventory for details.

Opening Ceremony Repeat Moved Up on Friday, Feb 12

The double run of Jimmy Fallon announced last week has been cut short, now with just one hour after local news, then the Opening Ceremony repeat starts at 1235a/1135p.

I've also updated my clients on a number of sports changes made in 2nd Quarter.

Lots of Post-Olympic Changes to Prime

8 nights of prime March through May have changed.. check back here later for a detailed list.

My NBC clients will now be updated.

Another Leno Show replaced on Tuesday, Feb 2

February 2nd
8:00-9:00 THE BIGGEST LOSER (Repeat)
9:00-11:00 THE BIGGEST LOSER (Original)

Added 2/9/10: Turns out this was the night Jay Leno flew to NYC for the taping of Letterman/Oprah/Leno SuperBowl ad, all very hush-hush.

Biggest Loser Super Bowl Edition Will Run Long

Super Bowl Sunday, February 7th, the 2 repeat episodes of THE BIGGEST LOSER are being expanded. Therefore, the network will run 8 minutes long that night. FYI, we'll also be running over on March 7th (Oscar night.) Details on this will be advised later.

Here's the real reason this is being expanded. As this is in the Feb sweeps, and this is the only night of Sunday Late News without an Olympic lead-in. By running longer than 7.5 mins past the hour, stations are permitted by Nielsen to re-title the "forced delay" newscasts for this night.

Want to know how to get the most out of this option? My clients can call any time.

Jimmy Fallon Gets Late Night Love Starting Next Week

Not yet in APT or APT2Go, but Judy says

Monday through Friday, effective February 1st (NEXT Monday)
3:04a-4:00a LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON AN (Repeat) (through July 2nd - except during the Olympics, February 12th - 28th)
(RDRx comment: replaces repeats of Tonight Show with Conan.. this was sorta expected.)

Friday, February 12th (NIGHT OF OPENING CEREMONY)
12:35a-1:38a LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON (Original)
1:38a-2:40a LATE NIGHT WITH JIMMY FALLON AN (Repeat)

Monday through Friday, effective March 1st
11:35-12:37a THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH JAY LENO (Original) (through September 17th)

NBC RDRx clients will find their inventories and estimates already updated.

NBC Prime Changes on Friday

An episode of LAW & ORDER: SVU will air in the 10PM ET/PT time period on Wednesday, February 10th, and 2 encore episodes of THE OFFICE will air @10 & 10:30PM ET/PT on Thursday, February 11th, leading up to the event of the season, the 2010 Winter Olympics!

The following will be booked:

Wednesday, February 10th
10:00-11:00 LAW & ORDER: SVU

Thursday, Februay 11th
10:00-10:30 THE OFFICE (repeat)
10:30-11:00 THE OFFICE (repeat)


----------------------------------------------



This replaces Jay Leno's last 2 shows, which had been scheduled to run up to the 11th. My guess is Leno's Monday (8th) and Tuesday (9th) shows won't live past Martini time next Friday.

Set Your DVR to Burning Bridges

STATEMENT FROM NBC AND CONAN O'BRIEN:

NBC and Conan O'Brien have reached a resolution of the issues surrounding O'Brien's contract to host "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien."

Under terms of an agreement that was signed earlier today, NBC and O'Brien will settle their contractual obligations and the network will release O'Brien from his contract, freeing him to pursue other opportunities after September 1, 2010.

O'Brien will make his final appearance as host of "The Tonight Show" on January 22.

My note.. Will Farrel was his first guest on his premiere show, pitching an awful movie. Will Farrel will be on his last show, as will Neil Young. Oh, let the wailing commence.

Conan Gets 32 Million To Not Work

January 22, 2010
Conan O’Brien and NBC to Part Ways
By BILL CARTER

Say farewell to Conan O’Brien.

After a last long night of negotiations, the deal to end Mr. O’Brien’s short term as host of “The Tonight Show” was concluded with an agreement that will pay him about $32 million and free him up to return to television in eight months.

The deal is expected to be announced formally later Thursday. NBC confirmed early Thursday morning only that a deal was signed.

After Mr. O’Brien’s manager, Gavin Polone, told the Web site The Wrap that a deal was signed late last night West Coast time, NBC itself had brief reports this morning that the deal had been concluded.

Mr. O’Brien has been pointing to Friday as his last night in the job during a week of special appearances and walk-ons by many of the biggest stars who have been regular guests on the show. He will now have an official farewell show Friday night with two of late-night television’s most sought-after guests, Tom Hanks and Will Ferrell, and with Neil Young as the final musical guest.

Thursday’s agreement ends what has been a tense couple of weeks at NBC.

Mr. O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” has slumped in the ratings, and in response, NBC earlier this month decided to move Jay Leno and his show to the 11:35 p.m. time slot, bumping “The Tonight Show” and Mr. O’Brien to 12:05 a.m.

But Mr. O’Brien said he would not agree to what he considered a demotion, and said that he would leave the network. Since then, Mr. O’Brien, who had a guaranteed contract for another two and a half years at a salary that has been reported to be $10 million to $20 million a year, has been negotiating his departure.

Thursday’s agreement appears to set the stage for Mr. O’Brien to go to another network later this year. At least one network, Fox, has made public its interest in a possible show with Mr. O’Brien, though many questions remain about how easily that network could clear the late-night schedules of its stations to make room.

No Leno Friday Night After Haiti

Posted: 01/20/2010 06:28:32 PM
Air Date: 01/22/2010 Friday
Start Time: 10:00:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: DATELINE NBC
Duration: 00:59:30
Type: New Booking
Message: Dateline NBC is booked and replaces The Jay Leno Show. Please see updated details for this date

RDRx NBC clients in TN and MS have already been updated. PAVs from Friday Datelines in March 09.

More New Episodes for NBC Prime This Season

[01.20.10 - 02:13 PM]
NBC EXTENDS SCRIPTED SERIES, CONFIRMS ORDERS
By The Futon Critic Staff (TFC)

LOS ANGELES (thefutoncritic.com) -- With "The Jay Leno Show" set to be jettisoned from primetime next month, NBC has extended five of its scripted series.

"Trauma," "Law & Order," "Parks & Recreation," "Community" and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" have each been asked for two to four additional episodes.

Said pickups bring their season totals to 20 for "Trauma" (four added); 23 for "Law & Order" (three added); 24 for "Parks & Recreation" (two added); 25 for "Community" (three added); and 24 for "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (two added).

As for the Peacock's other scripted entries, "Mercy" and "Chuck" will film 22 and 19 installments, respectively, as previously announced.

Due later this year are multi-camera comedy "100 Questions" (six episodes); dramas "Parenthood" and "Persons Unknown" (13 episodes each); and the two-hour pilot to "Day One."

And finally, network sources have also confirmed "The Office" has been asked for 25 episodes while "30 Rock," due to its late start, is sticking with a standard 22-episode fourth season.

NHL Teams for 1/24 & 1/31

NHL teams announced for Saturday January 24, 2010: Pittsburgh @ Phildelphia
NHL teams announced for Saturday January 31, 2010: Detroit @ Pittsburgh.

State of the Union on Jan 27th.. rescheduling to follow

Posted: 01/19/2010 09:33:04 AM
Type: Announcements
Message: NBC News will provide coverage of the State of the Union on 1/27/10, 9-11p ET. Format, Operating Conditions and all other details will follow shortly.

Birmingham Offices Closed Monday

Friday, January 15, 2010
OneDomain closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
OneDomain's offices will be closed on Monday, January 18th in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

Any email sent to support@onedomain.com will be answered in the order they are received on Tuesday the 19th.

(Research Services is always on call. My RDRx clients can expect a very quick turnaround on questions or modification requests.)

Next Friday: 2 Hour Hope for Haiti Telethon on NBC

Posted: 01/15/2010 10:52:38 AM
Type: Announcements
Message: A 2-hour NBC Special: Hope For Haiti Telethon (WT) on Jan. 22 will be officially booked later today. The program is scheduled to begin at 8p ET/PT (7p CT/MT). Local Format information to follow later today.

RDRx Clients Have New NBC Prime Inventory & Estimates

Yep, my clients are ready to hit the streets and avails first thing Friday morning with entirely updated NBC Prime inventory reflecting all the changes listed in the previous post. (Updated Friday 1/15: All of my NBC RDRx clients now have all specials, bringing prime and specials to a combined total of more than 70 lines of inventory, including the Haiti telethon.)

If you are not a OneDomain client, I can't help you. If you are my client, I'll work my butt off for you. To find out more about becoming an RDRx client, just ask your OneDomain Regional Sales Manager.

NBC Announces New Prime Schedule effective March 1st.

THE FOLLOWING WILL BE BOOKED LATER TODAY/EARLY FRIDAY IN APT:


MONDAY
Monday, March 1st
8:00-9:00 CHUCK (Original) (through May 24th)
9:00-11:00 LAW & ORDER (Original) (2-hours)

Monday, March 8th
9:00-10:00 TRAUMA (Original) (through May 24th)
10:00-11:00 LAW & ORDER (Original) (through May 24th)

TUESDAY
Tuesday, March 2nd
8:00-10:00 THE BIGGEST LOSER (Original) (through May 25th)
10:00-11:00 PARENTHOOD (Original) (through May 25th)

WEDNESDAY
Wednesday, March 3rd
8:00-9:00 MERCY (Original) (through May 19th)
9:00-10:00 LAW & ORDER: SVU (Repeat) (through May 12th)
10:00-11:00 LAW & ORDER: SVU (Original) (through May 26th)

THURSDAY
Thursday, March 4th
8:00-8:30 COMMUNITY (Original) (through May 20th)
8:30-9:00 PARKS & RECREATION (Original) (through May 20th)
9:00-9:30 THE OFFICE (Original) (through May 20th)
9:30-10:00 30 ROCK (Original) (through May 20th)
10:00-11:00 THE MARRIAGE REF (Original) (through May 20th)

FRIDAY
Friday, March 5th
8:00-9:00 WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE? (Original) (through April 23rd)
9:00-11:00 DATELINE (Original) (through May 21st)

Friday, April 30th
8:00-9:00 FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (Original) (through May 28th)

SATURDAY
Saturday, March 6th
8:00-9:00 THE BIGGEST LOSER (Repeat) (through May 22nd)
9:00-10:00 LAW & ORDER (Repeat) (through May 22nd)
10:00-11:00 LAW & ORDER: SVU (Repeat) (through May 29th)

SUNDAY
Sunday, March 14th
7:00-8:00 DATELINE (Original) (through May 2nd)
8:00-9:00 MINUTE TO WIN IT (wt) (Original) (through May 2nd)
9:00-11:00 CELEBRITY APPRENTICE (Original) (through May 23rd)

Sunday, May 9th and May 23rd
7:00-9:00 DATELINE (Original)

Always Helpful NBC About Olympics Scheduling

Contained in the emailed list (of less than 5 minutes ago) of things NBC offers stations:

Broadcast Schedule Coming Very Soon!

(Italicized text above is in RED in the email from the lovely and talented Anne Nicholas)

I look about once an hour to see if NBC Programming has announced anything for Prime after the Olympics, but APT is useless for this, and the New York Times has been more timely and accurate than anything from anywhere else. (See previous blogs here.)

As soon as I find out anything, my current NBC clients will be notified. Non-clients... well, just ask Reno. (sweet smile) Maybe IT can do it.

NBC Late Night Schedule in Total Chaos as Conan Rejects Move

January 12, 2010, 3:10 pm
Conan O’Brien Says He Won’t Host ‘Tonight Show’ Following Leno
By BILL CARTER of NewYorkTimes.com

Conan O’Brien says he will not host “The Tonight Show” if it is moved to 12:05 a.m., as NBC has proposed.

In a statement Tuesday afternoon, Mr. O’Brien said he cannot participate “in what I honestly believe is its destruction.”

Mr. O’Brien’s comments come two days after NBC formally outlined a plan to move “The Jay Leno Show” to 11:35 p.m. in March, elbowing Mr. O’Brien’s “Tonight Show” back half an hour. Mr. Leno seems supportive of the plan; but in his statement, Mr. O’Brien rejects it outright. The statement reads:

People of Earth:

In the last few days, I’ve been getting a lot of sympathy calls, and I want to start by making it clear that no one should waste a second feeling sorry for me. For 17 years, I’ve been getting paid to do what I love most and, in a world with real problems, I’ve been absurdly lucky. That said, I’ve been suddenly put in a very public predicament and my bosses are demanding an immediate decision.

Six years ago, I signed a contract with NBC to take over The Tonight Show in June of 2009. Like a lot of us, I grew up watching Johnny Carson every night and the chance to one day sit in that chair has meant everything to me. I worked long and hard to get that opportunity, passed up far more lucrative offers, and since 2004 I have spent literally hundreds of hours thinking of ways to extend the franchise long into the future. It was my mistaken belief that, like my predecessor, I would have the benefit of some time and, just as important, some degree of ratings support from the prime-time schedule. Building a lasting audience at 11:30 is impossible without both.

But sadly, we were never given that chance. After only seven months, with my Tonight Show in its infancy, NBC has decided to react to their terrible difficulties in prime-time by making a change in their long-established late night schedule.

Last Thursday, NBC executives told me they intended to move the Tonight Show to 12:05 to accommodate the Jay Leno Show at 11:35. For 60 years the Tonight Show has aired immediately following the late local news. I sincerely believe that delaying the Tonight Show into the next day to accommodate another comedy program will seriously damage what I consider to be the greatest franchise in the history of broadcasting. The Tonight Show at 12:05 simply isn’t the Tonight Show. Also, if I accept this move I will be knocking the Late Night show, which I inherited from David Letterman and passed on to Jimmy Fallon, out of its long-held time slot. That would hurt the other NBC franchise that I love, and it would be unfair to Jimmy.

So it has come to this: I cannot express in words how much I enjoy hosting this program and what an enormous personal disappointment it is for me to consider losing it. My staff and I have worked unbelievably hard and we are very proud of our contribution to the legacy of The Tonight Show. But I cannot participate in what I honestly believe is its destruction. Some people will make the argument that with DVRs and the Internet a time slot doesn’t matter. But with the Tonight Show, I believe nothing could matter more.

There has been speculation about my going to another network but, to set the record straight, I currently have no other offer and honestly have no idea what happens next. My hope is that NBC and I can resolve this quickly so that my staff, crew, and I can do a show we can be proud of, for a company that values our work.

Have a great day and, for the record, I am truly sorry about my hair; it’s always been that way.

Yours,

Conan

After 16 years making a name with his distinctive brand of intellectually silly comedy on NBC’s “Late Night” show, Mr. O’Brien replaced Mr. Leno as the host of “The Tonight Show” a mere seven months ago. He is just the fifth man to lead ”Tonight,” after Steve Allen, Jack Paar, Johnny Carson and Mr. Leno.

Mr. Leno, meanwhile, moved to prime time in September as the host of “The Jay Leno Show.” But the 10 p.m. experiment was a bust for many NBC affiliates, which have seen the ratings for their late local newscasts plummet.

Amid mounting pressure to scrap the talk show, NBC announced on Sunday that Mr. Leno’s last show at 10 p.m. would be Feb. 11. NBC will begin showing the Winter Olympics the next day, setting the stage for a new schedule on March 1. But the network acknowledged that day that Mr. O’Brien was not yet on board with the move.

Fox has expressed interest in starting a late-night show starring Mr. O’Brien — provided he found a way to extricate himself from his NBC contract. The contractual complications were outlined in this story in Tuesday’s New York Times.

NBC Sports Selling Book Estimate Update This Week

While we wait for a few more details regarding 20 hours of NBC-supplied programming each week beginning in just 47 days, NBC RDRx clients' SPORTES Selling Book, including estimate updates for this coming fall's NFL and 4th Quarter Sports Specials will be updated.

NBC Affiliate Board Happy To See Leno Go Late

Attn: General Managers/Program Directors/News Directors/General Sales Mangers

STATEMENT FROM MICHAEL FIORILE, CHAIRMAN OF THE NBC AFFILIATE BOARD, IN RESPONSE TO NBC'S DECISION TO MOVE 'THE JAY LENO SHOW' TO 11:35 PM:

"This is a great move for the affiliates, the network and, most importantly, the viewers. Speaking on behalf of the board I thank the network for keeping the lines of communication so open, and for being so responsive to the needs of the affiliates. We admire their willingness to innovate, and their willingness to change course when it didn't work for us. We were delighted to collaborate on the launch of the 10:00 PM show, and we look forward to continuing to work with Jeff Zucker and the entire network leadership team as we set a new direction, build on our long history together, and contribute to the impressive legacy of NBC."


------------------------------------------

Even though none of us know the line up of five hours of prime each week beginning in 6 weeks, nor the exact nature of the late night lineup, I've already updated my NBC client inventory to reflect possible outcomes.

It's Official: Leno in Prime Ends With Olympics

From Scot Chastain

(Attention Affiliate Board, General Managers, Corporate Execs, News Directors, Program Directors and General Sales Managers)

NBC, in remarks made just minutes ago this morning by Jeff Gaspin, has announced that as of February 12, 2010, The Jay Leno Show will no longer air at 10pm ET/9pm CT.

We will send more information when it becomes available regarding prime time programming plans after the Olympics.

Below is a brief transcript of Jeff's remarks:
"I can confirm what many of you have been reporting -- starting February 12, we will no longer air The Jay Leno Show at 10:00. While it was performing at acceptable levels for the network, it did not meet the needs of our affiliates -- and we realized we had to make a change.
My goal is to keep Jay, Conan and Jimmy as part of our late night line-up. I've spoken to all three of them and proposed that "The Jay Leno Show" move to 11:35, "The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien" move to 12:05 and "Late night with Jimmy Fallon" at 1:05.
The talks are ongoing."

A correction was sent by Scot a bit later, so I've changed the original post to reflect the change which was obviously a mistake, because I placed (sic) in the first version.

New York Times: NBC to push 30 min Leno into Late Night After Olympics

Your Annual Avails Are All Out-Of-Date Already?

Pressed by affiliates and shrinking ratings, NBC has a plan in the works to radically alter its late-night television lineup, restoring Jay Leno to his old spot at 11:35 each weeknight, while pushing the man who replaced him, Conan O’Brien, to a starting time of 12:05 a.m.

NBC executives held extensive discussions with both Mr. Leno and Mr. O’Brien Thursday about the future of the network’s late-night lineup.

And while NBC officially said no final decision on the plan has been made, two senior NBC executives who have talked to NBC’s top management about the moves said that under the plan being discussed Mr. Leno would definitely shift back to 11:35 but in a half-hour format, while Mr. O’Brien would slide back his start time by a half hour and then produce an hour-long show.

“We remain committed to keeping Conan O’Brien on NBC,” the network said in a statement Thursday evening. “He is a valued part of our late-night line-up, as he has been for more than 16 years and is one of the most respected entertainers on television.”

The third NBC late-night star, Jimmy Fallon, would then begin his show at 1:05 a.m., the executives said. The revised lineup would go into effect after NBC concludes its coverage of the Winter Olympics on February 28. NBC will pre-empt both its prime-time and late-night lineup for more than two weeks to cover the Olympics, creating a natural break in which to implement the late-night changes.


My incredible NBC RDRx clients will have the above options in their Prime inventories Thursday morning, including seasonal audience estimates, updated as needed by official updates from NBC, or reliable info as from the New York Times.

New York Times: NBC denies Leno Cancellation in March

January 7, 2010, 1:32 pm
NBC Denies Rumor of ‘Leno’ Cancellation

By BILL CARTER of the NYTimes.com

NBC executives denied a rumor that appeared on a Web site Thursday that the network had made a decision to cancel its “Jay Leno Show” — but at the same time the network acknowledged that low ratings for the show had become a serious problem for NBC’s affiliated stations.

The report, which appeared Thursday on a Web site called FTV, was followed by an interview with its author on KNX radio in Los Angeles, who cited network sources saying Mr. Leno’s show would be dropped, perhaps as soon as after NBC’s coverage of the Winter Olympics concludes next month.

But NBC executives then issued two statements, one saying that Mr. Leno had dominated the ratings as a late-night star for more than 15 years and was working with the affiliated stations to try to improve the ratings performance of his prime-time show, and then another statement that said definitively that the show had not been canceled.

NBC’s initial statement read: “Jay Leno is one of the most compelling entertainers in the world today. As we have said all along, Jay’s show has performed exactly as we anticipated on the network. It has, however, presented some issues for our affiliates. Both Jay and the show are committed to working closely with them to find ways to improve the performance.”

Mr. Leno’s show, which has appeared each weeknight at 10 p.m. since last fall, has produced low but steady ratings over the last several months, not out of line with what NBC guaranteed advertisers. But the show has been blamed for some sharp ratings falloffs in the 11 p.m. local newscasts at NBC’s stations – and pressure has been mounting from the affiliates who depend on local news for the bulk of their revenue.

NBC’s affiliate board has a meeting scheduled with the network on Jan. 21. The period after the Olympics might be a logical time for some kind of schedule change, but NBC executives acknowledged late last year that it has few programs ready to be plugged in at 10 p.m.

One reason the rumors of a possible cancellation have grown is that NBC has put more pilots into production than in any recent year. So far NBC executives have not confirmed that one reason for adding more pilots was a possible need to find five new 10 p.m. dramas for next fall.

Snow in Alabama Just A Speed Bump

http://www.onedomain.com/Alerts/

Of course, RDRx clients can always email or phone me for immediate attention.

NHL on 1/17 is Chicago @ Detroit on NBC

Posted: 01/05/2010 11:23:36 AM ET
Air Date: 01/17/2010 Sunday
Start Time: 12:30:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NATIONAL HOCKEY LEAGUE
Duration: 02:30:00
Type: Episode
Message: Teams updated: Chicago @ Detroit

Happy New Year!

Changes announced by NBC (on their way out the doors) in 2009 have already been entered into RDRx client inventories.

This year I'll be searching for well-run NBC affiliates using OneDomain's MediaOffice who would benefit from having updated inventory and accurate selling book estimates.

New York Times Praises New Year's Day Classic NHL on NBC

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/31/sports/hockey/31hockey.html?hp

If it runs. (See posting from yesterday about delay of event possible)

NBC Changes An Hour of Daily Schedule Beginning Next Week

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Posted: 12/30/2009 12:59:41 PM
Air Date: 01/04/2010 Monday
Start Time: 03:04:00 AM [ET]
Show Name: THE TONIGHT SHOW WITH CONAN ALL NIGHT
Duration: 00:56:00
Type: Program Change
Message: Effective 1/4/2010: Tonight-AN replaces Fallon-AN

----------------------------------------------------------------------
NBC stations might have appreciated a bit more notice, but that's just my opinion.

Chattanooga and Jackson clients will find the change already made when they next open an avail in MediaOffice.

MediaPost Examines Leno Ratings In December

Not So Funny: 'Jay Leno' Show Under-Performs
Wayne Friedman, Dec 24, 2009 02:54 PM

In the big pool of December reruns -- a place where "The Jay Leno Show" was supposed to shine -- the NBC talk program is still mired in mid 1 ratings among 18-49 viewers, under his season average.

Case in point: in the week leading up to Christmas, "Leno" averaged a 1.4 rating/4 share among 18-49 viewers -- numbers that are down versus its 1.73 season average rating through Dec. 13. His average in December alone is at a 1.5 rating.

NBC has touted that in those lower TV viewing periods, fresh programming from "Leno" would come his way when up against reruns and lesser programming on the network.

The positive for NBC? In some cases, "Leno" has moved into second place during the time period. One Tuesday -- Dec. 22, for example -- a repeat of "The Good Wife" posted a 1.7 rating/5 share, while "Leno" earned a 1.5/5, and a repeat of ABC's "Christmas at The White House" grabbed a 0.9/3.

Rich Greenfield, media industry analyst at Pali Research, says cable's ratings, already on the rise overall, have been higher during the 10 p.m. time period, due in part to "Leno." Cable networks have picked up 1.6 adult 18-49 ratings points, some of this coming from ABC and CBS.

In the first week of Leno's show, curiosity from viewers pushed his average for the week to a 3.42 rating against 18-49 viewers -- twice as high as his current season average. In the weeks following, the show fell to a 1.92, 1.74, then to a 1.66 in weeks four and five.

In weeks six through 11, "Leno" ratings held steady around the 1.5 rating range, with a 1.54, 1.48, 1.48, 1.46, 1.52, and a 1.48. Then they fell in week 12 to a 1.35 average -- the last week in the November sweeps where other networks offered big new programming.

Week 13 spiked up to a 1.72 rating, most of that coming from a big 2.9 rating on Tuesday Dec. 8 following the conclusion of "The Biggest Loser."

NBC also said the Leno show would deliver less time-shifting -- a positive for many TV advertisers that fear viewers who fast-forward through commercials.

According to a report by Brad Adgate, senior vice president and corporate research director of media-buying agency Horizon Media, "Leno" viewership has only been boosted by 6.4% over seven days, while the overall prime-time average is up 19%.

Scrooge Traffic @ New Years

Posted: 12/29/2009
Type: Announcements
Message: NHL game on Jan. 1 is played outdoors and is subject to postponement due to poor weather conditions. If postponed, it would be re-scheduled to air on NBC on Sat. 1/2/2010 at 2p ET. Under this postponement scenario, the 2009 NHL Winter Classic game would air in place of the live game on 1/1/2010 and Sports programming on 1/2/2010 would be adjusted but still guaranteed until 6p ET. Full contingency details to follow shortly.

Primetime Changed for Jan 8th..

There will be a program change in primetime on January 8 and will be officially booked later today. Please check APT's what's new posting for this change:


Friday, January 8th
8:00-10:00 DATELINE. (Original)

I'll begin changing my 2010 clients now.

Bengals @ NY Jets Next Sunday

Posted: 12/28/2009 09:53:42 AM
Air Date: 01/03/2010 Sunday
Start Time: 08:15:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: NBC SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL
Duration: 03:15:00
Type: Announcements
Message: Flex Week #7 teams announced: Cincinnati Bengals @ NY Jets.

Attention: 2010 Clients!

NothingButChange will become password protected in 2010.

I'll be notifying clients by email about the methods used to access this information.

A Farewell To Sunbelt

Your November books are installed. Selling Books have been updated.

Best of luck with Wide Orbit.

Santa Visits Jackson, and someplace up North

My delightful clients in Jackson, MS now have their November 2009 PAVs installed, with every non-sports inventory item getting entirely new audience estimates for each of the next four quarters. A Master Planner has been mailed to Melinda.

Oh, and a true class act got a visit from Santa, too.

May you have a delightful Christmas.

Look What Santa Left!

Posted: 12/23/2009 04:28:07 PM
Air Date: 02/28/2010 Sunday
Start Time: 12:35:00 AM [ET]
Show Name: 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Duration: 02:55:00
Type: Program Change
Message: OLYMPIC PRIMETIME REPEAT moves from 11:35p-3:05a ET/PT and 10:35p-2:05a CT/MT and replaces OLYMPIC PARTY SHOW REPEAT. Duration is now 2:55:00. Clearances assumed based on previously advised clearances for OLYMPIC PARTY SHOW REPEAT. Posted: 12/23/2009 03:57:45 PM
Air Date: 02/28/2010 Sunday
Start Time: 11:35:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: 2010 OLYMPIC WINTER GAMES
Duration: 01:00:00
Type: Program Change
Message: OLYMPIC CLOSING PARTY SHOW moves from 10:30-11:00pm ET/PT and 9:30-10pm CT/MT and expands by 30-minutes. OLYMPIC PRIMETIME REPEAT moves to 12:35-3:30am ET/CT and 11:35pm-2:30am CT/MT. Clearances assumed based on previously advised clearances for OLYMPIC PRIMETIME REPEAT. Posted: 12/23/2009 03:40:05 PM
Air Date: 02/28/2010 Sunday
Start Time: 10:30:00 PM [ET]
Show Name: 'TBA
Duration: 00:30:00
Type: Program Change
Message: ENTERTAINMENT SHOW TBA is booked and moves OLYMPIC CLOSING PARTY SHOW to 11:35pm-12:35am ET/PT and 10:35pm-11:35pm CT/MT.

Who Makes The Menus At Your Restaurant?

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/23/dining/23menus.html?em

Do you think successful national chains expect their waiters or cooks to update and plan menus?

Then why do broadcasting beancounters think AEs should create their own estimates?

Nielsen's Mistakes

Mountain Time clients apparently have November data available within MediaOffice.

Either Nielsen made a mistake, or Sunbelt actually paid for tapes they can use for 8 days.

Enjoy.

Chattanooga data arrives...

It's shown up in Birmingham, as have DVDs not due out for a week. 10 DMAs I work with all showed up today.

Chattanooga goes first. :) You want to go first? Ask. It'll cost you.

Chattanooga Update and an FYI for Mountain State RDRx Clients

Ok, I'm confused and it shouldn't be this difficult.

Chattanooga printed copy books WERE shipped yesterday, but not the DVDs, according to Birmingham. So, we're all waiting. Hey, I would have been done by now had the data been here this morning. [sigh]

Attention Mountain Time Clients: I called the Nielsen Book Hotline again today and the message recorded at 4pm Florida time today said Casper, Pocatello and Helena *books* will be shipped today, which is a day ahead of schedule. Since Sunbelt has switched to WideOrbit Sales starting with November 09 data, they should contact WideOrbit per the method WideOrbit has recommended. But just in case...

http://www.wideorbit.com/wideorbit.com/index.php/contact-us.html
(from that page)
For Support On All Other WideOrbit Products:
Normal business hours are 5:00AM PST to 6:00PM PST.

* Please phone +1.415.675.6775

Waiting for Data...

Only some of the markets listed on Nielsen's telephone hotline message last night have been delivered, and Chattanooga has not yet shown up. I've got emails into our staff in Alabama to determine what is going on.

Monday Update: Nielsen Ships Chattanooga November Data!

FedEx should deliver data disks to our Birmingham offices late Tuesday morning, Central time. Within hours, I'll be working on WRCB's Selling Book Estimates.

Ralph's team in Chattanooga should be greeted on Wednesday morning with a new Master Planner, if all data is delivered on schedule.

Changes to 1st Quarter, plus post-Olympic Schedules Announced

The following will be booked:

Thursday, January 14th
9:00-9:30 30 ROCK (Original)

Sunday, February 7th
7:00-9:00 THE BIGGEST LOSER (Repeat)
9:00-11:00 THE BIGGEST LOSER (Repeat)

Monday, March 1st - March 29th
8:00-9:00 CHUCK (Original)
9:00-10:00 PARENTHOOD (Original)

Thursday, March 4th - April 2nd
8:00-8:30 COMMUNITY (Original)
8:30-9:00 PARKS AND RECREATION (Original)
9:00-9:30 THE OFFICE (Original)
9:30-10:00 30 ROCK (Original)

Sunday, March 14th - March 28th
7:00-8:00 DATELINE (Original)
8:00-9:00 MARRIAGE REF (Original)
9:00-11:00 CELEBRITY APPRENTICE (Original)

released 7 minutes ago, and should be in RDRx client inventories later today.

2nd and 3rd Quarter Golf Schedules Hit APT

I'll be coming back to tweak these after I make sure everyone's 1st Quarter Prime is all set... I'm clicking a lot of Hiatus buttons for the last half of February.

NBC: Dec 23rd and Jan 1 Prime Changed

From NBC just 10 minutes ago....

"We making changes to primetime on December 23rd and January 1st.

On Wednesday, December 23rd, we're putting in 2 episodes of MERCY at 8 & 9PM ET, replacing the 4 episodes of THE OFFICE. We'll still have an OFFICE marathon on December 30th, but we want to reinstate MERCY in its regularly-scheduled time period on the 23rd and give it some added exposure at 9PM to target female viewers on a night where there might be some extra holiday sampling.

Also, on New Year's Day, we're scheduling a repeat of last night's inspirational season finale of THE BIGGEST LOSER to air from 8-10PM ET, replacing repeat episodes of LAW & ORDER and DATELINE NBC. THE BIGGEST LOSER finale was a huge hit last night and repeating it on the 1st will be good counter-programming to the very male-skewing Sugar Bowl and be a strong promotional platform for the new season of THE BIGGEST LOSER couples premiering on January 5th."

NBC RDRx clients are being updated today.

100 Questions Nipped In The Bud After 6 Episodes

NBC trims its order for 'Questions'
Midseason comedy reduced from 13 episodes to six.
By Nellie Andreeva from HollywoodReporter.com

Dec 6, 2009, 11:00 PM ET
NBC has cut the order for midseason comedy "100 Questions" from 13 to six.

The cast and crew of the UMS-produced show were informed about the network's decision on Friday when they wrapped production on Episode 6. NBC explains the order reduction with the full-season pickups given to freshman comedy "Community" and sophomore half-hour "Parks and Recreation."

With NBC having secured its two-hour Thursday comedy block, which also includes veterans "The Office" and "30 Rock," for the rest of the season, and the network also set to preempt its programming for two weeks in February to carry the Winter Olympics, it opted to reduce the order for "100 Questions," an NBC rep said.

Earlier this fall, the network also scaled back the order for midseason drama "Day One," which will now air as a four-hour miniseries.

NBC's other scripted midseason entry, drama "Parenthood," will produce its full 13-episode order.

"Questions," from UMS, is a multicamera comedy unlike the four NBC comedies on the air, which are single-camera. However, the network is developing mostly multicamera sitcoms for next season.

The project, which underwent recasting of several roles after the upfronts, starts Brit Sophie Winkleman as a young woman looking for love who joins a popular online dating site.

"Questions" is the latest new midseason series to get an order reduction this fall. In addition to "Day One," Fox's drama "Past Life" and ABC's comedy "Romantically Challenged" at ABC also were cut, with the networks touting the success of their new fall offerings as a reason for the lack of midseason shelf space.

Second Quarter Sports Specials Announced by NBC

It's Friday! So, NBC posts 21 Sports Specials airing April through June 2010 in APT.
Most of my clients already have all these specials listed, but now I go through and double check my earlier guesses against APT. By Monday, clients should be in sync.

26 days till December 31.

January "Face The Aces" Fold

NBC Sports has canceled Face The Aces in January, and is moving World of Adventure and Freestyle Skiing on the 30th. RDRx clients will begin to see changes today.

Presidential Address PreEmpts Leno Tuesday, December 1st

On Tuesday December 1, President Obama will be making an address to the nation. Therefore, the next to last episode of the current cycle of THE BIGGEST LOSER will air from 9-11PM ET on 12/1. As this is a very important episode the week before the highly anticipated live finale and the 2-hour format at this late stage does not lend itself to re-editing, it will just slide later by an hour. THE JAY LENO SHOW will be pre-empted for this night only.

The following will be booked:

Tuesday, December 1st
8:00-9:00 NBC News Special: Presidential Address To The Nation
9:00-11:00 THE BIGGEST LOSER (Original) (2-hours)


Mountain and Pacific Time Zone Stations Prime Lineup for 12/1 Will Be:

DATELINE (repeat)
THE BIGGEST LOSER (Original) (2-hours)

Surprise! Friday Nights in December Changed

Friday, December 4th
8:00-9:00 A MUPPETS CHRISTMAS: LETTERS TO SANTA (Repeat)

Friday, December 11th
8:00-9:00 LAW & ORDER (Original)

Holiday Hours for NBC and OneDomain

From NBC:
BE ADVISED THAT IN OBSERVANCE OF THE THANKSGIVING DAY HOLIDAY, THE NBC AFFILIATE RELATIONS OFFICES IN NEW YORK AND UNIVERSAL CITY WILL BE CLOSED FROM 2:00PM, WEDNESDAY, 11/25/09, THROUGH FRIDAY 11/27/09.

ODI offices in Birmingham, AL will be closed on Thursday and Friday.

My office rarely closes, as my primary office is equipped for client service at any time, while my mobile office is undergoing upgrades.

For a quick view of my office through a cell phone camera, visit http://houseoftvratings.blogspot.com/

Chuck at 8/7; Heroes 9/8 Mondays in January

Mondays will feature Chuck and Heroes in January and early February. (smart move)
There's a two hour Heroes premiere on Monday, 1/4 and a special Sunday 2 hour premiere of Chuck on 1/10.

There are some other minor moves, but RDRx clients will find them in MediaOffice inventory Friday morning.

Emmys in 2009, plus NBC is pleased with NFL Sunday

THIS JUST IN... (from NBC)

Through Week 10 of the NFL season, NBC's “Sunday Night Football” stands as the most watched
primetime program on any network! It's #1 in Households and also in the coveted A18-49 demo.
This is unprecedented for the NFL in primetime competing against so much original programming.
This season's “Sunday Night Football” is the most watched NFL primetime package in 12 years!

---------------------------------------

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. – November 18, 2009 – NBC will broadcast the “62nd Primetime Emmy® Awards” live on Sunday, August 29 (8-11 p.m. ET; other time zones delayed), it was announced today by Paul Telegdy, Executive Vice President, Alternative Programming, NBC and Universal Media Studios.

"NBC is excited to host television's biggest night with the Primetime Emmy Awards," said Telegdy. "Scheduling and announcing the telecast for August 29 this early in the awards cycle will give the Television Academy and NBC a head start on creative discussions."

The first time NBC broadcast the Primetime Emmy Awards on August 27, 2006 -- due to the scheduling of the network's popular NFL Football franchise Sunday nights in September -- it was the highest-rated entertainment program of that summer. It still ranks as the highest-rated Emmy Awards telecast of the past four years.

Nominations for the “62nd Primetime Emmy Awards” will be announced Thursday, July 8 at 5:40 a.m. (PT) from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Leonard H. Goldenson Theatre in North Hollywood, Calif.

Want another hour of Christmas @ Rock to sell?

From NBC:
CHRISTMAS IN ROCKEFELLER CENTER (Optional Program): NBC is pleased to offer an additional hour of Christmas in Rockefeller Center to all stations. This optional hour will consist entirely of local inventory and lead directly into the scheduled Network "Christmas in Rockefeller Center" program in all time zones. Full format details to follow shortly.

RDRx comment: Smart move, NBC. This program is an absolute sure thing with a track record a decade long, always delivering a large audience of money demos. With this additional hour also having no network spots, this is a great chance to dramatically increase your revenues from this program on this day.

Clients, please let me know as soon as possible if your station plans to carry this extra hour. You can't sell it if it isn't in MediaOffice!

Friday The 13th Removes Most Mystery

Emails indicated, and now APT confirms, that Tuesday through Saturday NBC Prime schedules have been confirmed through First Quarter 2010, with no significant changes. However, we still don't know anything about the last hour of Sunday or either hour of Monday.

All RDRx NBC clients have already been updated to reflect all of these changes. Look in your Public area in Avails for a Master Planner saved by RDRx dated in the past 48 hours, and use it as a template for your avails and media kits.

A Friday Gift from NBC

Yep, Friday afternoon @ 30 Rock. So far, they've changed the scheduling/duration of a skating special airing in January. Let's see if they move the deck chairs any more before departing for CT for the (update: 3 day) weekend.

Of course, when I tease NBC about the careless way they treat local station sales, I'm talking about the people who move these shows around as if they were pawns, not the kind folks in Affiliate Relations who have to tell us, our traffic departments and (through us) our clients already sold on moved/cancelled programming the bad news. You can bet the messengers don't have homes in the Hamptons or in CT.

Update: *Just* 12 changes in January, half of all sports programming in the month. See you on Tuesday, suits in Manhattan. We'll be here when you get back.

But Wait.. More Changes to NBC Sports

Yep, APT reminds us that NBC Sports loves change. I'll start making the fourth and first quarter changes this morning.

All 3 Sunbelt stations now have NBC Sports listings and estimates through January of 2011 in preparation for their departure in 56 days.

In Wine Country to Dry Up in April

Saturdays, April 10 - September 18, 2010
2:02a-2:30a BELLATOR FIGHTING CHAMPIONSHIPS (Original)

As I finish up Sunbelt Sports through 2010, I'll begin replacing the In Wine Country show with this MMA half hour. From the wine-tasters to the beer-chuggers.. trust me, I live in Las Vegas, home of UFC and TapOut. Truck Customizers, gun shops, tattoo parlors, bail-bond services and ambulance chasers lawyers are all potential advertisers to the hard-core MMA fans.

After further review, I'm a dolt. Regular readers here already know that. :)
TV audiences of Strike Force, the MMA show in the same time period for several years, had a tiny audience that was mostly young females. It's late Saturday night, and most male MMA fans are otherwise occupied. :)

NBC's APT Shows TBA for January Prime

NBC's "newly improved" APT still shows nothing but TBA in most of Prime for 2010 aside from Olympics.

Stations who will be my clients next year will still be able to sell other than time period blocks. Those who aren't... well, I can't save the world. Honest, I tried. 61

It's Friday afternoon @ 30 Rock...

And on the way out the door of 30 Rock on October 30, NBC leaks Trauma is canceled in a few weeks, and they'll let us know when they decide what to put in there in January. How about quad runs of sitcom reruns every night? Never mind.. that's the last half of December.

Ooops, it's really 62 now..

Re-united... and it'll feel so good...

Ok, I can connect to my clients in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho now.

(Idaho gets a double dose, as Fox just made some changes for Sunday prime in January.. but readers of this blog don't care, cause you sell NBC!)

Folks working for Peggy are up first.. then Debbie.

NBC: Five Nights In December Changed Again

Wed 23 & 30th.. Office
Mon 28th.. Community
Tues 29th .. Parks & Rec
Thurs, 31st 30 Rock

Ten hours of encores.. I'm pausing the single largest NBC Sports update of my career to make these changes on all client inventories starting now.

Update: TN and MS are updated. The clients I reach through KVBC can't be accessed until someone reboot's the computer located @ 1500. I've notified Birmingham support, who will call Angel. ..sigh.. 64

NBC Releases 328 Event-filled 2010 Sports Calendar

I've been working with NBC's Sports Programming and their scheduling for well over a decade now, and this is the first time I can recall NBC actually telling their affiliates anything close to this detail regarding future sports broadcasts.

328 NBC Sports events and specials in 2010 alone! Just between us, if we tried to track how many times each of these events were to be changed/moved/canceled/etc in the next year, I would raise my rates. So, let's pretend all of these will air on the dates NBC claims now. :)

My five NBC RDRx clients will see this massive announcement showing up in MediaOffic inventory and estimates over the next several days, because I do understand the value of presenting annuals with hundreds of sports event sponsorship possibilities all at once. Perhaps this lump disclosure by NBC is their effort to join in that team effort.

Lots of Updates for November & December Prime

Most of the changes are related to fill-ins, plus a holiday series called The Sing Off, and a Community minimarathon on December 29th.

As Judi just released this info 7 minutes ago, I'm just now starting the update with NBC RDRx clients, but all should see it in inventory and estimates today.

New York Times Revisits Leno Hour

Two weeks into a new season, the talk of television is the Leno effect --and whether it is hazardous to NBC's health.

It is not just a question of how the new "Jay Leno Show" itself is faring in the ratings, but also what the show's occupation of the 10 p.m. hour on NBC means to the network as a whole.

As Shari Anne Brill, the senior vice president and director of program analysis for the advertising agency Carat, put it, "It's really looking like dominoes."

The dominoes in question are the other parts of NBC's schedule affected by the network's decision to relocate its late-night star, Mr. Leno, to prime time. Even though, as NBC executives point out, it is early in this experiment, signs of potential collateral damage have already emerged.

(Click the title of this post to go to the original article at the NYT.)

Friday Afternoon in Manhattan...

And on the way out, NBC Sports Specials pause to mention they are moving around two sports specials in 3 weeks. Face The Ace and World of Adventure Sports on 10/31 get jostled. Why? Only NBC knows, but APT doesn't say why.

Southland Cancelled Before Premiere....

Wow..

from Judi...

ATTN: NBC Program Directors

DATELINE continues to be a strong performer on Fridays, so we're keeping it in the 9PM ET time period, except on 10/16, 11/27 & 12/25.

Next Friday, October 16th, NBC News will be airing a 1-hour special, "Secrets of the Lost Symbol" from 9-10PM ET. (The press release on this was sent out yesterday; RDRx clients already have this in their inventory as a special.)

On November 27th, the Friday after Thanksgiving, we're scheduling an encore presentation of the movie, "The 40 Year Old Virgin," from 8-10PM ET, and on Christmas night an encore of the SNL Christmas 2009 special is already booked to air from 8-10PM ET.

Other changes too, and you'll find them all when you fire up MediaOffice on Friday morning.

Should your station be pushing NBC.com Streaming?

Consider the wording in the following release intended for the NBC TV audience.. your viewers.

NBC.COM GIVES VIEWERS A CHANCE TO STREAM NBC'S 'SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE' IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE BROADCAST

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. October 2, 2009 - NBC.com is giving viewers of critically acclaimed, fan-favorite series "Saturday Night Live" the chance to stay "up-to-date" with every hilarious moment by streaming the current season's episodes. The premiere episode is available now at http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/episodes/?vid=1162391#vid=1162391.

A full list of NBC shows streaming this season follows:

"30 Rock"
"The Biggest Loser"
"Chuck"
"Community"
"Days of our Lives"
"Heroes"
"The Jay Leno Show"
"Late Night with Jimmy Fallon"
"Mercy"
"The Office"
"Parks and Recreation"
"Saturday Night Live"
"SNL Weekend Update Thursday"
"Southland"
"The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien"
"Trauma"

NBC.com, the Emmy Award-winning broadcast network website, is a leading online and mobile destination for television and interactive entertainment. With both derivative and web-exclusive programming, NBC.com pioneered the "360" experience with "Heroes 360," which gave viewers a way to extend their entertainment experience beyond the broadcast, and the first weekly social networking experience attached to a primetime entertainment program with "Dunder Mifflin Infinity." The site offers full episode streaming of many NBC Entertainment shows as well as short clips, interactive games and social networking, including user-generated content. NBC.com continually develops new ways for consumers to experience entertainment content on both existing and emerging platforms. The site is the recipient of multiple Emmy and Webby awards for its content and applications. Please log on to www.nbc.com to learn more.

end of release... now the RDRx perspective.

If you've looked at the difference between your own station's Live Only Nielsen ratings of primetime network programming versus Live Plus 3 days or 7 days, reflecting DVR viewing AFTER original airdate but still on your station, you'll see the conflict between NBC's pitch above and what I believe to be the local station's (and advertisers) best interests.