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August 2007
8/31: TNT sticks with L&O repeats w/Thompson
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Actor and former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson has declared his intention of running for president, but Atlanta’s TNT has decided to stick with “Law & Order” episodes in which he is included.
“TNT has no plans to alter its programming schedule,” a spokesperson for the cable network told the Hollywood Reporter.
The Federal Communications Commission mandates that broadcast TV stations must give “equal time” to presidential opponents beyond news events. But the FCC has not yet enforced this rule on cable networks. Cable networks have in the past voluntarily stopped playing films featuring actors who became political candidates such as Ronald Reagan and Arnold Schwarzenegger.
NBC has already said it would stop airing “Law & Order” reruns after Sept. 1 with Thompson if he said he’d run. Thompson played District Attorney Arthur Branch on the show until he bowed out this spring. According to imdb.com, he has been on 116 episodes since 2002.
TNT airs the show frequently. Last week, “Law & Order” was on 28 times, representing one-sixth of the schedule.
Sam Waterston will take over as DA with his character Jack McCoy.
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8/31: Miss the Office?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those of you who miss “The Office,” here’s a little teaser of what the characters of the show did over the summer.. Andy, played by Westminster grad Ed Helms, did inner tubing. Steve Carrell’s character Michael noted that Jan moved in with him and he caught Ratatouille, didn’t get it, and left. Pam (Jenna Fischer has largely recovered from falling down the stairs) has let her hair down - literally. Oddly, Jan was not interviewed. Season four begins Sept. 27.
I finally caught up with the Sunday finale of “Big Love” on HBO. The show has improved markedly from season one, although how Bill manages to keep his Home Depot-like business going with the leaks of his polygamy getting out there is beyond me. And it’s amazing the neighbors haven’t figured it out yet and that Barb had to tell one of them forthright. But I love Margene; she has definitely grown as a character as she pushes the limits of her position as the “third” wife. I’m looking forward to season three in 2008.
And the New York Times finally gets around to reviewing BET’s “We Got To Do Better” AKA Hot Ghetto Mess. As is typical of the paper when it comes to reviews, the Times doesn’t totally slam the show but isn’t terribly complimentary either. And I tend to agree. The show is not horrible and not overly offensive but hardly must-see TV.
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8/30: Dragoncon TV guests
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Atlanta’s Dragoncon isn’t nearly as big as ComicCon in San Diego and doesn’t bring in the caliber of stars given the geographic distance from Los Angeles. And the timing makes it all but impossible to get actors from shows in production such as “Lost” and “Heroes.” But it still draws tens of thousands of scifi/fantasy fans at the Hyatt/Marriott/Hilton downtown every Labor Day wekeend. There’s a fair share of TV stars, or at least former TV stars, including a few with little to no link to scifi itself but fall under the broader rubric of “pop culture.” Here’s a sampling:
Erik Estrada - As I noted, the former CHIPS star is one of those non-scifi folks.
Feedback - the earnest winner of last year’s SciFi Channel’s “Who Wants To Be a Superhero?” (Major Victory and Fat Mama will be around, too)
Gil Gerard and Erin Gray - The sexy stars from that 1979 sci-fi show “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.”
Louis Gossett Jr. — Academy Award winner for “The Officer and a Gentleman”
William Katt — Three words: “Greatest American Hero.”
Michael Shanks - Daniel Jackson on “Stargate SG-1”
James Marsters - Spike on “Buffy”
Lori Petty - Known at conventions as “Tank Girl”
David Prowse — Yes, he was Darth Vader
Frank Stallone - Sly’s brother and actor/singer who had a top 20 hit 24 years ago called “Far From Over”
Michael Winslow — The dude who made the sound effect noises in the “Police Academy” films
Gates McFadden - Dr. Beverly Crusher on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
Brent Spiner - Data on “Star Trek: The Next Generation”
Elisabeth Rohm - She was one of many assistant DAs on “Law & Order.”
Kevin Sorbo - He was “Hercules” in the successful syndicated drama from the 1990s.
Jamie Bamber — Plays Apollo on SciFi’s “Battlestar Galactica”
Richard Hatch - The orignal Apollo on “Battlestar Galactica” from the late 1970s and not the “Survivor” winner caught for tax evasion.
Grant Imahara - He’s on Discovery Channel’s successful show “Mythbusters”
8/29: Eric Von Haessler update
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Eric Von Haessler, now nearly 11 months removed from Clear Channel nixing the Regular Guys, said he is planning to take them to arbitration for about six months of pay. For him, it’s not about the money, it’s the principle of being cut for no good reason.
If you recall, Larry Wachs taped Yogi & Panda while they were in the bathroom, aired it and mocked them. Yogi & Panda in a lawsuit complained, and Larry & Eric were canned. The boss in charge at the time, Chris Williams, got a week’s suspension but stayed gainfull employed and ultimately got to change 96rock to Project 9-6-1.
Von Haessler felt at the time he got shafted by Clear Channel and that attitude hasn’t changed. Here’s part of an email he sent me today:
“After months of back and forth negotiations between my lawyers and their lawyers it became obvious to me that we have to take them to arbitration. Their monetary offers are a joke and seem designed to insult. I suspect they think I’m some kind of hard luck case that doesn’t have the resources to fight. They’re wrong and the truth is that if I accepted what they’re offering me I’d never be able to look at myself in the mirror again.”
Unfortunately, most in my position choose to settle with them, take a little money, and then agree to never speak publicly about the details of the settlement. That may help out a struggling broadcaster who needs the money but it only serves to allow them to continue to treat their on-air talent in such a contemptible way.
The truth is that I don’t need the money. But I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t stand up to the bullying tactics they’ve employed against me.
He has started a daily online “news jog,” which is his take on the news of the day. Here’s the link.
He is also planning to start a podcast with fellow unemployed jock Jimmy Baron to see if the two have chemistry.
8/29: TMZ’s DWTS cast leak about half right
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TMZ.com on Monday came out with a “leaked” list of who will perform on ABC’s “Dancing With the Stars” next month. In the end, the Web site got eight right, six wrong. The show debuts Sept. 24.
The eight they got correct were entrepreneur and Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, Vegas entertainer Wayne Newton, boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr., “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman” Jane Seymour, “Scary Spice” Mel B, “Cheetah Girl” Sabrina Bryan, Indie car driver Helio Castroneves and “Beverly Hills 90210” alum Jennie Garth (above, from her last show on the WB “What I Like About You.”)
Other joining the show are model-actress Josie Maran (who?), “All My Children” star Cameron Mathison, actress/singer Marie Osmond and model Albert Reed (who?)
Other names tmz.com provided — Tori Spelling, Lou Ferrigno, Richard Quest, Gisselle Bundchen, Nia Peeples and Aaron Carter — were incorrect.
8/29: Army Wives hits ratings high
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TV RATINGS WINNERS
Lifetime’s “Army Wives” — This network’s biggest series, shot in neighboring South Carolina, ended with a big first-season flourish Sunday, bringing in a record 4.1 million viewers.
NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” — With Fox’s “So You Think You Can Dance” no longer airing on Fox, this aging reality show was able to rebound a bit, hitting a season high of 7.3 million August 22, up from a season low the week earlier of 5.7 million. Ralph Harris, one of the final five, is going to be at the Punchline this weekend, Friday through Sunday. More details here.. Matt Kershon, the young-looking Brit who made the final 10 but is now eliminated, will be at the Funny Farm Sept. 13 through 16..
TBS’s “House of Payne” — This Atlanta-created sitcom August 22 pulled in its best numbers since its huge debut in June, averaging 3.8 million over two episodes, an increase of more than 50 percent over recent weeks. A TBS spokeswoman said the only thing she could think of was the fact TBS aired “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” that previous Sunday, providing a nice reminder for folks to watch the Tyler Perry sitcom.
VH’s “Rock of Love” — Bret Michaels isn’t quite Flavor Flav but VH1 celebreality fans are enjoying the show. In its sixth outing, this umpteenth “Bachelor” ripoff hit a series high, bringing in 2.2 million people Sunday. And the quirky “Scott Baio is 45… and Single” brought in a respectable 1.6 million later that night in its first-season finale, meriting a season two renewal.
“CNN Presents: God’s Warriors” — The three-part series about extremists in world religions hosted by Christiane Amanpour brought in a solid audience last week, averaging about 2.1 milion viewers over three nights, better numbers than the show it preempted “Larry King Live” typically gets.
LOSERS
TBS’s’ My Boys” — This comedy about a female sportswriter in Chicago in its second season is losing its mojo. Opening at a modest 1.6 million July 30, the show has shed audience every week since, falling to 1.04 million August 20.
CMT’s “Celebrity Bull Riding” — This reality show is yet another loser for CMT, which has been groping for a hit lately and failing. “Bull Riding,” which features folks like Vanilla Ice and “Survivor” finalist Jonny “Fairplay” drew just 357,000 viewers Friday. At least 10 repeats of “Dukes of Hazzard” did better than that on CMT last week.
USA’s “The 4400” — This once-huge scifi show is in big trouble as it hit yet another series low August 16, falling to just 1.7 million.
ABC Family’s “Slacker Cats” - ABC Family’s first attempt at animation was more slack than slick. On August 20, it drew just 453,000 viewers.
Fox’s “Teen Choice Awards” — Although this awards show came in second among teens last week after airing Sunday, it did poorly among anybody older, bringing in fewer than 4 million viewers total.
8/28: WSB-AM charity event raises $1.2 million
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WSB-AM and its generous listeners pulled in nearly as much money as last year, when the station brought in $1.27 million in pledges for Aflac Cancer Center & Blood Disorders Service of Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
This year, the total was $1,240,627 as of last Friday. (In 2005, WSB-AM attracted just over $1 million.)
A few highlights from the 37-hour broadcast:
Over $266,000 was pledged by listeners in the Care-a-Thon’s final hour, and that amount was generously matched by Aflac.
Atlanta Braves pitcher Tim Hudson and wife Kim and Atlanta Brave Jeff Francoeur and his fiancée Catie McCoy all participated in the broadcast. Special call-ins included U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson who generously auctioned a lunch date with himself.
Francoeur sold seats to a private lunch for $1,000 per couple. The lunch will take place at Maggiano’s and include Jeff and other Atlanta Braves guests.
U.S. Air Force Maj. David Hyre sold over 50 American flags flown during military missions in Iraq for $1,000 each.
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8/28: South Park, Scott Baio renewed
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Comedy Central has extended “South Park” at least through 2011, which would make it an impressive 15-year run. They are also launching a South Park Web site The deal is worth $75 million.
“Three more years of South Park gives us the opportunity to offend that many more people. And since Trey and I are in charge of the digital side of South Park for the first time, now we can offend people on their cell phones, game consoles, and computers too. It’s all very exciting for us.”
- Matt Stone, August 27, 2007
And VH1’s “Scott Baio is 45… and Single” will be back. In the final moments of Sunday’s finale, he asked his girlfriend Renee his hand in marriage. Then she dropped the bombshell that she’s pregnant. The second season, to be taped this fall, will be how he handles these changes. The first season, which debuted July 15, averaged a respectable 1.3 million viewers. And of those 1.3 million, 1 million were in that advertiser-friendly 18-to-49 demo. Sure, the show is completely contrived and possibly staged to the nth degree, but who cares?
Plus, that interview Tom Joyner was supposed to have this morning with Michael Vick didn’t happen. Joyner said Vick’s advisors told him not to do it.
8/27: Anchorwoman gone, DWTS cast leaked
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Less than 24 hours after the nasty Fox reality show “Anchorwoman” aired last Wednesday to a measly 2.7 million viewers, Fox killed it, thank goodness. For those who are, fox.com will air the remaining episodes. I won’t be watching.
And if you want to know the C-listers who joined the fifth edition of “Dancing With the Stars” set to debut Sept. 24 on ABC, TMZ.com has leaked the names, including a couple of substitutes. I’m not sure which ones are the subs. It’s the usual mix of has beens and random “who is that again?” folks. The hunk factor seems to be a wee bit low.
Aaron Carter — the requisite teen heartthrob
Wayne Newton — the resident “older dude” along the lines of Jerry Springer and George Hamilton
Mark Cuban — a man better known as an Internet entrepreneur who now owns the Mavericks
Jane Seymour — ahh… Dr. Quinn hitting the dance floor! Excellent!
Mel B (not dancing, but playing a role on the show) — Isn’t she busy touring with the Spice Girls or something?
Jennie Garth — Well, Ian Ziering from “Beverly Hills 90210” and “DWTS 4” must have convinced her to do this!
Tori Spelling — Awww… could this be a “90210” reunion?
Floyd Mayweather, Jr. — He’s a pro boxer, the third following Laila Ali and Evander Holyfield.
Lou Ferrigno — Talk about a man who does not have a dancer’s figure! But he should be entertaining and hopefully better than say, Master P.
Nia Peeples — The former “Fame” gal and R&B singer recently joined the cast of “The Young & the Restless.”
Richard Quest — He’s the requisite journalist on the show but not terribly well known. He works for CNN International out of London.
Giselle Bundchen — It never hurts to have a hot model or two on the show and Giselle is a yummy addition.
Helio Castroneves — He’s an Indy driver. I know nothing else. Talk about obscure!
Sabrina Bryan — She’s part of the “Cheetah Girls.”
8/26: We’re No. 8!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In Nielsen rankings based on population, Atlanta has edged up to No. 8 starting September 22 from No. 9, jumping past Washington D.C., according to broadcast news info site newsblues.com. It’s the only change in the top 10 this year.
The top 10 TV markets are 1. New York 2. Los Angeles 3. Chicago 4. Philadelphia 5. Dallas-Ft. Worth 6. San Francisco 7. Boston 8. Atlanta 9 Washington D.C. 10. Houston
Atlanta has 2,310,490 households, up from 2,205,510 a year ago.
Arbitron ranks the radio markets differently. As of spring 2007, Atlanta remains at No. 9 but is closing in on No. 8. There’s less than 100,000 difference between the two cities and Atlanta is growing faster than D.C.
The top 10 radio markets are 1. New York 2. Los Angeles 3. Chicago 4. San Francisco 5. Dallas-Ft. Worth 6. Houston-Galveston 7. Philadelphia 8. Washington D.C. 9. Atlanta 10. Detroit
Arbitron measures the population, ages 12 plus. Atlanta has 4,085,000 people in that age range.
Boston, ranked 7 in TV, is only No. 11 in radio.
8/25: Duluth teen & Nick star in promo mode
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Devon Werkheiser (above) signed posters for his film “Shredderman Rules” for mostly pre-teen kids and their parents at Family Fun Day at Centennial Olympic Park which also featured Nickelodeon’s “Slime Mobile.” Lines were long and he as congenial, personalizing each poster. If you’ve seen him on TV, he possesses an every-teen quality about him, very approachable, very natural. He made his name on “Ned’s DeClassified,” a hit show on Nick that he finished shooting in mid-2006 after three seasons. Nick aired the final new episode of “Ned” in June 2007 but continues to keep it on the schedule since it repeats well.
Sample clips of the show are online on nick.com.
“I watch you every day,” said Jamal Hilaire, 6, of Atlanta, a first grader, to Devon. His favorite “Ned” episode is called “Embarrassment” in which Ned has a problem with flatulence. CREDIT: Rodney Ho/Staff
I wrote the following for Saturday’s paper in advance of his two public appearances in Atlanta:
Part-time Duluth resident Devon Werkheiser is a Tom Hanks-style- star in the narrow world of tweendom thanks to his leading role as nice-guy Ned in the just-concluded Nickelodeon’s hyperkinetic hit show “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide.”
Outside of that world? Not so much.
“I have parents come up to me and say, ‘I don’t know who you are, but my kid wants his picture taken with you,’ ” said Devon, 16, who is set to hang today at Nickelodeon’s “Slime Mobile” at Centennial Olympic Park, followed by a signing at a Marietta Wal-Mart for the DVD release of his film “Shredderman Rules.”
On “Ned’s” minor cult following with college students: “I get 20-year-olds who say, ‘Dude! I love your show!’ It’s so random!”
On the made-for-TV movie “Shredderman,” which stars Devon as dorky Nolan Byrd, who uses his secret alter ego Shredderman to take down a bully: “It did well [about 4 million viewers in June]. Nickelodeon wasn’t upset. They’re talking about a sequel.”
On rival Disney’s much bigger hit “High School Musical”: “The music is great. Those songs are catchy, man!” (Devon spent the summer working on his own CD.)
On his friend and “HSM” star Corbin Bleu: “We had lunch recently. He was just mobbed. I feel bad for him. It’s got to be draining to get that all the time.”
On not being mobbed like Corbin Bleu: ” ‘Ned’ has totally flown under the radar in terms of press, although we got great ratings. … But I’m not stuck as Ned. I can make a name for myself, not my character.”
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8/25: The Kid Nation contract
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Smoking Gun procured the 22-page document parents had to sign to get their kids on CBS’s “Kid Nation.” Seven families from Georgia signed this, including the ones that complained to New Mexico officials that thes how exploited the kids.
The contract clears CBS of virtually all liability. Parents of the minors participating on the show couldn’t sue the network or producers if the kids died, were severely injured or even contracted a sexually transmitted disease. CBS and its production partners could also make medical decisions without parental consent without guarantees of the “qualifications or credentials” of those medical pros. The participants have no privacy except in the bathroom when the child is actually “in the process of showering, bathing, urinating, or defecating.”
If the parents or minor break confidentiality provisions, they could be sued by CBS for $5 million.
TSG received the contract from the New Mexico attorney general’s office in response to an open records request.
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8/24: Steve Harvey in town
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Grown Folks 102.5’s syndicated morning host Steve Harvey’s in town again, primarily for the Ebony Black Family Reunion tour at Cascade Field on Saturday with old-school hip-hop acts such as MC Lyte, Whodini and Doug E. Fresh. And how about this for strange? They are going to try to break some record for most people line dancing.
Harvey works with two major Atlanta corporate sponsors: Home Depot and Coke. And on behalf of the new World of Coke museum, he joined Coke’s first African-American model from the 1950s Mary Alexander, for a ceremony Thursday night. On a special montage Coke showed the media and officials, Harvey bookended a series of shots of Mary, followed by past Coke sponsors Gladys Knight & the Pips, Ray Charles, Mean Joe Greene, Bill Cosby, an ’80s era Whitney Houston and Michael Jordan, to name a few.
Here are some photos I took from the event:
Above: Steve with Mary and Coke official.
The Coke mascot bear blinks, nods its head jauntily and opens its mouth and grins.
8/24: Kid Nation controversy keeps brewing
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
CBS courted and even expected controversy over its new reality show “Kid Nation,” in which 40 kids create a “society” in a New Mexico “ghost town” without parents. It’s very much “Survivor” with kids, ages 8 to 15. But the heat has probably been a bit more than CBS truly anticipated. New Mexico officials Thursday said they are reopening an investigation over whether CBS broke child labor laws.
The show is set to debut Sept. 19.
A Fayetteville, GA parent Janis Miles started the ball rolling in June when she wrote a letter to a Georgia sheriff complaining about the show on behalf of her daughter Divad, who got burned by grease while cooking potatoes on a wood stove.. (Seven Georgia kids were among the 40 who participated.) She said at least four kids were injured after accidentally ingesting bleach.
Tom Forman, the show’s executive producer, confirmed with the Associated Press the grease-spattering and bleach-sipping incidents, but called them the kinds of accidents that can happen “in any kitchen, in any school, in any home, in any camp” and said that the children immediately got medical attention.
Forman said adults were present at all times during the production, ready to step in.
Miles’ complaint was sent to Santa Fe County Sheriff Greg Solano, who on July 20 posted an item on his department blog revealing Miles’ claims and stating he had found no criminal wrongdoing related to the production. The New York Times broke the story on Saturday and noted on Thursday that the contract parents signed gave CBS required kids do whatever producers said 24 hours a day over more than a month’s time.
The children in the show, ages 8-15, hauled water, prepared meals, elected a government and passed laws
None of the other parents have complained, but they are under major confidentiality constraints given the contracts they signed with CBS. CBS could sue them for $5 million for talking out of line. And though CBS let some parents speak last week, they aren’t allowing Miles to talk. (I spoke with one parent last week and she wasn’t willing to say anything negative about the show at all.)
According to the New York Times,, officials at two agencies — the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department and the Department of Workforce Solutions — said that state law required that the show be reviewed and licensed but that CBS never contacted those departments before filming. During production, New Mexico officials inspected the set but didn’t act at the time.
The Los Angeles Times Thursday reported that the New Mexico attorney general’s office said Thursday that it is starting a new investigation into whether CBS and the producers of “Kid Nation” broke state laws while the controversial reality show was filmed near Santa Fe this spring.
Parents and children were guaranteed $5,000 stipends with potential to win $20,000 daily prizes. Children were allowed to leave anytime they wanted to and some did, though CBS won’t say how many.
Chris Ender, a spokesman for CBS, declined to comment to the New York Times on the reopening of the investigation and referred to a previous CBS statement saying “the series was filmed responsibly and within all applicable laws in the state of New Mexico at the time of the production.”
8/23: More on 99X
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Someone has actually started an online petition to bring back Steve Craig’s noontime nostalgia hour the Retroplex, which disappeared Monday after 13 years on 99X.. The person who started it, who identified herself as Rebekka, wrote the following:
We the citizens of the city of Atlanta, concerned former listeners of 99x, petition the station to bring the Retroplex back to our weekday lunch hour! The Retroplex was more than the last great show on Atlanta radio, it is an Atlanta staple- known and loved worldwide, and to cancel it is to destroy history. We, the undersigned, stand in support of retaining music history, and against 99x without the Retroplex!
Craig earlier this week said the listeners wanted to listen to at least some new music all the time and many cuts from the Retroplex will be scattered throughout his show from 10 to 3.
Also given the negative ratings trendlines of the morning show since its launch in October 2006, I asked Cumulus vice president of programming John Dickey this week about 99X. He used the “Arbitron isn’t accurate” gambit, along with the fact the “cumulative” audience for the new Morning X (at about 170K) has been steady the past year. Time spent listening has been the problem. Arbitron has had trouble getting enough people in the target 18 to 44 age range to provide paper diaries, creating more accuracy uncertainty.
Dickey said he fully supports the new Morning X and the station as as whole, despite the ratings problems.
“I think the morning show is doing a good job,” Dickey said. “I think the morning show is fine. One year is nothing in the lifespan of morning radio. We’re tracking fine. We love the [alternative rock] format. We love the results the format gets. In terms of listeners and what we do for the advertisers, the music and product has been great.”
He said the station plans to put advertiser testimonials on the Web site to show that the station has a positive impact.
8/23: Talk with Design Star’s Christina Ray
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Christina Ray, the sweet-as-pecan-pie interior designer from Canton, was abruptly ousted in Sunday’s episode on HGTV’s popular reality show “Design Star” without even a judge involved.
Instead, a couple about to get married deemed her wedding reception presentation too feminine, even for the bride’s taste. She also left out the red color the guy wanted because she felt it clashed with the lavender the wife wanted.
“It was fairly shocking she was gone,” Atlanta interior designer and judge Vern Yip said to me this week. “She is a very talented designer. She has an innate sense of certain design principles.” He said he honestly thought she’d go further. (She was one of two people eliminated Sunday. Four contestants remain.)
Ray, immediately after she was ousted, was heartbroken. “I feel like a failure,” she said on the show.
But months later, she was back to her chipper self. “I don’t have any regrets of the design plan I chose,” she said.
Ray, 30, who is married with two young children, said Christina Ray Designs business has blown up since the series launched last month. “I’m getting a lot more commercial work,” she said. “Clubhouses for apartment complexes. Model apartments for display. Office space. I’m getting calls from all over America!”
Although it’s clear HGTV has upped the budget for the show after last year’s successful first season, but the network has kpet the number of episodes to eight (not counting the single casting episode.). For three episodes in a row, “Design Star” has eliminated two people at a time and swiftly went from 10 to 4. While most broadcast TV networks stretch their shows out (see “So You Think You Can Dance” or “America’s Got Talent”), “Design Star” has been swift to the point of almost too fast. At least with Bravo’s highly entertaining “Top Chef,” you can get to know the contestants more over a longer period fo time.
8/23: Cable dominates summer over broadcast
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Cable networks continue to nibble away at broadcast TV, especially during the summer. In fact, this summer was a truly watershed year for cable with record overall viewership.
Turner Broadcasting research held a press conference Wednesday reviewing Arbitron numbers. And Turner has plenty to crow about itself thanks to Adult Swim, TNT’s “Saving Grace” and “The Closer,” plus TBS’s sitcoms “House of Payne” and “Bill Engvall Show.”
Broadcast networks (ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, CW, MyNetwork) have lost 1.8 million households this year vs. a year ago. Every single network lost viewers. Most of those people went to cable. Broadcast has basically given up on new scripted shows over the summer, pumping out a surfeit of reality TV while cable has pumped out more than 15 scripted shows. Nonetheless, broadcast did introduce 18 new shows this summer, doubling a year ago. The problem: this didn’t exactly help viewership and 65 percent of shows remain repeats among the big four networks.
ABC was by far the most aggressive, introducing a whopping 11 new shows but ended up with zero hits and one viable keeper in “Just For Laughs.” CBS garnered one new keeper: “Power of 10” to accompany its steady performer “Big Brother.” NBC has one big hit “America’s Got Talent” and one semi-new hit “The Singing Bee.” Fox continues to thrive with two solid shows “Hell’s Kitchen” and “So You Think You Can Dance,” plus a decent performance with “Don’t Forget the Lyrics.”
Cable hit home runs all over the place. Lifetime got record numbers with “Army Wives.” TBS did the same with “The Closer.” History Channel hit the jackpot with “Ice Road Truckers” (see below.). USA brought in relatively huge numbers from “Monk,” “Psych” and “Burn Notice.” Discovery Channel also impressed with “Deadliest Catch.” And VH1, Bravo, Food Network and HGTV did well with reality shows (“Charm School,” “Top Chef,” “The Next Food Network Star” and “Design Star,” respectively.)
There’s a lingering perception that summer viewing is way down from the regular season. That’s not the case anymore. Back in 1975, viewership was down 15 percent vs. the rest of the year. But this year, the gap is just 3 percent. The average number of minutes a household watches TV a week is 57 hours and 39 minutes. That’s up from 43 hours and 42 minutes in 1975 and 52 hours and 35 minutes in 2000. and Ad-supported cable now covers 62.8 percent of summer viewing vs. 27.7 percent for broadcast cable. (The rest includes pay cable and public broadcast TV.)
Meanwhile, let’s look at the past week. We know about Disney’s “High School Musical 2,” which broke all sorts of basic cable records with its 17.24 million viewers. The second and third showings Saturday and Sunday brought in another 15 million for a whopping 32 million for the three showings.
Disney owned 11 of the top 12 shows on cable last week, with only TNT’s “The Closer” breaking the monotony with 7.4 million viewers, ranked 8th for the week. (Normally, that would merit the top spot.)
But Disney wasn’t the only winner last week.
WINNERS
History Channel’s “Ice Road Truckers” - Going macho (and basically copying the DIscovery Channel formula) worked for the History Channel thanks to this provocative reality show chronicling the lives of truckers racing against time and Mother Nature to ship equipment over the (briefly) frozen lakes in the Canadian tundra. The show finale pulled in more than 4.8 million viewers, a record for the network.
MTV’s “The Hills” -; While “Real World” pulls in blah numbers, “The Hills” (thanks to Heidi and Lauren” opened big with 3.8 millino viewers.
NBC’s “America’s Got Talent” - Terry Fater, the amazing singing ventriloquist, deservedlly won the second season and $1 million and the show brought in a series high 13.9 million viewers Tuesday, up 15 percent from the finale a year ago.
Showtime’s “Californication” — This David Duchovny series with plenty of skin saw a big increase its second weekend, up 24 percent to 684,000 viewers this past Monday.
HBO’s “Flight of the Conchords” and “Entourage” — “Entourage,” not surprisingly, got a renewal, averaging about 3 million viewers every Sunday. Surprisingly, HBO also gave the nod to “Flight,” which is only bringing in about 1 million viewers. But a renewal is a win no matter what.
LOSERS
NBC’s “Last Comic Standing” - This search for the best standup comic, in its fifth incarnation, isn’t bringing in the house, much less bringing down the house. It’s averaging only about 6.5 million viewers compared to closer to 8 million a year ago.
SciFi’s “Flash Gordon” - SciFi looks like it has another loser on its hands. After the cheesy opening episode drew a respectable 2.1 million last week, nearly half the curiosity seekers left in a flash. The show only drew 1.14 million last Friday.
AMC’s “Mad Men”— Despite good critical buzz and a certain level of charm, this show about ad execs circa 1960 dipped to its series low August 17 in its fifth outing, bringing in just 754,000 compared to its 1.64 million opening and 849,000 a week earlier.
**TNT’s “The Company” — Despite the scope and breadth of this miniseries about the Cold War, its ratings performance has been a disappointment for TNT, falling from a relatively modest 2.9 million August 5 to 1.9 million this past Sunday.
Fox’s “On the Lot” — You have to give Fox props for running this reality show to its bitter completion despite abysmal numbers from beginning to end, averaging barely 2 million viewers a week. For a broadcast network, that’s horrid. The finale Tuesday drew 2.5 million and the winner Will Bigham finally got to meet executive producer Steven Spielberg. Comically, Spielberg avoided this turd til the final moments of the show but he didn’t even bother deign show up to the set. He had Bigham come to him at Dreamworks, where he said a couple of kind words in front of the cameras and the show faded to black — forever.
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8/23: Stations with loyal listeners
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Radio stations love loyal listeners and so do advertisers.
Here are the percentages, from highest to lowest, of Atlanta listeners who ID that radio station as their “first preference,” based on the spring Arbitron ratings. This indicates a deeper well of loyal listening and stations with specific niches tend to do better. And this only measures folks who are 18 and older so stations that cater to a younger crowd may suffer.
WSB-AM (49.6%)
Praise 97.5 (46.8%)
El Patron (45.4%)
Viva (45.25)
680/The Fan (40.6%)
Kiss 104.1 (40.2%) 7. Fish (39.8%) 8. V-103 (39.2%) 9. Q100 (38.5%) 10. B98.5 (36.6%) 11. The River (35.7%) 12. Kicks 101.5 (35.6%) 13. Project 9-6-1 (35.6%) 14. Jazz 107.5 (32.5%) 15. Dave FM (32.4%) 16. Eagle 106.7 (29.9%) 17. Hot 107.9 (29.8%) 18. Star 94 (29.7%) 19. Grown Folks (26.7%) 20. 790/The Fan (26.6%) 21. WGST (25.8%) 22. 99X (24.7%) 23. 95.5/The Beat (24.2%) 24. 94.9/The Bull (22.6%) 25. WAOK-AM (20.4%)
Stations that saw major percentage point increases from the fall of 2004 include WAOK-AM, 680/The Fan and Q100.
Those stations which suffered dropoffs include WGST, Hot 107.9, Kicks (which faced new competition in 2007), 99X (getting hurt by Project), Viva (which has El Patron to deal with now) , Star 94 and Eagle (see Kicks).
Rank them by total number of loyal listeners and the pattern is more like the regular rankings with WSB-AM, V-103 and Kiss the top three, with the River, B98.5 and Praise not far behind.
8/22: Anchorwoman on Fox—stay away!
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
There is plenty of drivel on TV all the time and among reality shows, this summer, I thought “Hey Paula” on Bravo was by far the worst — until now. Fox’s “Anchorwoman” is a painfully contrived reality show in which a Tyler, Texas TV station hires a former WWE wrestler and model Lauren Jones as an anchorwoman for a month. The whole thing is so blatantly a stunt that even the supposed “outrage” feels manufactured. And the show itself is so dull and predictable, you are wishing you were watching the film “Anchorman” instead. In fact, please watch that instead and avoid this loser. The show debuts tonight at 9.
8/22: Stations with richest listeners
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here are spring Arbitron rankings based on most listeners with household incomes of $75K and those with the highest percentage of listeners with $75K-plus incomes. The source is a Research Director Inc. analysis book commissioned for CBS Radio from Arbitron, spring 2007.
First, based purely on total numbers of $75K-plus, which Cox Radio should be thrilled since they have the top three stations in terms of total listeners. The 680/The Fan listeners are far more affluent on average than those of 790/The Zone.
An exec at a local radio station said this data is cross-referenced from research done last summer, so the numbers for El Patron, The Bull and Project may not be accurate and reflective of the prior formats.
1- WSB-AM
B98.5
97.1 The River
V-103
Kicks 101.5
Star 94 7. Dave FM 8. 104.7/The Fish 9. Kiss 104.1 10. Jazz 107.5 11. (tie) Project 9-6-1, 94.9/The Bull 13.680/The Fan 14. Q100 15. 640/WGST 16. Grown Folks 102.5 17. (tie) Praise 97.5/ Hot 107.9 19. (tie) 95.5/The Beat, 99X 21. 790/The Zone 22. Eagle 106.7 23. Viva 24. WAOK-Am 25. El Patron
Here are the stations with the highest percentage of richer folks listening in (this is percentage of listening done by people with household incomes of $75K plus).
680/The Fan (72.8%)
Dave FM (66.7%)
790/The Zone (63%)
WGST (54.4%)
Star 94 (52.6%)
Q100 (50.9%) 7. 97.1/The River (49.8%) 8. Project 9-6-1 (49.6%) 9. WSB-AM (48.7%) 10.(tie) 104./The Fish and 99X (47.3%) 12. 94.9/The Bull (44.4%) 13. B98.5 (43.2%) 14. Kicks 101.5 (37.1%) 15. Grown Folks 102.5 (34.2%) 16. WAOK-AM (31.3%) 17. Eagle 106.7 (30.8%) 18. Jazz 107.5 (29.4%) 19. 95.5/The Beat (23.5%) 20. Hot 107.9 (22.4%) 21. V-103 (21.5%) 22. Kiss 104.1 (20.1%) 23. Praise 97.5 (16.2%) 24. Viva 105.7 (12.4%) 25. El Patron (3.7%)
Compared to numbers in fall 2004, with inflation, most stations saw higher percentages of $75K-plus listeners. Stations which showed exceptional growth included Grown Folks, WAOK-AM, The Fan, the Fish and B98.5. The only station who saw a major drop was Jazz 107.5.
8/21: On Entourage, Biggest Loser, Emmys, Kristen Bell
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HBO has greenlit a fifth season for its current biggest hit “Entourage,” which usually brings in about 3 million viewers Sunday nights. Surprisingly, it also gave a thumbs up to “Flight of the Conchords,” which averages only about 1 million viewers after “Entourage.” “Conchords” is quite different in tone from “Entourage,” and is so cultish strange, it has no prayer of becoming a mainstream hit despite some funny moments.
NBC’s “The Biggest Loser,” season four, features a metro Atlantan, Bryan Washington, 29, of Riverdale, Georgia. The network, which isn’t making him available for interviews, has offered no details on who he is or what he does or how much he weighed when the show started. The show debuts Sept. 11 and will air Tuesdays at 8 p.m.
And the TV Guide Channel apparently is the place for former “Dancing With the Stars” stars. Joan and Melissa Rivers were dumped for red-carpet coverage. Now the channel is using Lisa Rinna and Joey Fatone, both “Dancing” alums. Joey, who is also hosting NBC’s “The Singing Bee” is getting a lot of work, isn’t he?
In casting news, “Veronica Mars” fans should rejoice: Kristen Bell is joining “Heroes” for 13 episodes. And she actually turned down “Lost.” Check out TV Guide’s Q&A with her..
Janeane Garofalo joins “24” as a U.S. government agent investigating whatever crisis Jack Bauer & Co. face. Hopefully, she’ll butt heads with Chloe.
Oh, and K-Fed is guesting on the CW’s “One Tree Hill.” The less said about that the better.
8/21: 99X Retroplex torn down
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After 13 years on 99X, Steve Craig’s signature “Retroplex” nostalgia lunch hour today has been dismantled, replaced by something called 99X-press lunch.”
The show in the 1990s was a historical look at the 1980s with a bit of new wave, a bit of old-school punk and other classic alternative. He would regularly do something called “The Wheel of Ramones” in which he’d pick a Ramones song from a “wheel” that said “gabba gabba gabba.” A few years ago, Steve began peppering in early 1990s cuts as well. But it’s time apparently has passed.
“Over the last year or so, we were getting more and more asking for the regular 99X alternative format,” Craig said.
99X’s replacement is indeed the same 99X playlist, just 13 songs in a row commercial free. Today, the hour included current cuts by the Smashing Pumpkins (“That’s the Way My Love Is’) and Interpol (“Heinrich Maneuver”) and a few older ones (The Clash’s “Rock the Casbah” and Cure’s “Pictures of You”). In other words, it’s pretty much the normal playlist.
Craig, despite how long he helmed the show, said he’s not sad about its departure. “There will always be room for the Pixies, Social Distortion, the Ramones in the mix,” he said. “Do I have emotional ties to Duran Duran? No.”
The final Retroplex Monday featured Dada’s “Dizz Knee Land,” Morrissey’s “Tomorrow,” Bad Religion’s “Infected,” Madness’ “Our House” and Romeo Void’s “Never Say Never.” The second-to-last tune was the Ramones’ “Blitzkrieg Bop.” The final Retroplex song was Green Day’s “Good Riddance (Time of Your Life).” Craig said that wasn’t necessarily done on purpose.
8/21: Atlantan on new “Survivor: China”
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For the first time in several years, a metro Atlantan is on CBS’s most popular reality show “Survivor.” Sherea Lloyd is a 26-year-old elementary school teacher with a twin sister who has moved around but now lives in Atlanta. This 15th version of “Survivor” will be based in China for the first time and episodes start Sept. 20.
Jeff Probst in the latest TV Guide said the following about her: “Sherea is a fish out of water here, but she’s a fighter. She is another person who will tell you what she’s thinking. Sherea and a few others made me see the beauty and power of announcing who you are and being that person, because that makes you identifiable.”
Sherea received a bachelors degree at Florida A&M and a masters degree at Florida State University. She’s also part of the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority. She told “Survivor” that she’s sassy, outspoken and caring.
The last notable metro Atlantan on the show that I can recall was lovable Thomaston Superior Court judge Paschal “Pappy” English in 2002 during “Survivor: Marquesas.” He warmed the hearts of millions of viewers with his kind personality and gentle game play. He made it to fourth place and could have gotten further except he had to participate in a tiebreaker that involved no skill, just luck, and ended up with the “purple stone of death.” Prior to him was flight attendant Teresa Cooper of Jackson, GA, who came in fifth during the third edition of “Survivor” in Africa.
“Survivor” has seen ratings slide the past couple of years from an average of about 21 million in the spring of 2005 to just 15 million this past spring. But the show is an historical mile marker, arriving with a splash in 2000, the first bonafide broadcast “reality” show hit. It remains a major entry point for CBS on Thursday nights. To this day, although “American Idol” now supersedes it in terms of buzz, many fans are still charmed by the show’s consistency and how it cemented terms such as “tribal council,” “reward challenge” and “alliance” into the pop-culture lexicon.
According to TV Guide, the show has been granted unprecedented access to the Shaolin Temple and the Great Wall. The first episode will feature a Buddhist ceremony, a 100-foot-tall replica of an historic temple was built for the tribal council set and each player received Sun Tzu’s sixth-century military strategy treatise “The Art of War,” a useful book for any “Survivor” player.
Do you know Sherea? Email me at rho@ajc.com if you do and I’d love to interview you. Here’s more bio info and video with Sherea, as provided by CBS..
8/21: Median ages of radio listeners
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
According to spring Arbitron numbers, Jazz 107.5 has the oldest listeners in town while Hot 107.9 has the youngest.
The median Atlanta radio listener is about 40 years old, which hasn’t changed much in recent years. That means half the listeners are over 40, half under.
Here are the median ages from youngest to oldest. (The number in parenthetical was the median age backin the fall of 2004 for stations that haven’t changed format).
Praise, Kiss, Jazz, Eagle, WAOK-AM, Dave FM, 99X and Q100 have all gotten significantly older. Grown Folks, since going to a talk/music blend, has gotten younger. The two new Hispanic stations, which skew very young, helped bring the median age down. And Project 9-6-1, as a new active rock station, now draws an audience 10 years younger than the old 96rock.
Hot 107.9: 23.5 (24.9)
95.5/The Beat: 23.8 (22.7)
105.3/El Patron: 26.1
Viva 105.7: 28.7
Q100: 29.6 (26.4)
Project 9-6-1: 29.7
99X: 30.5 (26.3)
V-103: 32.4 (31)
Star 94: 36 (35.8)
Kicks 101.5: 39.2 (38.3)
790/The Zone: 39.2 (37.9)
Grown Folks 102.5: 39.5 (42.5 when it was a pure music station)
680/The Fan: 41.9 (43.4)
104.7/The Fish: 42.1 (41.4)
Dave FM: 42.3 (37.3)
97.1/The River: 44.7
94.9/The Bull: 45.2
Praise 97.5: 45.5 (42.7)
B98.5: 46.2 (45.8)
Kiss 104.1: 46.7 (42.7)
Eagle 106.7: 50.3 (47.7)
WAOK-AM: 53.5 (47.5)
WSB-AM: 53.7 (53.2)
WGST-AM: 54.4 (52.9)
Jazz 107.5: 48.6 (55.2)
8/20: Larry King guesting on The Closer
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Call this Turner Broadcasting synergy: CNN’s Larry King will be a guest on season finale of “The Closer” Sept. 10 playing himself.
The episode will also feature Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez of California, as well as author and Court TV personality Dominick Dunne and Court TV legal analyst Rikki Klieman.
King, Sanchez, Dunne and Klieman are scheduled to appear in part two of the season finale. Kyra Sedgwick’s Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson investigates a high-profile murder in which her investigation seems to strengthen the prime suspect’s defense. She is eventually called to testify in the high-profile court case that follows. King will appear in the show as himself on the set of Larry King Live, interviewing Sanchez about the case. Klieman and Dunne will give commentary on the steps of the courthouse as part of a legal analysis of the case for Court TV.
King loves doing cameos on TV shows and movies as himself. Here’s a sampling from imdb.com:
Shark, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Boston Legal, Law & Order; Trial By Jury, Mr. 3000, Stepford Wives, Arli$$, the Practice, Everybody Loves Raymond, John Q, Enemy of the State, Bulworth, Primary Colors, Frasier, the Jackal, Mad City, Contact and Murphy Brown.
8/20: Who’s listening to Atlanta radio
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Last week, I attended the bi-annual CBS Radio ratings luncheon at Maggiano’s, where they have a consultant from Research Director Inc. parse out the Arbitron ratings.
What’s great for me is the treasure trove of data the company hands out. I’ll post some of the latest info from the spring Arbitron book throughout the next couple of weeks.
Arbitron received 3,831 surveys from metro Atlanta over the spring, each survey covering a week. Each survey represents about 1,066 people.
The average Atlantan listens to 18 hours and 32 minutes of radio per week, which is about par with the rest of the country. That is about 2 hours and 39 minutes a day. About 95 percent of Atlantans tune into the radio (be it Internet, satellite, AM or FM) in a given week for at least 15 minutes. About 5 to 6 percent of diaries reference satellite radio listening and fewer than that even mention the Internet.
Teenagers listen to radio less (13 hours, 46 minutes). Hispanics (21 hours 33 minutes) and blacks (21 hours and 50 minutes) listen to radio on average more.
The current archaic diary system, in which people are solicited by phone, then sent weekly paper diaries, is in effect at least through next summer. Then Arbitron goes to the people meter, in which people will have little pagers to track what they are actually listening to. Based on early results from the first test markets in Houston and Philadelphia, people listen to more different stations but don’t listen to the radio as much. Rock stations also appear to benefit while African-American stations suffer.
Arbitron can’t reach the increasing numbers of people who only have cel phones and have ditched land lines. And of the people who they do reach, fewer and fewer are willing to do the survey. Response rate is down to 26 percent. This gives radio stations even more reason to gripe about accuracy. Arbitron has major problems reaching younger people and Hispanics. Men 18 to 44 and women 18 to 34 were way under-represented in the latest survey.
As expected, people spend more time listening to the radio in the mornings (6 to 10 a.m.) than any other time, followed closely by 3 to 7 p.m., the mid-days.
Next up: median ages of listeners at each radio station.
8/19: HSM 2 breaks ratings records
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
With the astounding success of Disney Channel’s “High School Musical,” the sequel blew several basic cable records Friday night when 17.2 million viewers caught the first viewing.
That is by far the biggest viewership of any telecast this summer. The second most popular show this summer has been “America’s Got Talent,” which drew 13 million June 5, its second-season debut. Cable networks is always handicapped by the fact 15 percent of the population doesn’t subscribe to either cable or satellite, making that 17.2 million even more astounding.
The movie beat the previous record in basic cable of 16.8 million, the NAFTA debate on CNN back in 1993 and 16 million, an NFL game on ESPN last September. And it beat the most viewers for a basic cable movie, previously held by TNT’s 2001 film “Crossfire Trail.”
It’s the most watched TV telecast ever for kids 6 to 11 (6.1 million) and the most watched entertainment TV show in Nielsen tracking history (only behind the Super Bowl 2004) for tweens 9 to 14 at 5.9 million.
And it was the highest rated show on a Friday night (including broadcast TV) in five years.
Disney’s new show preview of “Phineas and Ferb” following “HSM 2” drew 10.8 million viewers. A fresh episode of “Hannah Montana” brought in 10.7 million, the most for any basic cable series telecast (note the modifiers here), beating TNT’s “The Closer,” which opened season three at 8.3 million June 12.
How did you like (or dislike) HSM 2? I enjoyed the first one, which provided catchy tunes and an innocent charm. The second one didn’t really work for me. The plotline felt a bit forced and that wonderful burgeoning relationship between the athlete and the smart gal was absent.
8/19: Larry Wachs has a new job?
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Former Regular Guy Larry Wachs, who has been unemployed for about 10 months, wrote in his blog that he’s got employment.
Here’s his brief comment:
Oh, I got a new job, too.
No, not with The Pogues.
I called him and he said he can’t say yet what it is except it’s in media. He hopes to get back to me in a week or two.
Speaking of odd new jobs, former WSB-TV morning anchor Collins Spencer, let go earlier this year after only about 18 months on the job, is now Michael Vick’s spokesman.
8/18: E!/Forbes Hip Hop Cash Kings special tonight
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Nine hip-hop stars who either live in Atlanta or have strong Atlanta ties are on the top 20 Forbes magazine “Hip Hop Cash Kings” special at 6 p.m. tonight on E!
Check out Sonia Murray’s story about it..
None of the stars she spoke to would own up whether the estimates Forbes makes in income are remotely close to reality.
8/18: Dog the Bounty Hunter in ATL Sat. evening
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Duane “Dog the Bounty Hunter” Chapman ironically ended up in jail himself last year for allegedly breaking Mexican law by hunting down a fugitive over the border. At the moment, he’s free and the case is on appeal.
“I thought [going over the border] was a misdemeanor, but they charged me with felony kidnapping and conspiracy,” said Chapman, who will be at a book signing at the Borders at Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia at 6 p.m. tonight for his new autobiograpy “You Can Run, But You Can’t Hide.” (Saturday/RH). He is also scoping out Atlanta for potential cases for season five of his popular A&E reality show.
“There aren’t enough warrants in Hawaii now,” he said, referencing his home base. “So we’re checking out different parts of the country.”
Chapman said his book delves frankly into his multiple marriages, his days of drug addiction, his time in jail for an alleged murder he said he didn’t commit and his Christian faith. “If you knew what I used to be, you might not love me,” he said.
Season five, he said, will feature more of his family members, especially his 20-year-old daughter who goes by Baby Lyssa. “She wants to do what I do and that’s fine with me,” he said, despite the inherent dangers.
8/17: CBS’s Kid Nation has 7 Georgians
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Georgia is going to be well represented on one of the most controversial reality shows in recent times, “Kid Nation” on CBS, which begins Sept. 19 and features 40 children ages 8 to 15 who take over a New Mexico “ghost town” and run it for more than a month without parental supervision or modern accoutrements.
Based on the mini-biographies released by CBS this week, seven of the children are from Georgia.
During the taping, the parents were not allowed to talk to the kids, who had to set up their own government and laws. Creator Tom Forman told the L.A. Times that the goal was for “kids to succeed where parents have failed.”
Tina Robinson of McDonough said she was intrigued by the show concept when it was pitched to her for her 11-year-old daughter and actress Jasmine. But she didn’t realize until she visited the set at the end of the taping in early May how spare and low-tech the place really was. “It was like a kids’ version of ‘Survivor,’ “ she said, referencing the grand-daddy of primetime reality shows, which is still a popular series on CBS.
Robinson said her husband Craig wasn’t too keen on the idea and “was worried sick” the entire time Jasmine was away. She did hear some children left voluntarily before the end of taping. She also said she wasn’t aware until after the taping that there was any potential $20,000 prize beyond the $5,000 stipend each child received.
Jasmine, Robinson noted, said she made great friends on the set and would do it again with the same group. Robinson has yet to see any episodes but didn’t get the impression Jasmine was exploited in any way, though TV Week last month reported that the New Mexico Department of Labor believed the kids were taken advantage of and worked as many as 14 hours a day.
Forman told TV critics last month at a press conference that for the kids, this wasn’t work but rather like “going to summer camp.”
Here are the seven kids and some quotes CBS released. (For privacy reasons, CBS did not give out last names though Tina Robinson was okay with releasing her daughter’s last name.)
HUNTER
Age: 12
Hometown: Martinez, Ga.
Interests and hobbies: “Basketball, biking, water sports, golf, fly fishing, hunting and reading.”
Goals and aspirations: “I would like to go to college and be in one of the branches of the armed forces.”
DIVAD
Age: 11
Hometown: Fayetteville, Ga.
Personality traits: “Kind, helpful, honest — I am a great leader and I like to make others laugh.”
If I could write one law: “If I could write a law, I would make it illegal to charge medical care to someone who can’t afford it.”
CAMPBELL
Age: 10
Hometown: Thomasville, Ga.
What I want to be when I grow up: “I would like to be a political person because good government is important and I could help the economy.”
If I could switch places with someone: “I would like to switch places with the President of the United States so that I could perform the daily duties and protect the wildlife.”
JARED
Age: 11
Hometown: Dunwoody, Ga.
If I could hold a political position: “I would be Speaker of the House.”
If I could write one law: “I would write a law that required specific requirements for animal refuge centers.”
JASMINE Robinson
Age: 11
Hometown: Atlanta
Goals and aspirations: “When I grow up I would like to have my own television show, an artist development company or a School of Performing Arts.
If I could switch places with someone: “No one, because I love the people in my life and I would not want to change that.”
MARKELLE
Age: 12
Hometown: Marietta, Ga.
When I grow up I want to be: “An entertainer.”
Quote: “If I could change one thing in the world, I would make sure that all kids with single parents have good role models and mentors to make sure that they have the same amount of opportunities and love and grow up to be happy.”
TAYLOR
Age: 10
Hometown: Sylvester, Ga.
When I grow up I want to be: “A paleontologist because I love science.”
Miscellaneous: “I am passionate about pageants because I want to be Miss America or Miss USA one day. Also, I enjoy hunting for arrowheads with my family. I have over 2,000 arrowheads in my collection.”
8/17: Judge Greg Mathis at Stonecrest Mall today
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Check out inspirational tough-love Judge Greg Mathis today at Stonecrest Mall in Lithonia for his “Youth and Education Expo,” which he first created in Detroit but is now doing in 12 different cities including Atlanta. He will be at the mall from 4 to 9 p.m.
Exhibitors will include groups that provide afterschool programs, tutoring, job traininng and counseling for “families and youth who need to be uplifted rom poverty and substandard education,” he said. “I decided to use my celebrity status for this platform.”
His show “Judge Mathis” is seen weekdays at 5 p.m. on WUPA-TV. He’s entering his ninth season on the air and he’s done quite well.
8/17: Meet Monk & Kelly
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
J93.3, the contemporary Christian station, recently brought in a married couple as the new morning show team, Jonathan Monk and Dianna Kelly.
Hopefully, they’ll have better success than Gene & Julie, the married morning team at the now defunct Lite 94.9 from 2003 to 2005 or so.
Of course, being on a signal that doesn’t quite reach the entire market, Monk & Kelly don’t have nearly as much pressure to haul in huge numbers.
This is the couple’s first effort on a Christian station after stints all over the country in markets such as Las Vegas, Kansas City, Jacksonville and Grand Rapids, Mich. They met a couple decades ago in Rhode Island and have been a married radio team for 18 years. They now live in Tyrone.
After talking briefly to them by phone, it’s clear they portray themselves as living “the typical American life,” as Dianna calls it, with two kids (11 year old Austin and 9 year old Janina) and three terrier dogs.
They say their show is a “clean, family” show while Gene & Julie were more a “couples” show. “If we have an argument, it comes out on air,” said Jonathan, mostly about finances and priorities on that front. But overall, “we don’t do mean radio.”
They enjoy working for a mom and pop radio company as opposed to CBS or Clear Channel though they admit they aren’t being paid massive amounts of bucks. He says at least J93.3 encourages community service. And they like to talk about their religion openly, something they couldn’t do on secular radio.
Don Anthony, an Atlanta resident who consults with many a morning show and knows Monk and Kelly, said there are a handful of successful married couples in radio in smaller markets but it’s tough to pull off because someone has to be able to be with the other person nearly 24/7.