Access Atlanta > Entertainment > Radio Talk > Archives > 2007 > September
September 2007
9/30: Peachtree TV takes over WTBS-TV
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Watch for a major change Monday morning at 6 a.m.: WTBS-TV will no longer simulcast the national TBS feed. Instead, it will become Atlanta-only Peacthree TV with its own schedule packed with sitcoms, movies and next year, the Braves.
TBS, which aired its final local Braves game Sunday, will keep airing weekly Sunday baseball games and some playoff games while Peachtree TV will air 45 Braves games next year.
For folks with rabbit ears, this means no more TBS but Peachtree TV will offer up many of the same sitcoms, mostly at different times e.g. “Fresh Prince of Bel Air,” “King of Queens,” “Friends,” “Family Guy,” “The Steve Harvey Show” and “Seinfeld.” “Sex & the City” and “Everybody Loves Raymond” air on WATL-TV so Peachtree couldn’t pick those up. You’ll miss early 90s cheesefest sitcom “Saved by the Bell,” which airs from 7 to 9 a.m. weekday mornings on TBS.
If you have Comcast Cable, no worries. While Channel 7 becomes Peachtree, Channel 39 is going to take the nataional TBS feed. ABC Family, which used to be on Channel 39, moves to Channel 54. Oxygen, formerly on 54, goes to 198. (If you have analog cable, that means bye bye to Oxygen.) You’ll also get both feeds if you have Direct or Dish TV.
Peachtree TV will air a film every night at either 8 or 9 because the station execs said research showed Atlantans were bigger movie watchers than the national average. During the day, comedies include “The Nanny,” “Mad About You,” “Cosby Show,” “All in the Family,” “Diff’rent Strokes” and “Sanford & Son.”
Over time, Peachtree TV will start adding local content besides the Braves. There will be a community affairs show on Sunday mornings (as required by the FCC for broadcast networks.) There will be a locals-only special of the Dave Matthews concert at Piedmont Park in mid-September on October 24. Plus, weather and traffic will be included throughout the day. Down the road, the network is considering anything from a morning show to a talk show to a late-night show.
9/30: Eric Von Haessler/Jimmy Baron podcast
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
If you miss Eric Von Haessler, formerly of the Regular Guys and Jimmy Baron, formerly of 99X, they are seeing if they have any chemistry together by trying out a weekly News Jog podcast.
Here’s a sampling in which Eric and Jimmy gab about Halo 3, Michael Jackson and Meg White. They are joined by Leonard Sharing and former Regular Guy Tim Andrews.
More info here at Eric’s web site. He says can to subscribe to the News Jog on iTunes and search under “News Jog.”
The other Regular Guy Larry Wachs, in the meantime, promises some news by October 15 about potential employment.
9/28: Yolanda Adams at Spelman
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I checked out Yolanda Adams’ visit to Spelman College’s chapel this morning and snapped some photos. Among her guests were Bernice King, the Anointed Pace Sisters, Beverly Crawford and Deitrick Haddon. Her syndicated show, usually done out of Houston, is visiting Atlanta and she chose Spelman for her first big radio appearance because she wants to influence the young women who attend the school. Adams started at Praise six months ago as the syndicated morning host with Brother Larry Jones.
Brother Larry Jones, Yolanda’s partner on the show
Deitrick Haddon
Anointed Pace Sisters
ABOVE: Yolanda points to Beverly Crawford while she performs.
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9/29: TV tidbits
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
“Eureka” on SciFi has been renewed for a third season. “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” will be on at least through 2011 and “Extra” has been given a greenlight through 2012.
And did everyone survive the first official week of the new fall season intact? Any new shows you liked? I am looking forward to the second episode of the CW’s “Reaper” in hopes that it can at least approach the quality of the first one. I still haven’t seen all of “Moonlight,” which debuted Friday on CBS. The opening wasn’t half bad. The Ridley Scott-directed “Numb3rs” last night was taut and well acted. It’s good to see the actor Dylan Bruno, who plays Colby, get a juicy part getting tortured by Val Kilmer! I also watched part of “Las Vegas” but they seemed to stuff way too many over-the-top plotlines on top of each other (A kidnapping! A shooting! A bomb! A robbery!) and it felt muddled. The show is supposed to be silly and soapy but this felt just absurd.
With “Ugly Betty,” the “Sixth Sense”-style twist was effective on a sad, emotional level but on the humor size, it lacked some of the zing of last year. And “The Office” felt bloated and overly long because the greedy suits felt the show needed to be stretched an hour its first month. Dumb. “My Name is Earl,” I felt, was more consistently funny over its hour-long opener with Earl in jail though naturally, “The Office” always pulls off some great moments even in mediocre episodes. I do miss the Jim/Pam tension now that they’re a couple but the fact they are hiding it from everybody could be fun. Local boy Brian Baumgartner, as Kevin, is confounded that they aren’t together and hilariously combines their names so they’re PB & J.
I enjoyed the fourth-season debut of “Desperate Housewives,” which comes back tonight, and I also recommend “Brothers & Sisters” if you haven’t jumped on board yet. I’m also into the new “Beauty & the Geek” and have become quite enamored with “Weeds.” “America’s Next Top Model” feels same ol’ same ol, as does “Survivor: China” but neither is appreciably worse than in previous years.
9/28: Project morning show starts 10/1 (UPDATED)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Above: That’s Shaffee on the left, “Giant” Brian on the right
More than two months after “Giant” Brian Carothers was named the new morning show host for Project 9-6-1, his show is finally coming on air this Monday. Brian invited me to show up at 8 a.m. so I’ll try to live blog from there like I did when the new 99X Morning Show started a year ago.
At 5 p.m. Friday, Project introduced Giant Brian on air with a side guy named Shaffee, a wrestler/rapper from Michigan. “We’ll be the Viva morning show with the green card. We’ll be the white V-103 morning show. We’ll be the new Morning X with talent.” Pause. “I know what you’re thinking: 99X still has a morning show? Leslie Fram died four years ago. Thanks to Energizer, she’s still running strong.”
Here’s their MySpace page..
Carothers was the producer at a Philly rock station morning show. This will be Carothers’ first gig as the lead man. Here was the original blog entry on him on July 7..
The rock station has gone its first ten months without a morning show, opting for music, with good ratings. But most rock stations have personality-based morning shows and Project is going for it. Since Fred Toucher and the Regular Guys were ousted last year, Atlanta FM radio has been sorely lacking in that edgy, testosterone-filled morning radio for males who like a bit of Howard Stern-type humor with their coffee. We’ll see if Brian fits the bill.
9/28: Loaf best ofs
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Best radio station: WREK-FM (91.1) (last year was WRAS-FM)
Best rock radio station: Album 88 WRAS-FM (last year was Dave FM)
Best urban radio station: V-103 ( last year was Hot 107.9)
Best country station : Eagle 106.7 (same as last year)
Best jazz station: WCLK-FM (91.9)
Best local sports radio host: Chris Dimino
Best radio station from Red-State Insanity: WABE-FM (90.1)
Best local TV anchor: Monica Pearson (last year was John Pruitt)
Best radio drag queen: Miss Sophia (V-103)
Readers picks:
Best local do-gooder: Clark Howard
Best person we love to hate: Neal Boortz (same as last year)
Best person we hate to love: Neal Boortz
Best overall radio station: Dave FM (last year was the Buzz, now defunct)
Best morning drive-time radio show: Bert Show (same as last year)
Best rock radio station: Project 9-6-1 (last year was the Buzz)
Best urban radio station: 95.5 The Beat (last year was V-103)
Best country music radio station: Kicks 101.5
Best jazz radio station: Jazz 107.5
Best noncommercial radio station: Album 88 (same as last year)
Best radio DJ: Mara Davis
Best local tv anchor/ local tv or newspaper reporter: Monica Pearson
Best local sports radio show host: 2 Live Stews
Best local political Web site: Neal Boortz’s Web site
9/27: TV ratings for the week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Before I get to the ratings, I just wanted to link to a print story I did about former Atlantan Chris Lowell, who stars in ABC’s “Grey’s” new spinoff “Private Practice.”. He gave me some funny quotes.
In this early TV season, people are still into big shows such as “House,” “NCIS,” “Dancing With the Stars” and “Heroes,” but CBS is seeing dropoffs in many of its aging shows such as “Survivor,” (a series low debut of 15.4 million) “CSI: Miami” and “Two and a Half Men.”
And among new shows through Tuesday, none showed signs of being an out-of-the-gate hit. A few did okay, most are in that grey zone of “wait and see” and a couple stumbled immediately.
WINNERS
PBS’s “The War” — This huge Ken Burns miniseries about “World War II” brought in epic ratings of 15.5 million its debut Sunday. That was bigger than any commercial telecast except for football that night on NBC.
Fox’s “Back To You” - It’s premature to label anybody a true winner based on one airing because people may quickly abandon ship but this sitcom featuring Kelsey Grammer and Patrician Heaton did respectably well, bringing in 9.5 million viewers Sept. 17. We could be deeming this a loser next week if it drops off sharply.
CBS’s “The Big Bang Theory” - Two geniuses and a ditz also opened passably with about 9.4 million viewers, building upon a so-so opening for “How I Met Your Mother.”
FX’s “Burn Notice” - The two-hour first-season finale Sept. 18 smoldered nicely with a series-high 4.8 million viewers.
Fox’s “Family Guy” - Those “Star Wars” fans gave this sturdy animated series a boost, bringing in 10.8 million viewers Sunday, a big number for this show and larger than “The Simpsons” an hour earlier.
CBS’s “Cane” — This drama starring Jimmy Smits about a powerful Latin sugar-cane family opened at about 11.1 million, similar to “Smith” a year ago, which was cancelled after three episodes. It did build on 9 p.m. show “The Unit.” So for now, it’s a winner.
The CW’s “Reaper” — This is the best new show of the year based on its first episode but being on the CW, it didn’t get a huge viewership, bringing in a modest 3.2 million viewers. But the fact it built upon the audience of “Beauty & The Geek” (3 million) at 8 is a good sign.
ON THE FENCE
CBS’s “Kid Nation — After all the hype, this show about kids left in a ghost town reaped only 9.4 million viewers Sept. 18, a modest figure for CBS. If it can stay in that arena, CBS won’t complain too much but the chances of it building audience is slim.
**The CW’s “Gossip Girl” — For the CW, 3.5 million for its opening frame Sept. 17 wasn’t half bad for this teen drama but given how much the CW hyped this baby, it’s really rather disapointing. And it held only 70 percent of the “America’s Next Top Model” audience.
Fox’s “Kitchen Nightmares” — Gordon Ramsay’s overall audience of 6.6 million was just lukewarm but his show ranked no. 1 for its time frame among 18 to 49 year olds Sept. 17 at 9. This was a week before two highly touted freshman shows “Bionic Woman” and “Private Practice” open, though.
LOSERS:
Fox’s “Nashville” - This “Hills”-like show about up-and-coming country singers sang a sad sad ratings song and after two airings has been dumped, probably forever, with repeats of “K-Ville” filling in Fridays until baseball.
NBC’s “Journeyman” — Monday’s debut of this time-travelling drama only held about 60 percent of the “Heroes” numbers and dropped off sharply in its second half hour. That bodes ill for its future.
The CW’s “Online Nation” and “CW Now” These two low-budget shows opened miserably Sunday at the 7 p.m. hour with audiences of just 1 million viewers each.
The differences in Atlanta viewing habits vs. the rest of America can be stark. WAGA-TV, the Fox affiliate, tends to outperform most of its counterparts nationwide, which makes sense given that Atlanta is a younger city. As a result, it owned 8 of the top 10 in Atlanta. Amazingly, “Prison Break” was the top show in Atlanta but ranked just 34th nationwide. Only one program (NFL Sunday football) was both in the top 10 locally and nationally.
Week of Sept. 17
Rank, show, network, date, ratings point with each point represents 22,055 metro Atlanta households (national rank)
“Prison Break” Fox, 9/17, 9.5 (34)
“Sunday Night Football” NBC, 9/23, 9.5 (1)
“K-Ville” Fox, 9/17, 9.2 (21)
“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader,” Fox, 9/20, 8.3 (25)
“The OT (NFL football post-game),” Fox, 9/23, 8.3 (16)
“The Simpsons” Fox, 9/23, 8.2 (15)
“Back To You,” Fox, 9/19, 7.9 (17)
“The Biggest Loser 4,” NBC, 9/18, 7.5 (27)
“Don’t Forget the Lyrics,” Fox, 9/20 7.2 (24)
“Til Death,” Fox, 9/19, 7.0 (32)
SOURCE: Nielsen Media Research
9/26: Bynum guest DJ on Praise Thursday
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Juanita Bynum, the Pentecostal televangelist who recently filed for divorce from Bishop Thomas Weeks III after his alleged assault on her in August, will be a guest DJ Thursday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Praise 97.5, filling in for Sonya Hamm.
And on Friday from 6 to 10, syndicated morning host and gospel legend Yolanda Adams will be in Atlanta at the Spelman College chapel doing her show live. That’s open to the public.
9/25: 2 Live Stews hosting TV One show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
TV One has cast Doug and Ryan Stewart, known of “The 2 Live Stews” are making their first foray away from sports as hosts of the second season of “Black Men Revealed,” which will return during first quarter next year.
The eight-episode, one-hour show invites males from various experiences and backgrounds to discuss frank topics surrounding the myths and truths of black men.
The Stews syndicated sports show, heard locally on 790/The Zone from 3 to 7 weekdays, is now in 23 markets and airs nationally on XM Channel 169 The Power. They’re also currently doing “First Take” on ESPN2 a couple times a week up in Bristol, Ct.
9/25: Tom Sullivan new “Atl & Co.” co-host
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
WXIA-TV has finally decided on its new co-host for “Atlanta & Company”: Tommy Sullivan, who has been the primary backup for Ryan Cameron, who has left for his own talk show on Starz. He will work with existing host Holly Firfer. Sullivan has been at Star 94 since he was a teen-ager and is part of the Steve & Vikki morning show. He starts officially Monday with new graphics and music.
“Tom did a really good job on the show,” said Laura Hale, vice president of programming and marketing for WXIA-TV. “He has been completely loyal. When he’s been on the show, he’s done his homework. He’s been a great friend to the show. And we got a lot of good feedback.”
Among the finalists WXIA considered included Jimmy Baron, Tom Clark and Conn Jackson. Some of them will be used as potential backups. “We discovered a lot of talent and great potential out there,” he said.
Here’s Sullivan’s bio on Star 94’s Web site
9/25: On set at Ryan’s show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
New Starz pay cable variety show “Ryan Cameron Uncensored” is more like the V-103 Ryan Cameron than the “Atlanta & Company” Ryan Cameron. In fact, he takes the title seriously by cursing freely. It’s almost jarring since he has to keep it clean on the radio and broadcast TV.
“Let me hear your favorite curse word!” asked Cameron on the first show set to air sometime in November and taped at Center Stage in Midtown. Dressed in a tan suit, yellow tie and rust-colored shoes, Ryan did a few jokes about rich celebrities and their babies and later did a “retro report” in which he waxed nostalgic about the song “Flashlight” and aped Flavor Flav.
Ryan called in all his chits to his Atlanta celebrity buddies. The first day, he taped interviews with soft-spoken Falcons running back Warrick Dunn (above, left) and hip-hop mogul Jermaine Dupri. His musical guests were Ne-Yo (above, right), Yung Joc and Jagged Edge.
Ne-Yo repeated an earlier story he had said to other media about how he had a few songs he had set aside for Britney Spears before her haircut but he said her people stopped responding to him so he gave the songs to the lead singer of the Pussycat Dolls. “The news came out that I gave Britney’s music away,” he said. “But until Britney cuts me a check, it’s my music!” He also said he’s working on songs with Michael Jackson. He said M.J. told him he likes Ne-Yo’s stuff. “It’s crazy,” Ne-Yo noted. “He sang one of my songs back to me.”
Later, during the second taping, Jermaine Dupri was surprised to hear Ryan curse, too. Ryan explained that this is pay cable, he can say anything. A guy in the audience during Q&A asked JD, tongue partly in cheek, “When the * are you going to marry Janet? And can I come to the G* bachelor party?”
JD: “When I get married, you can come, as long as you’re clean.”
Ryan asked him when he and Janet would hit the aisle. “When I turn 50. It’s a long time away man… I believe if I get married, I have to give it the time. I don’t have the time now.”
And here’s Jagged Edge on Ryan’s set with Ryan seated behind them:
9/24: Glenn Beck back on GST
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
After a failed experiment with Mike McConnell in midmornings on WGST-AM, Program Director Randall Bloomquist has decided to bring back conservative talker Glenn Beck.
Beck aired from 2001 to 2005 in Atlanta in that same 9 to noon time slot with mediocre results. But given his higher profile since he started his CNN Headline News show, he might do better this time around. “Since Glenn’s departure we have received regular listener feedback asking for his return,” Bloomquist said in an email.
Bloomquist characterized McConnell as a “talented and successful broadcaster whose style just didn’t click in Atlanta. Mike will continue to be heard on The Weekend, which airs Saturdays Noon - 3pm.”
That slot has been trouble for GST for quite awhile. Dr. Laura had it for a couple of years before Beck and her numbers were nowhere near what they had been when she was on WSB-AM. And Denny Schaffer came from Toledo Ohio in 2005 but never gained a foothold here before he was let go late last year. McConnell was a syndicated product from Cincinnati.
9/24: Georgia Radio Hall of Fame inductees
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The Marietta Conference Center and Resort hosted old media and new media at the same time Saturday night. The inaugural Georgia Radio Hall of Fame dinner upstairs featuring names of yore such as Gary McKee, Tony “The Tiger” Taylor and Sam Hale.
Downstairs, 250-plus YouTube videographers were gathered partying and, well, videotaping each other at what’s called a “meetup” dubbed SouthTube. The folks there included names of the new world such as Granny Tube, Lemonette and Mikma.
But we’ll focus for now on the old school radio folks. Retired Atlanta radio folks John Long and Sam Hale helped put the dinner together and created the non-profit organization to collect and save Atlanta radio history and honor some of the biggest names from decades yore and current day.
The 12 living Hall of Fame inductees, of which seven attended the dinner, were:
Jerry Blum(above, with McKee on the left): He was the station manager for former powerhouse top 40 station 790/WQXI-AM and was the model for Arthur Carlson on “WKRP in Cincinnati.”
Neal Boortz: We know who he is.
Kent Burkhart: He helped program WQXI in its heyday and became a monstrously influential radio consultant nationwide.
Bill Drake (above): He was a jock on WAKE-AM. Here’s his bio.
Paul Drew: A great night-time WAKE and WQXI jock who helped bring the Beatles to Atlanta in 1965.
Clark Howard: No shock here.
Hugh “Baby” Jarrett (above): He has worked at WPLO, WFOM, WSBS and most recently WWEV-AM. He also appeared in many Elvis Presley films.
Rhubarb Jones: He’s the longest running morning jock in Atlanta since 1985 and remains the voice of Eagle 106.7. He credited Gary McKee with inspiring him to go into radio at all.
“Officer Don” Kennedy (above with Rhubarb): He ran a “Popeye Club” series on WSB-TV in the late 1950s that was extremely popular. He also helped start WKLS-FM, which later became 96rock and now is Project 9-6-1. He now does a syndicated radio program called “Big Band Jump.”
Gary McKee(above): He was the morning man on WQXI from 1971 to 1989 and worked at WSB-AM, WSB-FM and Z93 before he retired in 1999. I did an update on him a few months ago and I have to say he’s an incredibly eloquent writer. I was psyched to finally meet him in person. He was also very gracious accepting the award, crediting his staff and saying he was probably a bit self-centered at a point early in his career but realized it was truly a team effort and made sure everyone sounded good.
Larry Munson: The voice of the Bulldogs since 1966 who recently has stopped overing away games.
Ludlow Porch (above): This lighthearted talker worked at Ring Radio and WSB-AM and still airs a syndicated show. I met him for the first time and he recently got out of the hospital for heart problems. But he was in good spirits despite being in a wheelchair.
The emcee was Conan O’Brien’s announcer Joel Godard (above), a Milledgeville native and Emory grad who worked briefly at WQXI as a sales guy and later DJed at beautiful music WARM-FM (99.7) before it became a top 40 station Power 99 and 99X. I’ll post a separate blog entry about him later this week.
A few months ago, the group named 22 inaugural “legendary” posthumous honorees whose names can be found here.. Among the names included “Skinny” Bobby Harper (who was considered the model for Johnny Fever on “WKRP in Cincinnati”), WSB-AM legend Elmo Ellis (who shaped that station from the 1950s through the 1980s), “Price is Right” announcer Rod Roddy (who worked at WQXI), WXIA-TV weatherman Guy Sharpe (who did radio as well) and WQXI-AM afternoon jock Pat Hughes. Living relatives and friends of the 22 were given a chance to speak at the ceremony. And the video bios of each of the 22 were lovingly and professionally done.
9/22: Advance views of several new shows
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The first episodes of Chuck, The Big Bang Theory and Friday Night Lights are all available on preview mode several days ahead of their debut on Yahoo TV.. Check’em out. FNL has a disturbing plot twist that belies the nature of the characters in question but otherwise, it’s great to see everyone back.
And Fox is offering several of its season debuts on iTunes for free for two weeks after their debut. K-Ville, Back To You, Kitchen Nightmares and Prison Break are already available and Bones will be available after next week’s debut.
9/21: Ryan Cameron’s new TV show
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
V-103’s popular afternoon host Ryan Cameron left WXIA’s “Atlanta & Company” for a reason: he has a new gig on the Starz pay cable network called “Ryan Cameron Uncensored” in which he’ll host a weekly talk show. An air date has yet to be set, according to Chelsye Burrows, a spokeswoman for Starz. She said taping begins Monday in Atlanta.
His promotional packet says the show will include “man-on-the-street comedy with poignant in-studio interviews and commentary.” The music director is Rodney Jerkins, who has worked with Whitney Houston, Madonna and Beyonce.
Starz has 16.1 million paid subscribers and includes several channels. Cameron’s show, which has been commissioned for six episodes, will be on the Starz on Black channel. That channel targets African Americans.
Cameron’s not a stranger to TV. Before his two years on “Atlanta & Company,” Cameron did a brief stint hosting a Turner South comedy show and in the 1990s won a local Emmy for hosting a noon-time TV news magazine on WXIA-TV.
9/21: TV ads in Times Square
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Sure, we have billboard-itis in Atlanta but billboards are the attraction in New York’s Times Square, not a disease. Yesterday, I snapped some shots of the billboards in the vicinity (and even on subway poles.) The CW and NBC seem to be especially aggressive in spending bucks to promoste shows such as “Gossip Girl” (which opened at a disappointing 3.6 million for the CW Wednesday night) and “Chuck” for NBC, which opens next week.
This ad climbs up a buildling at least 12 stories:
9/20: Update on GMA’s Robin Roberts
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I have a friend who works at Good Morning America and she hooked me up so I could visit the GMA studios this morning while visiting some friends and family. Reba McEntire performed and ran into a few Georgia fans in the audience (below).
ABOVE: Atlanta’s Trudy Munz (holding the poster), with her daughters Terri (l, from Kennesaw), Tamara (m, from Marietta) and Sherry (r, from Kennesaw). Sherry is the big Reba fan.
On my lame camera, I took lots of blurry shots of Reba. Here was the best of the lot below:
I also stopped by after the show to say hey to Robin Roberts, GMA co host who used to work as an anchor in Atlanta on WAGA-TV back in the late 1980s and also worked with Mike Roberts on the V-103 morning show.
Roberts last month had surgery for breast cancer and has been public about the diagnosis. She is having chemo today at 12:30 p.m. as a way to ensure her breast cancer won’t recur. “I’m young, I’m going to live a long life. It’s the recurrence that can be a little tricky,” she said. “They feel confident they got it all but they want to make sure I don’t have embers that ignite agian. Between the chemo and the radiation, that ought to douse the suckers!”
“It’s good to be hanging out at work because had I not been at work, I’d be at home,” she added, huddled in a corner with her thumb in her mouth. She’ll have to do chemo through February, followed by a round of radiation. Her colleagues are all getting flu shots to minimize the chance of transferring it to her while she’s in a situation where her immune system is compromised. “Just in case cancer is contagious,” joked reporter Chris Cuomo.
I met Robin a few months ago at the Margaret Mitchell House where she was promoting her book. She actually recalled that I had talked about some of the changes going on at the paper and asked me about it. She’s as personable as you can imagine.
As I left the GMA studios on Times Square at 9:30 a.m., I caught Leeza Gibbons shooting what looked like an infomercial of some sort promoting her makeup line Sheer Cover. Part of the backdrop was a monstrous billboard for “Dancing With the Stars,” which she participated in this past spring. Here are a couple of photos I took:
9/20: Emmy ratings cloudy, ‘Sunny’ sunny
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Most awards show in recent years have seen a dive in ratings. The Emmys, facing an NFL football game, is part of that trend, hitting its second lowest ratings in history Sunday night.
Ryan Seacrest hosted a Fox telecast that drew just 13 million viewers compared to 15.3 million for the Chargers-Patriots game on NBC. This compares to 16 million a year ago and 20 million two years ago.
WINNERS
FX’s “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” — Danny Devito and his whacky crew found very sunny ratings, bringing in an average of 2.1 million for its third-season debut episodes. That’s by far the biggest ratings performance the show has ever had, with an impressive 77 percent of listeners ages 18 to 49. Those silly PC/Mac parody promos probably helped.
VH1’s “Rock of Love” - So Flavor Flav isn’t the only magical bachelor for VH1. Bret Michaels of Poison has joined him. The season’s penultimate episode for “Rock of Love” pulled in a series high 3.5 million viewers, up from 1.6 million who saw the first episode. It’s now a battle between a stripper and a pink-haired gal with tons of tats.
ABC’s “The View” — The week of Sept. 3, this gabfest with Whoopi Goldberg as the new moderator pulled in 3.5 million viewers, the most for a premiere in the show’s history, even more than the week Rosie O’Donnell started a year ago.
ABC Family’s “Greek” — After averaging about 1.1 million its first eight episodes, this drama about frats and sororities brought in a series high 1.39 million Sept. 10
Fox’s “K-Ville” — Sept. 17 — Although its lead-in “Prison Break” (see below) disappointed, this drama about cops in past-Katrina New Orleans actually grew audience, finishing at about 9 million viewers, better than last year’s “Vanished” in the same time slot.
CBS’s “Big Brother 8” — Dastardly Dick Donato won the vote 5-2 over his whiny daughter Danielle to take home $500,000 and 8.5 million fans caught the spectacle, up a smidge from 8.4 million last year for the all-star edition. Given that this is the show’s eighth season, CBS should be thrilled.
ON THE FENCE
FX’s “Rescue Me” — After a summer without a lot of buzz, this fourth season finale brought in 2.7 million viewers Sept. 11, a modest dropoff from 3.1 million for the season three finale.
LOSERS
HBO’s “Tell Me You Love Me” - The debut of this sexually explicit relationships drama averaged just 910,000 viewers Sept. 9, which is relatively low for HBO.
Fox’s “Prison Break” — As noted earlier, this new version of “Break” in which Scofield and his enemies are stuck in a nasty Panamanian jail only brought in 7.4 million Monday, down from 9.4 mil a year ago. Scofield’s full-body tattoo was useful for his escape season one and even a bit last year during the great escape but now that it’s useless, the poor producers are forcing him to wear long-sleeve shirts in the middle of what looks like 90 degree heat with no explanation.
Fox’s “Nashville” - This show about up-and-coming country singers, clearly geared to the MTV crowd, brought in only 2.7 million its debut last Friday, which is less than “The Hills” on MTV.
The CW’s “Beauty & The Geek” - The fourth-season debut of this reality show bridging the gap between hot babes and socially-challenged guys brought in only an estimated 3.3 million Tuesday, down from 4.9 million a year ago. The CW pretty much closed shop over the summer so that may have hurt its ability to promote its fall lineup. Of course, we’ll learn more later today how well “Gossip Girl” did last night. That is a bellweather new show for this sophomore network, one that it has been promoted heavily. If “Gossip” fails to break 4 million, the network should be very very worried about its prospects this fall.
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9/19: On Seinfeld, Kid Nation, 24 teasers
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
I’m off today so I’m simply going to pimp two stories and a Buzz item I wrote for the print edition. If I have spare time, I’ll post some weekly ratings info, too.
One is about a Watkinsville, GA resident Lisa Mende who had a memorable role on “Seinfeld” in which she uttered the lines “Jerry, you gotta see the baby!” Here’s the link. The actress who played Mulva/Dolores is also an Atlantan named Susan Walters, who had a prominent role in “The Young & The Restless” from 2001 to 2005.
And I did a piece on CBS’s “Kid Nation,” which debuts tonight. There are seven Georgia kids on the show. Here’s the story.
Here’s an item about Ron Clark at the Emmys in yesterday’s Buzz. TNT flew him out there in celebration of the film “The Ron Clark Story” getting nominated for an Emmy. (The film lost but Clark got plenty of schmooze time with potential donors for his academy.)
Fox did release some teasers about “24” in January (debuting on Sunday January 13 and continuing in its normal time slot at 9 on Monday January 14). CTU is dismantled, Jack Bauer is on trial and Tony Almeida shows up again after being left for dead in season five. Even though CTU is gone, Chloe and Bill survive for another day.
Oh, and Fox introduces “Back To You” tonight (8 p.m.) with Patricia Heaton and Kelsey Grammer. If you want trite, obvious jokes that feel dated before they’re even uttered, well, have at it. And if your’e into the shenanigans of “O.C.”-style rich teens, set in New York, “Gossip Girl” (9 p.m. the CW) is perfectly adequate entertainment although parents might find all the casual, glamour-filled underage drinking a bit disturbing.
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9/18: Hometown actors
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Here’s a list of actors/hosts on broadcast TV shows that I know who have lived in metro Atlanta for some period of their lives. If you happen to know others, please email me at rho@ajc.com:
ABC
Atlanta, Joy Lauren (above), DESPERATE HOUSEWIVES (Danielle Van De Kamp)
Atlanta, Chris Lowell, PRIVATE PRACTICE (William Cooper)
Atlanta. Ty Pennington, EXTREME MAKEOVER: HOME EDITION (host)
Fayetteville, Gary Anthony Williams (above), BOSTON LEGAL (Clarence/Clarice)
Freeholme, Josh Holloway, LOST (Sawyer)
FOX
Dunwoody, Ryan Seacrest AMERICAN IDOL (host)
Alpharetta, Jeff Foxworthy, ARE YOU SMARTER THAN A 5th GRADER? (host)
CBS
Lawrenceville, Jennifer Ferin, AS THE WORLD TURNS (Jennifer Munson)
Marietta, Robert Patrick (above), THE UNIT (Col. Tom Ryan)
NBC
Conyers, Jack McBrayer (above), 30 ROCK (Kenneth Parcell)
Atlanta, Kenan Thompson, SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE
Atlanta, Ed Helms, THE OFFICE (Andy Bernard)
Atlanta, Brian Baumgartner (above) THE OFFICE (Kevin Malone)
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9/18: Dave FM charity CD
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Taking a cue from the many years 99X did “Live X” charity CDs using live cuts from special 99X-only mini-concerts, Dave FM has released a similar live CD, available at Starbucks starting today.
These 13 tracks are culled from “Friends of Dave” concerts the past three years. The set list includes the Fray’s “How To Save a Life,” Shawn Mullins’ “Shimmer,” Goo Goo Dolls’ “Better Days,” KT Tunstall’s “Black Horse and the Cherry Tree,” and Marc Broussard’s “Home.” The track listing is here..
The monies will go to Park Pride, a non-profit group that helps improve parks around metro Atlanta.
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9/16: Farewell to the Sopranos
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
HBO’s biggest series “The Sopranos” received a big sloppy farewell kiss from the Emmy voters with the big drama series victory. It’s well deserved and no, the Emmys didn’t black out the screen.
As usual, the Emmy voters went for the same ol’ same ol in several categories: James Spader winning a third time for best actor in a drama, (beating out James Gandolfini and Hugh Laurie, to name a couple) Jeremy Piven winning again for best supporting actor in a comedy, “The Amazing Race” winning for a fifth time for best reality competitive series over “American Idol,” “The Daily Show With Jon Stewart” winning for a fifth time for best variety, music or comedy series. And America Ferrara’s victory was no surprise for best actress in a comedic series.
The Emmy voters also love icons Tony Bennett, whose music special won several awards, and Helen Mirren, who picked up a fourth Emmy with “Prime Suspecct.” Robert Duvall and AMC’s “Broken Trail” took home a bunch of Emmys, including best miniseries, showing that they also embrace big sweeping historical dramas. (That also helped out HBO’s “Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee,” which won for best made-for-TV movie.)
But there were a few upsets. NBC’s poorly rated “30 Rock” beat the likes of “Ugly Betty,” “The Office” and “Entourage” to win best comedy series in its freshman year. A similar victory for Fox’s similarly ratings-challenged “Arrested Development” failed to boost its fortunes so it’s doubtful an Emmy win will necessarily help Tina Fey’s show. But she did thank the “dozens and dozens” of viewers. (Actually, the show ranked 109th and averaged about 5.5 million viewers.)
And in another surprise upset, Ricky Gervais took home best actor in a comedic series, beating out perennial winner Tony Shahloub for “Monk” as well as Steve Carell, who did come up in Gervais’ place as a joke since Gervais wasn’t around to pick up the award. He also won over favorite Alec Baldwin, who won the Golden Globe earlier this year in a similar category.
Finally, few people were betting on Katharine Heigl to win best supporting actress in a drama over the likes of castmates Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson, plus Rachel Griffiths in “Brothers & Sisters.”
Amusingly, the announcers misprounced both Heigl’s name (saying High-jul instead of High-gull) and Steve Carell’s name (the guy just botched it completely.) Heigl was the only one to point it out. I’m sure the announcer turned beet red after that. (I know the feeling since I mispronounced “Good Day Atlanta’s” Suchita Vadlamani’s first name a few weeks ago—it’s Su-CHEE-tha, not Su-JEE-ta— but I didn’t do it in front of 20 million people.)
A lot of “Office” fans were probably rooting for Jenna Fischer in the supporting actress in a comedy series but Jaime Pressly is downright hilarious in “My Name is Earl” and took home her first trophy. And I thought Michael Emerson was more deserving than Terry O’Quinn for the lone “Lost” win: best supporting actor in a drama. (Masi Oku and the “Heroes” gang were essentially shut out of any major category wins.)
Other shows that came home empty handed in the big categories included “Two & a Half Men,” “Desperate Housewives,” “House” and “The Office.” And though Kyle Chandler of “Friday Night Lights” got to present, that show was shut out of the biggies. None of the “CSI” or “Law & Order” shows got much love either.
The experiment of setting the auditorium “in the round” didn’t appear to sit well with a lot of the actors, who had to spend time looking at the backs of peoples’ heads. Spader even said it pointedly that even after millions of rock concerts, those were the worst seats he’s ever had.
Visually, I thought it was interesting to do it in the round. And I was bemused to notice a glitch which had the logo of “Ugly Betty” stuck prominently on one of the TVs for a major portion of the show. Twice, the censors had to cut away. First was courtesy of Ray Romano with a joke about his former “Raymond” mate Patricia Heaton sleeping with her new castmater on Kelsey Grammer but using an FCC-unfriendly word.
Then there was Sally Field, who won for best actress in a drama. She apparently dropped the GD bomb during a rare politicized statement. We didn’t hear it, but she paraphrased it later at a press conference, minus the obscenity: “I wanted to pay homage to the mothers of the world. And I very very seriously think that if mothers ruled the world we wouldn’t be sending our children off to be slaughtered.”
Host Ryan Seacrest was as comfortable as he always is in hosting anything. He made a reference to Simon Cowell but no camera actually showed Simon being there. He also made a joke about “Weeds” and referenced Paula Abdul. Alas, it’s all in the family. The writers gave him a few good jokes, though the biggest laugh came when he simpy said hi to Teri Hatcher, who he “dated” one time and a kiss between them landed in the tabs. Sure, he was no Conan O’Brien but the show moved along, albeit uneventfully.
And though the supposed hardest working host in Hollywood worked the pre-show on E!, Seacrest was nowhere to be found during the post-show. Where’s your work ethic, Seacrest?
9/16: Sunday fall preview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Like Thursday, this is a relatively stable night. CBS moves “Shark” to Sunday from Thursday and introduces the ill-fated “Viva Laughlin.” The CW debuts a couple of low-cost shows (an entertainment news show and another one featuring online video) as well as an ambitious familiy drama set in South Africa. And Fox dumped the execrable sitcom crapfest “War At Home” and moves the much more palatable “King of the Hill” into the 8:30 slot.
7 p.m.
“60 Minutes” CBS (9/23) Yes, Andy Rooney is still alive. Rating outlook: This show’s average viewer seems to be about Rooney’s age, but to CBS’s credit, it’s the only serious newsmagazine journalism left on primetime. It was once a No. 1 show (for five years) but is now only ranked 26th last year with 13.2 million and 68th among 18 to 49 year olds. Expect more of the same in its 40th year in existence.
“The OT” Fox (9/23) This is the post-game to the afternoon NFL game, which often delays the animated series that follows. Ratings outlook: Early NFL games on NBC and ESPN have not done as well as last year’s games but popularity is still huge compared to other sports.
“Football Night in America” NBC (9/9) The pre-game to the night game. Ratings outlook: Still a touchdown, of course.
“America’s Funniest Home Videos” ABC (10/7) Believe it or not, this show debuted as a regular series January 14, 1990 and will be around as long as viewers find random folks getting hit in the crotch funny. Ratings outlook: This show brings in okay numbers and probably will be in 10 years despite the immediacy of YouTube.
“CW Now” the CW (9/23) This is supposed to be yet another entertainment news show, like we don’t have enough of these already. Ratings outlook: Minimal, but what else is the CW going to show besides repeats at this hour.
7:30 p.m.
“Online Nation” the CW (9/23) Trying to tap the creativity of the Web, the CW scours the Internet for cool videos. In other words, cheap err… cost effective programming. Ratings outlook: See “CW Now.”
8 p.m.
“Extreme Makeover:Home Edition” ABC (9/30) The show hits Hawaii as it goes for the goal of hitting all 50 states. Ratings outlook: As the show approaches episode 100 in its fifth season, it’s losing steam as people are tiring of the formula. Numbers slipped a bit last year, averaging 13.4 million viewers (25th) from 14.7 million in 2005-06 (19th) but still landed 17th among 18 to 49 year olds. Only a miracle middle-age makeover could reverse the trend - and it’s held up better than, say, “The Apprentice.”
“Sunday Night Football” NBC (9/9) John Madden is still around with that magic pen of his. Ratings outlook: It’s a top 15 show, with even better numbers among 18 to 49 year olds (ranked 7). There’s no reason for that to change.
“The Simpsons” Fox (9/23) Guest voices this year include Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Dan Rather, Jack Black and Steve Buscemi as the show enters its 19th season. Ratings outlook: The show has been gradually losing steam over the years and now is down to 60th overall with 8.6 million viewers (vs. 9.1 million a year ago) but 28th among 18 to 49 year olds. The summer film might give the show a temporary boost but growth prospects at this point are slim.
“Viva Laughlin”(above) CBS (10/18) This drama could be the worst show in primetime and has brought back ignominious comparisons to “Cop Rock” with its characters singing (and singing badly). Ratings outlook: “The Amazing Race” is being held until the spring — for this??? If there’s a guaranteed bomb, this is it. Watch it open at 8 million and sink into oblivion.
“Life is Wild”(above) the CW (10/7) With “7th Heaven” gone, this is the CW’s attempt at a family friendly replacement with a bit of Animal Planet thrown in. The plot is basically an American vet brings his family to South Africa for a year. Ratings outlook: If this can even crack 3 million viewers, the CW execs would be thrilled.
8:30 p.m.
“King of the Hill” Fox (9/23) Guest voices include Tom Petty, Fred Willard and Ted Danson. Ratings outlook: This unheralded show barely made it for renewal for its 12th season. It ranked just 109th place but it usually aired in the 7 o’clock hour. It should do much better at 8:30 between “Simpsons” and “Familiy Guy.”
9 p.m.
“Desperate Housewives” ABC (9/30) Former Atlantan Joy Lauren’s character Danielle is preggers and Bree is covering for her. And did Edie die? Plus, a gay couple moves onto Wisteria Lane, along with yet another family with a dark secret. Ratings outlook: The show improved creatively in its third season after a rough sophomore year, but ratings dropped an alarming 21 percent to 17.5 million (ranked 10th), down 25 percent 18 to 49 (ranked 5th). The gloss is gone as newer shows get the buzz, but that doesn’t mean the show can’t hang on in the top 10 another year.
“Cold Case” CBS (9/23) An all-Nirvana episode is forthcoming. Ratings outlook: This show has been amazingly consistent and averaged 14.4 million viewers last season, virtually the same as the year before. After four seasons, this will likely remain a sturdy performer for CBS for many more.
“Family Guy” Fox (9/23) For the 100th episode, Stewie finally offs Lois and there’s a Star Wars spoof. And Paris Hilton guest voices along with the three “Idol” judges. Ratings outlook: In its revived state, this sitcom continues to keep chugging along. And it has one of the highest discrepancies between overall ratings (71st) and the 18 to 49 demo (28th).
“America’s Next Top Model” (repeat) No need to comment on the CW’s inability to come up with original programming here.
9:30 p.m.
“American Dad” Fox (9/23) This poor man’s “Family Guy”/”Simpsons” will feature parodies of “The 40-Year-Old Virgin” and “Kill Bill.” Ratings outlook: Animation ages well. The show does fairly well, averaging 7.3 million viewers in season two, and those numbers probably won’t change.
10 p.m.
“Shark” CBS (9/23) Kevin Pollack plays the new boss to James Woods’ Shark and Jeri Ryan joins his team instead of being his boss, which should give her more to do. Ratings outlook: Sophomore years are crucial for shows like this because if it’s truly a hit, it should really build audience this year. And given the CBS audience, it should do just fine in this new time slot. It ranked 24th last year overall, 37th among 18 to 49.
“Brothers & Sisters” ABC (9/30) Nora starts dating a staunch Republican played by Danny Glover. And Justin returns from Iraq severely injured (no way they were going to kill hiim!) Ratings outlook: Although it only held about 2/3 of the “Desperate Housewives” numbers (11 million), that’s actually very respectable for a freshman series. Given how well the show ended creatively last spring, ABC should expect even better numbers this year.
9/14: Guest hosts on Atlanta & Company
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The search for Ryan Cameron’s replacement as co host on WXIA-TV’s “Atlanta & Company” continues.
The guest hosts the past two weeks on “Atlanta & Company” (which airs weekdays at 11) have included a couple of non-media types, theater director Kenny Leon and former Braves player and sports commentator Brian Jordan. But given Leon’s busy schedule and Jordan’s discomfort with any non-sports related topic, neither are likely in consideration. Creative Loafing’s dry wit Andisheh Nouraee, who has been an occasional guest on the show in the past, said he did it more as a lark.
Others who tried out and are interested in the job were V-103’s Frank Ski, syndicated TV host Conn Jackson and 680/The Fan sports guy Robb Tribble. Jackson said he’d love to have the job and had a good time making guacamole.
And here’s former 99Xer Jimmy Baron this past Monday interviewing Steve Wilkos, former securty guard for Jerry Springer promoting his new show, which airs at 2 p.m. weedkays on WATL-TV. (www.99xwatch posted it on YouTube):
“I thought it went very well,” Baron said Friday. “I was pretty happy. It’s like radio: once you do it every day, you get better incrementally. Holly and I have worked together and I think we felt there was decent chemistry.” Why did he wear a suit? “Personally, I feel when you’re on TV, you should dress nice than the average person watching out of respecvt. Maybe I’m old fashioned that way.” And how about his habit of flipping a pen? He didn’t even know he was doing that but he’ll take note of it.
Today, the show’s regular sub Tom Sullivan from Star 94 co-hosted with Firfer. He’s very much in the running to take over full time and is comfortable in the role.
I wasn’t sure if the guesting would continue next week or how quickly they plan to hire the replacement. Laura Hale, WXIA’s VP of programming and marketing, didn’t return a call for comment Friday.
9/14 Friday fall preview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Friday is the second-least important night for broadcast networks, behind the dead zone called Saturday. But at least they’re still trying, with four new shows set to air. (New shows in bold)
8 p.m.
“Deal or No Deal” NBC (10/5) This is the second weekly helping of this Howie Mandel game show. Ratings outlook: Definitely worse than the midweek edition but 10 million is a do-able number.
“Ghost Whisperer” CBS (9/28) Jay Mohr is now a full-time cast member playing a professor and the show producers promise scarier storylines and a building mythology about the town Melinda lives in and its past with ghost whisperers. Ratings outlook: Jennifer “Love” Hewitt and her cleavage help draw the younger viewers as the show remains a steady performer in the 9 million viewer range.
“20/20” ABC (10/12) This is set at a new, earlier time slot. Newsmagazines used to be a staple part of the primetime schedule but this and “60 Minutes” are the only regular programs left. Ratings outlook: Newsmagazines, unless some big hot scandal is going on, tend to skew very old, which advertisers don’t prefer. And numbers for “20/20” last year were fairly lukewarm, around 7 to 8 million viewers. It should be about the same this year, though it’s on at the earlier hour when fewer people are watching TV.
“The Next Great American Band” Fox (10/19) Fox seeks out, well, the next great American band. Ratings outlook: Fox is downplaying this show, which might be perceived as a time filler before the next “American Idol.” But given the competition, it could do surprisingly well, especially among younger viewers.
“WWE Smackdown” the CW (all the time) This is the only show that pretty much airs fresh all year around. Ratings outlook: It brings in its crew of 4 million wrestling fanatics week in and week out.
9 p.m. Three new shows in one time slot so this is open game!
“Friday Night Lights” NBC (10/5) Kyle Chandler’s coach Taylor is off at his new Austin college football coaching gig, but you know he’ll be back soon with the Panthers. Ratings outlook: Like “30 Rock,” NBC is hoping people who ignored this character-driven, achingly cinematic show season one will catch it now that it’s actually on Friday nights. If it can bring in even 8 million viewers NBC would be ecstatic. And it’s up against three new shows.
“Women’s Murder Club”(above) ABC (10/12) Based on the popular James Patterson books, four women (an attorney played by “Law & Order” alum Angie Harmon, a coroner, a lawyer and a reporter) team up to solve crimes. Harmon tells TV Guide that it’s “CSI” meets “Sex and the City.” Ratings outlook: This is a wide open time slot and this decent crime drama could end up being the winner in the end.
“Moonlight CBS (9/28) Since the pilot, this show has been rewritten and recast except for the lead, Jason Dohring, who plays a good-hearted private detective/vampire. Ratings outlook: A long shot. It’s clearly an attempt to bring in some sci-fi fans into the mix on Friday nights for CBS.
“Nashville”(above) Fox (9/14) This show looks and feels like “Laguna Beach,” except the hot country singer wannabes are a bit older and wiser if still packed with hormones. Ratings outlook: Fox has had trouble on Friday nights for years and it’s doubtful this rather narrow-appeal show will bring in the numbers to survive.
10 p.m.
“Numb3rs” CBS (9/28) Dylan Bruno’s Colby was exposed as a spy during the finale in May, and now we learn about the man who helped expose him, played by Val Kilmer. Ratings outlook: With 12 to 14 million viewers, this has been the top show on Friday nights for the past couple of years and will continue to be the top gun in its fourth season unless one of the new shows (most likely “Women’s Murder Club”) breaks out.
“Las Vegas” NBC (9/28) Ed (James Caan) is leaving as the casino owner, replaced by Tom Selleck’s character. Nikki Cox is out, too. Ratings outlook: This guilty pleasure of a dramedy is in a new time slot after airing at 9 last season. The move probably won’t affect the numbers too much, which hover around 10 million.
“Men in Trees” ABC (10/12) Ratings outlook: James Tupper (Jack) and Anne Heche (Marin) are items off the screen but the producers keep them apart on the screen. This show, which will air 27 episodes including the five that were held from the spring, returns to Fridays, now at 10, it’s third time slot. It didn’t do that well after “Grey’s” but expectations are far lower on Fridays so if this sophomore show even breaks 8 million, it will survive.
9/13: Randy & Spiff w/ Guiliani/ V-103s For Sisters Only
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
For those of you starving for radio news, there isn’t much to feed you. Here’s what I got:
WGST’s Randy & Spiff gabbed with presidential candidate Rudy Guiliani yesterday. Catch the interview here.. They talk about illegal immigration and terrorism, as well as his love for the New York Yankees.
And V-103/WAOK-AM is prepping for one of its biggest events of the year this weekend: For Sisters Only. It’s two days at the Georgia World Congress Center. Among the musical acts: Musiq Soulchild, Mario, Soulja Boy, Hurricane Chris, D.J. Unk and Carl Thomas. There are classic cars, a kid zone, an authors area, a CoverGirl makeover/massage/fashion area and a Get Fit pavilion. More details here..
WABE-FM is airing a big multi-day special on the Atlanta Beltline starting tomorrow morning during “Morning Edition.”
And Friday night, Star 94, which normally caters to marred soccer moms, is holding a singles party called the “Little Black Dress” party at the Loft. This is eight days before Q100’s big singles shindig Smyrnabration
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9/13: Thursday fall preview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This is the most stable night of the week, with only one new show in the offing: Big Shots. It’s also the most lucrative night for broadcast networks, who imbibe movie studio advertising at top rates.
8 p.m.
“Survivor: China” CBS (9/20) - An Atlanta school teacher Sherea Lloyd is part of the crew this year, along with a WWE wrestler, a professional poker player and a Christian talk show host. And instead of an island, they’ve chosen an isolated part of China with a big fake temple as the backdrop of the tribal council. Ratings outlook: The show has shed a lot of viewers the past two years but is still a top 20 hit. It will probably keep slipping, though at least the competitors are exactly the same as they were in the spring.
“Ugly Betty” ABC (9/27) Plenty of cliffhangers to resolve and Betty’s true love Henry comes back but obviously, producers will create new obstacles to keep them apart. Ratings outlook: “Betty” opened strong, ended a bit weak in the ratings department. It will probably retain 11 to 12 million in the fall and place a solid second behind “Survivor.”
“Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?” Fox (9/6) Alpharetta’s Jeff Foxworthy & the gang was the first show out of the gate this new 2007-08 TV season. He’ll introduce a new group of fifth graders next month. Ratings outlook: This surprise hit blunted some of the “Betty” numbers in the spring, but given the pattern of other game shows, it will be a bring in a steady 8 to 9 million viewers for awhile, then start slipping in the spring.
“My Name is Earl” NBC (9/27) The charm wore off slightly in season two but now Earl’s in jail and will be for a few episodes. That twist should add some fresh spice to this comic souffle. Ratings outlook: Earl had held his own and will continue to battle Foxworthy for third place.
“Smallville” the CW (9/27) The show introduces SuperGirl, Superman’s sis. Ratings outlook: This old WB mainstay is getting a bit long in the tooth as it enters season seven. Its better days are behind it and will continue to shed viewers who are checking out other shows.
8:30 p.m
“30 Rock” NBC (10/4) Former Conyers’ resident Jack McBrayer was a breakout star amid mucho star power as the happily clueless page Kenny. This year, guest stars such as Jerry Seinfeld, Nathan Lane and LL Cool J will pop in. Ratings outlook: It’s make or break for a show that ranked 137th last year and was given a reprieve thanks to management support and critical praise. NBC’s patience, hopefully, will be rewarded but it’s a long shot at best.
9 p.m.
“Grey’s Anatomy” ABC (9/27) Addison (Kate Walsh) has gone off to some spinoff and Burke (Isaiah Washington) was cut for reasons that have nothing to do with the fictional character. Ultimately, creator Shonda Rhimes hopes to right the ship after a shaky season three spring. Ratings outlook: This is a top 5 show and will likely stay that way at least through the fall, but Rhimes may have to shake things up to keep viewers hooked.
“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” CBS (9/27) . We’ll hopefully find out soon if actress Jorja Fox sticks around after her character Sara gets kidnapped. And the miniature killer plotline that threaded through last year’s shows will be resolved in the first episode. Ratings outlook: The arrival of “Grey’s” last year cut CSI’s audience by about one quarter but it’s still a monster hit as it enters its eighth season. Like “ER,” even if CSI keeps losing 20 percent of its audience each year, that’s coming from such a large base, it can survive at least another three seasons.
“The Office” NBC (9/27) The show will open with four supersized one-hour episodes. It should be fun to see Ryan (B.J. Novak) become Michael’s boss and Michael’s former boss shacking up with him. Ratings outlook: This show pulls in great numbers among younger viewers and it should continue to hold its own.
“Don’t Forget the Lyrics” Fox (9/6) Like “The Singing Bee,” expect famous singers to pop in and help out. Ratings outlook: This show did well in the summer, averaging more than 8 million viewers. Fox would be thrilled if it kept that up and as the only reality show during this hour, it just might do it.
“Supernatural” the CW (10/4) Jensen Ackles’ Dean knows he only has one year to live so he lives it up. Ratings outlook: This show has ridden on the coattails of “Smallville” and will need a minor miracle to survive past this third season. Then again, this is the CW so you never know.
9:30 p.m.
“Scrubs” NBC (10/25) With “The Office” getting “supersized” for a month, “Scrubs” debuts late in its seventh and final season. The producer tells Entertainment Weekly the focus won’t be on whether Elliott and J.D. get together or not but it’s hard to tell how serious he’s being. Tom Cavanagh will be guesting again. Ratings outlook: Its ratings have never been very good, but it’s a funny show whose very survival has hinged on how weak the sitcom world really is right now.
10 p.m.
“Without a Trace” CBS (9/27) Brace yourself for a CSI/Trace crossover and Poppy Montgomery’s real-life pregnancy is incorporated into the show. Ratings outlook: About 3 million viewers vanished without a trace after this drama moved from Thursday (18.5 million) to Sunday (14.7 million). Coming back to Thursday should help get some of those fans back as it enters its sixth season.
“ER” NBC (9/27) Goran Visnjic and Noah Wyle will be back for a few episodes. Ratings outlook: This creaky drama is in its 14th and probably final season with ratings down to 11.5 million last year after peaking at 32 million back in 1995.
*”Big Shots”(above) ABC * (9/27) Four men with high-powered jobs have far more trouble in their relationships, of course. In other words, “Sex and the City” with guys who seem to have plenty of time to hang out at the country club and not actually run their multi-billion dollar companies. Dylan McDermott is the most notable player. Ratings outlook: This show will need to improve its wit to match its plotlines. And yes, Dylan crosses pathes with a transexual, the same subplot which is seen in ABC’s “Dirty Sexy Money.”
9/12: Wednesday fall preview
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
This night is truly up for grabs. ABC gives us three new shows on one night while every other network debuts at least one. There will be casualties but plenty of opportunity to shine, too. (New shows in bold face)
8 p.m.
“Kid Nation” CBS (above) (9/19) Yes, the media has been hot and heavy on this one for weeks. It’s 40 kids (seven from Georgia) building a “society” without parents. Ratings outlook: Impossible to predict beyond some solid tune-in the first week. CBS hasn’t sent critics advance copies.
“Deal or No Deal” NBC (9/17) So far, nobody has won the top prize of $1 million so they are going to make some temporary changes to increase the odds. Ratings outlook: By airing this two or three times a week for more than a year fatigue started setting in this past spring. After resting the show over the summer, can NBC get a bit more juice out this?
“Back To You” (above) CBS (9/19) Kelsey Grammer returns to Pittsburgh as a disgraced TV anchor, joining his former co-anchor played by Patricia Heaton (“Everybody Loves Raymond.”) Ratings outlook: This show feels dated and anybody under the age of 30 will flee quickly.
“Pushing Daisies” (above) ABC (10/3) Ned Baker can revi