TVBizwire

Talk Show King's Sons to be Featured on TV Series

2009-11-21T03:31:08Z

A new show on Fox Sports Net called "Kid Pitch" will feature the sons of a famous talk show host, and will be directed by Tom Arnold, TMZ reports. Chance King, the 10-year-old son of CNN talk show host Larry King, will be on the show, as well Chance's 9-year-old brother Cannon.Starting in February 2010, the show will celebrate Major League Baseball from a child's point of view. -- Allison J. Waldman

CBS Earns Thursday Night Ratings Win

2009-11-21T02:10:29Z

With a big story on "The Mentalist," CBS was the ratings winner for Thursday night, but it was ABC's "Grey's Anatomy" that had the biggest demo win of the night, according to The Hollywood Reporter Live Feed blog,. "Survivor" kicked off CBS's lineup with a 3.7 in the adult demo, better than the weakening "CSI" at 3.5, and as strong as "The Mentalist" which earned a 3.7."Grey's" anchored ABC with a 5.0 at 9 p.m. An hour earlier, "FlashForward" pulled a 2.4, and an hour later, at 10 p.m., "Private Practice" had a substantial dip to 3.1.NBC's sitcom quartet held steady, tied for third with Fox's "Bones" and "Fringe." On the Peacock, "Community" started off with a 2.0, which "Parks & Recreation" matched. At 9 p.m., The Office" climbed to a 3.7, but "30 Rock" was off with a 2.9. "The Jay Leno Show" eeked out a 1.4.For Fox, "Bones" had a 2.7 and "Fringe" earned a 2.0.-- Allison J. Waldman

The 'That's Real Money' File: Pay-per-View Event Brings in $70 Million

2009-11-21T01:55:26Z

Big pay-per-view event on Saturday night Nov. 14 on HBO, B&C reports.It was a big fight night from Las Vegas, headlined by the welterweight title bout between Manny Pacquiao and Miguel Cotto.HBO raked in 1.25 million pay-per-view buys--the most for 2009--and HBO earned $70 million in revenue. The split between satellite and cable households was roughly even, 650,000 cable and 600,000 satellite and telcos.HBO plans to rebroadcast the title championship match on November 21 at 10 p.m.-- Allison J. Waldman

No Kevin James, But Real Life 'Mall Cops' Coming to TV

2009-11-21T01:37:00Z

The biggest mall in the United States, Minnesota's Mall of America, will soon be the setting for a new TV series called "Mall Cops: Mall of America," it was announced .The series is slated to air on TLC. September Films will produce 12 30-minute episodes about the security staff at the Minneapolis shopping destination, which also includes an amusement park, a school and a wedding chapel.Based on the one-hour special that TLC aired in September, the series will hope to equal that show's strong showing, a 1.0 household rating.-- Allison J. Waldman

Strong Opening for Liberty Starz on NASDAQ

2009-11-21T01:10:42Z

The publicly traded new offering comprised of Starz Entertainment and former Liberty Media concerns, Liberty Starz, had its first opening on the Nasdaq Global Market System Friday, November 20, reports Multichannel News.The company which is listed as "LSTZA," commenced at $49.50 per share, up $1.66 from the first-issued closing price of $47.84 the night before. The stock finished at $50.25 at the closing bell on Friday.Liberty Starz includes the cable service Starz, the satellite high-speed data service WildBlue Communications, PicksPal, Fanball and FUN Technologies online, plus approximately $650 million in cash.-- Allison J. Waldman

Lifetime and ABC's '20/20' Collaborate on Special About Popular Singer

2009-11-21T00:58:31Z

Lifetime will collaborate with ABC's "20/20" for a special, reports B&C,Lifetime is co-owned by ABC.The special, entitled "Rihanna Speaks Out: A Lifetime and 20/20 Specia," will be based on the current life of singer Rihanna using her interview with Diane Sawyer on "20/20" as a large part of the program, the report says. The show, will explore topics covered in the Sawyer interview, including Rihanna's relationship with singer Chris Brown. The Lifetime special airs on November 25 at 10 p.m. and be repeated the next day at 1 and 1:30 a.m.-- Allison J. Waldman

Activists Ransack TV Station in India

2009-11-21T00:09:22Z

Political activists attacked and ransacked a TV station in Mumbai, claiming that the station had insulted their leader.The story, reported on CNN.com, said the TV station attacked was IBN Lokmat, a sister station to CNN-IBN, which is also in India. The CNN station was not attacked.According to the report, the channel was accused of insulting Bal Thackeray, "a fiery Maharashtrian leader." Mumbai is in the state of Maharashtra.The report added that "Shiv Sena and its breakaway Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), headed by Thackeray's nephew, claim to be champions of Maharashtrian issues, especially economic issues, as hundreds of thousands of migrants from a number of impoverished states are lured to Mumbai for jobs."--Chuck Ross

ABC's Janet Jackson Interview: a Class Act Fields Lousy Questions

2009-11-20T20:21:58Z

TVWeek's Open Mic blogger Hillary Atkin found Janet Jackson to be mesmerizing during ABC News' “In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts" Wednesday night -- she can't say the same for some of the questions, or the announcer. Read all about it here.

The Repercussions of Winfrey's Departure From Daytime TV Far Reaching

2009-11-20T16:02:50Z

Oprah Winfrey's decision to discontinue her longrunning syndicated talk show in 2011 carries with it a long list of repercussions, according to The New York Times.It means the loss of its signature program and millions of dollars every year in revenue for distributor CBS, and for stations, the loss of daytime’s most popular program that generates huge audiences for their local evening news.The Times said the move also represents an big professional bet for Winfrey, who is counting on her popularity and "golden touch" with programming to sustain an entire cable channel.-- Tom Gilbert

Oprah's Absence Will Alter the Local News Battlefield

2009-11-20T15:50:25Z

Many U.S. stations are reacting with panic to Oprah Winfrey's decision to end her enormously popular syndicated TV talk show, which they have long relied upon to bring viewers to their local newscasts.In Upstate New York, for example, the Buffalo News reports that WIVB-TV, which carries Winfrey's show at 4 p.m., has been the local news leader for years thanks to her strong lead-in, noting that whatever the replacement is, it is unlikely to be as powerful as "The Oprah Winfrey Show."The Hollywood Reporter Editor Elizabeth Guider also describes Winfrey's departure as "a paradigm shift, one that will roil the already fragile local TV station business for the next two years."-- Tom Gilbert

Oprah Winfrey's Mega-Success in Review

2009-11-20T15:38:16Z

Media columnist Phil Rosenthal reflects on Oprah Winfrey's daytime TV success while awaiting her announcement about her future in the Chicago Tribune."[Her] success is a combination of the common and uncommon," he writes. "Her life story includes triumph over adversity and imperfection, talent and the ambition to better one's self, shrewd business acumen and an uncanny knack for making millions of fans warm to her as a good friend with whom they might trade recipes or gossip."--Tom Gilbert

What the Man Who Dated Oprah and Talked Her Into Entering Syndication Thinks

2009-11-20T15:24:31Z

Veteran film critic Roger Ebert, who at one time dated Oprah Winfrey and claims to have influenced her decision to accept an offer for a syndicated show, has made an educated guess in the Chicago Sun-Times about what her next move might be.Ebert thinks the talk-show queen will be on her OWN cable network, syndicate overseas, have same-day reruns, stream on the Internet and have an online archive of past shows."This move doesn't require a rocket scientist to explain it. She knows as much about TV as anyone alive," Ebert said-- Tom Gilbert

Chicago Mayor Has Own Ideas Why Oprah Called It Quits

2009-11-20T14:59:02Z

Chicago Mayor Richard Daley has a theory why Oprah Winfrey is ending her syndicated talk show, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.He says complaints about the city shutting down North Michigan Avenue for two days at a cost of $54,832 in city services for her 24th season premiere in September may have been too much for Winfrey, who has since reimbursed Chicago taxpayersThe Sun-Times quoted Mayor Daley as saying, "When the controversy came up on Michigan Avenue, and people were criticizing her in the media, the first thing I said is, 'She's paying for everything on Michigan Avenue.' I said, 'So, why are you criticizing her?' The merchants loved it, we had huge recognition around the world when she opened her show ... And so, you keep kicking people, and people will leave. Simple as that."--Tom Gilbert

New Season of 'Lost,' Now on Tuesdays, Debuts Feb. 2

2009-11-20T14:51:37Z

ABC will begin airing the sixth and final season of “Lost” Feb. 2, moving the series Tuesdays for the first time, reports The New York Times.A recap special covering past series developments will precede the two-hour season premiere, which is scheduled for 9 p.m. In its new time slot, the series will compete with CBS' popular “NCIS: Los Angeles.”-- Tom Gilbert

'Friday Night Lights' Actress Cast in Hallmark Channel Movie

2009-11-20T14:33:39Z

Alicia Witt, who has a recurring role on the fourth season of the DirecTV/NBC drama "Friday Night Lights," has been signed to star in a Hallmark Channel movie with the tentative titled "Backyard Wedding," The Hollywood Reporter reports.The film centers on a woman whose plans for her second wedding are marred by her ex-husband and first love. Markie Post and Frances Fisher are also in the cast.-- Tom Gilbert