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The headline first: At NBC’s upfront schdule presentation to advertisers today in New York, Donald Trump announced that he is not running for President. (As I told you in February.) The announcement, which may have stunned political reporters who forgot that Trump did the same thing in 1988 and …
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Fox, which previews its new series for advertisers this afternoon in Manhattan, released its 2011–12 schedule today, including four new comedies, three dramas and a new unscripted series. Among the highlights: Alcatraz, the much buzzed-about prison enigma from J. J. Abrams; The X-Factor, from Simon Cowell; the return of Kiefer …
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NBC announced its 2011–12 schedule today, the first of the big networks to show its hand for Upfronts Week. (Click here for clips of all the upcoming shows.) I’ll have some thoughts on the previews we see after the upfronts presentation tomorrow, but here are some highlights, followed by the …
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Monday through Thursday is “upfronts” week, when the major broadcast networks (plus some party-crashers like the Turner cable networks) present their schedules for next year to advertisers. (Cable has been holding its own upfronts piecemeal for the past couple of months.)
From the business end of TV, it’s the beginning of a ritual …
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It wasn’t quite the dramatic blitz of announcements that Fox had for us the other day, but NBC‘s 2011–12 schedule is starting to take shape. Among the new series ordered for next season are Smash, a musical described as a kind of grown-up Glee (we’ll see if that’s a contradiction in terms) and the remake of Prime Suspect with Maria …
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The major-network “upfront” schedule announcements are next week, but as usual the programming news for next season is coming out earlier. Yesterday saw a major news dump from Fox, which announced several shows it would add and cut from its roster next year. Out: The Chicago Code, Traffic Light, Lie to Me, Breaking In and Human Target. …
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The CW was the last broadcast network to announce its fall 2010 slate today, and while Melrose Place is no longer for this world, the news was more about additions: for the first time the network will air originals every night (of the five nights it programs), rather than using “encores” of shows like America’s Next Top Model. One Tree …
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CBS began its upfront presentation making the vigorous case to advertisers that there is nothing wrong with broadcast TV, with the broadcast TV model, or with the advertisers that support it. CBS chief exec Les Moonves told the assembled admen and -women that he felt “bullish” on the economy. CBS’s sales chief Jo Ann Ross said that, no …
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From the perspective of Turner Networks executives, the reason to be at their upfront presentation this morning (which previewed the schedules of TBS and TNT), was “reach.” Even though this is traditionally the week that the big broadcast networks present their schedules, they argued, their cable networks reached enough viewers …
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This morning CBS announced a new schedule that was probably more interesting strategically than creatively. It has three new dramas (including a Hawaii 5-0 remake), all in some way having to do with law or crime, because this is the Crime Broadcasting System. There’s a new Chuck Lorre sitcom, because this is the Chuck Broadcasting …
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At the network upfronts, you get a little glimpse of each network’s self-perception, its narrative about its identity. ABC sees itself as the Love Network. There are a lot of things that make up ABC, of course, but the the roll of clips the network played to introduce its upfront were heavy on the love: doctors in love on Grey’s …
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Everybody’s been paying attention to the rebuilding program over at NBC, but ABC hasn’t had a gangbusters season itself in the overall ratings (beyond finally having success with new comedies). With Lost signing off, Grey’s Anatomy greying and efforts like FlashForward having failed, ABC just announced a fall schedule that fills a lot of …
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There’s a difference between an upfront presentation by the first-place network and one by an, um, less-than-first-place network. Where NBC kicked off its presentation to advertisers with apologies, Fox kicked off its own with stars. Beginning with the cast of Glee, the network trotted out the …
