Posted on 12/08/2008 7:09:50 AM PST by Kevin J waldroup
NBC's sweeping shake-up of its entertainment division last week highlights the deep problems it and other networks face in continuing to produce high-quality shows as advertisers slash spending and viewers find alternate ways to watch TV.
The General Electric Co.-owned network, which has seen its ratings plunge 14% this season, plans to announce this week that it will merge its two programming groups -- one at the NBC network and the other at its television production studio -- into one unit. The restructuring, which could save the company millions of dollars a year in overhead, comes as the TV industry braces for advertisers to dramatically scale back their purchase of commercial time next year, pressuring revenues and eroding profit margins.
"This is the most fragile advertising market that I've ever seen in my 25 years as a media and entertainment analyst," said Larry Gerbrandt, head of Media Valuation Partners in Beverly Hills. "Every major company is looking at how to cut costs, cut staffing and cut advertising. This is not a good time to be the No. 4 network and not have any new hit shows on the air."
NBC's move could signal a shift in how television shows, which underpin the Hollywood economy, are bought and sold. NBC, one of the largest producers of programs for all the networks, could decide to retrench by producing shows only for one of the channels the company already owns -- leading to fewer jobs for actors, writers and scores of people who work "below the line" making TV programs.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Sports,mainly the NFL
Occasionally for Dateline/48 Hours/Primetime kinda things
Coverage of *big* stories (e.g., Tienanmen Square,9/11)
Married With Children (the earlier episodes)
Who Wants To Be A Millionaire
The Weakest Link (hosted by the Brit redhead)
That's it.Nothing else.
If NBC had kept Journeyman last season, I’d be watching 50% more NBC than I am now. As I say in all of these threads, maybe more people would watch the shows if the networks did a better job of scheduling them to make them convenient to watch instead of playing games with their schedules in order to hit sweeps. Most people don’t have the time to figure out whether a show is going to be on or not this week and when. And this problem is only compounded by the move from episodic shows, where you can watch any episode in almost any order, to shows with long story arcs that make it important to see every episode and in order.
How about not producing so many lame TV shows that rehash the same old tired plot lines and crap? Maybe one hour less to fill before the news comes on?
How many medical investigative dramas do we need? How many bitchy wife/dumb guy comedies do we need? Smart ass chick/slacker guy angles?
Problems with entertainment industry’s crappy offerings can’t be solved with money. The solution require something their culture simply doesn’t have.
However, I watched an interesting show on railroads on the history channel. Great except for the MTV music and wacky MTV-type “host” and the constant speeding up and slowing down of of the motion pictures.
Yeah, it's called:
Boomerang, Cartoon Network & Nickolodeon - (for old classic cartoons & the rare but occasional good modern cartoon)
SpeedTV - (for Formula 1 and MotoGP racing)
The History Channel - (for sometimes good albeit biased historical documentaries)
Discovery & National Geographic - (for sometimes good albeit biased modern documentaries)
"Regular Networks" and "Sports" Networks - ONLY for some College and NFL Football, some major League Baseball and the occasional NHL Hockey game
Fox Network - The Simpsons
Other than that, DVDs !
Anything GE gets its paws on is doomed to failure. Chrysler CEO Nardelli is a former GE exec. Prior to going to Chrysler he nearly wrecked Home Depot as CEO. Point being, GE has a track record of destroying any business it gets its hands on. Very incompetent organization, starting with Immelt. Not too sympathetic to NBC’s coming demise however.
History Channel is always a winner. At least what I have seen.
I think this “deathwatch” is dead.
It is pretty clear the OLD media is still controlling in elections.
McCain was incompetent in campaigning, granted.
The GOP victory commitee was incompetent in organizing (thank’s fiorina), granted.
However, that does not dilute the fact that all the media had a devestating bias for Obama and anti-GOP.
NOT ONE STORY about fannie and freddie democrat responsibility.
1) Military Channel
2) G4 - Primarily for “Attack of the Show” and “Movies that don’t Suck.”
3) Network TV for NFL Football or anytime an NHL game is broadcast
4) Comedy Central - I like South Park. But will only watch new episodes. No reruns.
5) Whatever channel the Deadliest Catch is on.
NY Post Online reader, the rest of my news comes from FreeRepublic. Radio is Bennet, Gallagher, Rush, Sean, Levin when I am around and Hugh Hewitt.
Or just get a DVR like everybody else.
Especially, anything with R. Lee Ermey.
I watch the networks for NCIS and NFL. I used to watch Earle, but, they got to full of themselves. I avoid Sunday Night Football until there is no chance I will see or hear OLbermann. I used to watch Lost, but, once I missed an episode it didn’t make sense to watch anymore.
I spend a lot time with USA (I know it is NBC) and TNT (Closer). I watch a lot of repeats, since, it is easier to not concentrate on the show and do something else.
****NBC’s sweeping shake-up of its entertainment division last week highlights the deep problems it and other networks face in continuing to produce high-quality shows as advertisers slash spending and viewers find alternate ways to watch TV. ****
AND in other news, President Goldie Hawn has asked NBC to stop the BOMBING!......(Oldline from “Rowan & Martin’s Laugh-In”...1968)
Any network that pays idiot reporters what they do should fail.
We watch none of that. Just History, Discovery CH. “24”, “Heroes” and maybe Ina Garten on Food Network who seems to be so nice and makes the show about the good food she prepares and NOT all about her. TV is a dead zone. I love our shows we DO watch but...if TV was no longer here I wouldn’t miss it. Since we made the decision the day prior to the election to shut it down except for the above shows...our home has been filled with music and we have been reading and doing crossword puzzles AND...getting lots of other much needed projects done along the way.
No more looking at the glitzed show hosts and their constant chatter and silliness. All they do is perpetuate one little story into a large snowball and then it goes from one show to the next with the only thing different being a new host. That’s Cable. Heaven forbid that we would ever watch a network. Those clows are worse. So full of themselves it’s laughable. They put so much importance on themselves. Well, they are NOT important in this household. They are a vexation to our soul and we decided to put a stop to it and we did.
The serenity is something I cannot even describe. It’s WONDERFUL to hear the quiet again. :) Hope everyone is enjoying the CHRISTMAS season as we are. :)
and yet GE stock is surging.
ever watch the pentagon channel or Nasa TV?
If the “big three” hope to survive they must first cut the yokes from their necks. This would be the useless “loss leader” news divisions.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.